Tim Lennon
Senior Member
There seems to be a reasonable amount of interest here in closed-face reels, so here is a brief explanation of why I believe the Plowman 507 is the best closed-face trotting reel ever produced.
Dave Plowman is widely acknowledged as one of, if not the, finest centrepin reel makers in history. On the very rare occasions that one of his centrepins becomes available for sale, they command extremely high prices. The quality of his engineering workmanship is indisputable.
Dave selected the ABU 507 mk I to work his magic on for a number of very important reasons. Primarily, these are the increased spool diameter over other models, the extremely high quality of its original componentry, and its spool oscillation ratio of 1:1.
A detailed explanation of why the spool oscillation ratio is critical might be necessary.
The spool of a closed face reel oscillates in an up and down motion to achieve even line lay, much like any fixed-spool reel. On the ABU 507 mk I the spool moves up and down once for exactly one turn of the handle. In order for the line to spill most freely from the spool whilst trotting a float, the spool must be in its bottom-most position. There is considerably less friction on the flowing line with the spool in this position. On a standard closed-face reel it’s impossible to be sure when the spool is in this position, for the simple reason that you can’t see it! Dave makes a number of modifications to the standard 507 so that the spool is in its optimum position when the handle is pointing directly downwards. He also ensures that the handle returns to this position of its own accord, so that the angler doesn’t have to remember to manually do this prior to each cast.
Here is a brief outline of the modifications that Dave makes to the standard 507;
1) Hand craft a replacement shallow spool from a non-hygroscopic material (delrin or aluminium). Note that some replacement spools are made from nylon, which is hygroscopic and therefore unsuitable, because they will swell when damp. Dave’s replacement spool is shallow to avoid line bedding, is backed top and bottom to prevent line trapping, and is ventilated to prevent air trapping between the spool and main body of the reel.
2) Replace the main gear and the handle gear to greatly increase line retrieval speed.
3) Modify the line release cap to prevent line trapping, which is an issue on the standard reel.
4) Remove the anti-reverse mechanism.
5) Remove all internal heavy grease and instead lubricate with light oil.
6) Realign the handle to obtain the optimum spool position for casting (bottom dead centre).
7) Hand machine the main shaft to remove excessive play, another issue on the standard reel.
8) Replace any worn components.
9) Modify or replace the cowl to prevent the ingress of dirt.
10) Tune the reel for optimum performance.
The sum total of these various modifications transform what was a really good trotting reel in its standard guise, into what I believe is the best closed-face reel ever produced. In addition to the vastly improved overall performance, the annoying line-trapping issues of the standard reel are completely eliminated.
Dave Plowman is widely acknowledged as one of, if not the, finest centrepin reel makers in history. On the very rare occasions that one of his centrepins becomes available for sale, they command extremely high prices. The quality of his engineering workmanship is indisputable.
Dave selected the ABU 507 mk I to work his magic on for a number of very important reasons. Primarily, these are the increased spool diameter over other models, the extremely high quality of its original componentry, and its spool oscillation ratio of 1:1.
A detailed explanation of why the spool oscillation ratio is critical might be necessary.
The spool of a closed face reel oscillates in an up and down motion to achieve even line lay, much like any fixed-spool reel. On the ABU 507 mk I the spool moves up and down once for exactly one turn of the handle. In order for the line to spill most freely from the spool whilst trotting a float, the spool must be in its bottom-most position. There is considerably less friction on the flowing line with the spool in this position. On a standard closed-face reel it’s impossible to be sure when the spool is in this position, for the simple reason that you can’t see it! Dave makes a number of modifications to the standard 507 so that the spool is in its optimum position when the handle is pointing directly downwards. He also ensures that the handle returns to this position of its own accord, so that the angler doesn’t have to remember to manually do this prior to each cast.
Here is a brief outline of the modifications that Dave makes to the standard 507;
1) Hand craft a replacement shallow spool from a non-hygroscopic material (delrin or aluminium). Note that some replacement spools are made from nylon, which is hygroscopic and therefore unsuitable, because they will swell when damp. Dave’s replacement spool is shallow to avoid line bedding, is backed top and bottom to prevent line trapping, and is ventilated to prevent air trapping between the spool and main body of the reel.
2) Replace the main gear and the handle gear to greatly increase line retrieval speed.
3) Modify the line release cap to prevent line trapping, which is an issue on the standard reel.
4) Remove the anti-reverse mechanism.
5) Remove all internal heavy grease and instead lubricate with light oil.
6) Realign the handle to obtain the optimum spool position for casting (bottom dead centre).
7) Hand machine the main shaft to remove excessive play, another issue on the standard reel.
8) Replace any worn components.
9) Modify or replace the cowl to prevent the ingress of dirt.
10) Tune the reel for optimum performance.
The sum total of these various modifications transform what was a really good trotting reel in its standard guise, into what I believe is the best closed-face reel ever produced. In addition to the vastly improved overall performance, the annoying line-trapping issues of the standard reel are completely eliminated.
