Can you turn that reel down, please?

This is a bit of a longshot, but you never know. I dug out an old centrepin for a bit of lake floatfishing the other day. It hadn't been out for a while, and I was soon reminded why. It has a ratchet that makes a noise louder than an alarmed magpie or a vintage football rattle. Unbearably noisy clatter.

The reel is an Adcock Stanton 5”, and is nice to use in every other respect. I find it needs the ratchet for static work as it's so free-running and will turn if you look at it or leave your thumb off it for a sec. I have a smaller, lighter pin which has a better-designed ratchet lever, a far quieter ratchet and no tendency to turn if left to its own devices for a moment, but I'm reluctant to abandon the Adcock Stanton.

A couple of things I notice, looking at it here:
If you hold the switch so the pawl is backed off a fraction it clatters less as it moves in and out of the teeth.
It's a relatively large reel, and the backplate may be amplifying the noise of the ratchet.

So, does anyone else recognise this, and is there any kind of mod that will turn the noise down?
Or do I have to go for earplugs?

I know nowt about centrepins but would it be possible to make a lighter ratchet spring? it is possible to buy very light spring steel rods from model shops and outlets for not much money.

Though other factors do come into play, I generally find that the stronger the ratchet, the louder it sounds. Lessening the tension of it may quieten it down. The downside is that you may want a fairly strong ratchet when legering in flowing water. It may be worth discussing your issue with the manufacturer.

https://adcockstanton.com/contact/

I go with both the replies. Either a lighter spring or stretch the spring to lower the tension on the ratchet.

I have had a few Adcock stantons I find the 5 inch model too big for anything. Regarding the ratchet try bending the spring to lighten the pressure,or bang some grease around it that should do it.
But keep it off the bearings mate.
I have seen a few that have had the rachets removed over the years,done to presumably lighten the reel I suppose.

Thanks for the replies. Looking at it again, I'm weighing my options:




Try to close the angle at A a bit

Try to open the angle at B a bit

Find some lighter spring material and try to make one

Put it back in the drawer, where it has been for years, and forget about it

Sell it and buy a reel I like

If I could remove the pawl - can't see if it has been rivetted or screwed in - I'd consider grinding the point at the apex down a fraction.

I don't need a strong check for river legering - it's only used for float- just enough to stop its spontaneous antics. I think those relate to being too big for anything, as you say, and always wanting to flywheel.

The spool only on this reel weighs 90g. The spool on my preferred smaller reel, 45g.

I've got a feeling it could be one of those things best left alone.

nottskev said:

I've got a feeling it could be one of those things best left alone.

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Defiantly leave it alone Kev ffs, you'll bo!!ox it. The ratchet on stanton reels isn't very hard anyhow, the horrible sound they make is just one of those things i'm afraid, but it does stop when you flick the button to disengage it....easy!
So just engage the ratchet when the rod is in the rests and when you start winding in flick it off....they're great reels .

tigger said:

Defiantly leave it alone Kev ffs, you'll bo!!ox it..

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That's pretty well what I ended up thinking!

As for flicking the ratchet on and off - do you not find it's an annoying, fiddly little button, with its weird across-and-up/ across-and-down action? Maybe it's just me.

That aside, they do seem bullet-proof in their construction.

nottskev said:

That's pretty well what I ended up thinking!

As for flicking the ratchet on and off - do you not find it's an annoying, fiddly little button, with its weird across-and-up/ across-and-down action? Maybe it's just me.

That aside, they do seem bullet-proof in their construction.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I know what you mean about the button, there is a knack to it though and once you get the knack it'll be easier .