Steve,
sorry mate, but as the previous responses outline the sludge trap is a critical part of the oil filtration for these old engines and if an engine has been laid up its certainly worth tearing it down just to clean it out properly, before any damage is done.
If you aren't keen to pull the motor down you are taking a risk.
Back in the early 80's I killed a couple of triumph twin bottom ends (ok not that big a deal
) because I didn't know about sludge traps.
And without wanting to change topics, detergents in modern oils can end up taking that sludge through your mains in a nasty way! So if you have an engine that hasnt been apart and has question marks over its last rebuild, stick to old school monogrades that have no detergents
Knowing your big ends arent on the receiving end of crud is worth the effort.