Penn spools through the years

Started by sdlehr, June 29, 2016, 07:02:18 PM

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sdlehr

#15
A little modification to this discussion is required. I picked up a second, slightly older Penn Long Beach 68, (compare to the reel in starting on post 239 here http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=12463.225#lastPost  Both reels have similar 3-piece metal spools but, as you can see, the dimensions of the arbor are significantly different from the newer model. We had determined that this reel with the spool with the wider arbor was an early '40's model. This newer one (pictured below) is older based on the tall handle counterweight with coin-edge markings, externally accessible drags (I haven't been inside yet but it has steel gears, my magnet told me) - It does have a Hershey Kiss clicker and no yardage stamped on the foot - I'm going to call it a '39 or '40 model What is different about this reel is its spool, and what is different about the spool is the arbor. The smaller arbor measures 12.11mm, the wider 15.65mm.  So it would appear the pertinent questions are, when was the change made, and why? I wonder if the economics of the war and the availability of stock copper/brass tube/pipe sizes factored into the equation?

Sid

Sid Lehr
Veterinarian, fishing enthusiast, custom rod builder, reel collector

oc1

#16
Sorry I missed the 49 spool reference before.  I think the 49 was designed for wire line trolling.  Wrapping wire line on a small arbor makes it useless.  It would come off looking like a slinky.  The larger the diameter of the wraps, the better the wire line will behave.  Hence the large arbor and tall, narrow spool.

Basto, I recently ruined an old aluminum spool (not Penn) by leaving wet salty line on the spool for two weeks.  It didn't take long.

I have a Spinfisher 710 that I bought new with plastic spool.  It has never been a bit of trouble.  But, when I bought it my buddies all said it would never last a season.  It is the same vintage as the early plastic squidder spools and those had a lot of problems when loaded with mono.

-steve

mo65

   I have a tip here for the new members who might not have experience with cleaning up corrosion on these old spools. You need something acidic to remove the green growth. Scrubbing with abrasives will only ruin the chrome...and most times not even affect the corrosion. A simple vinegar bath will remove it in minutes, and finishing with a baking soda/toothbrush scrub will stop the chemical action.
   The first photo shows a 309 spool after several cleanings with common soaps and cleaners...didn't remove a bit of corrosion. The second pic shows what a 15 minute vinegar soak and a baking soda scrub yielded...much better! This is an easy way to clean up corrosion. I'm not saying it's the best, just easy. Every kitchen has a bottle of vinegar.
   You can further scrub the spool with Never Dull or Brasso and whiten the brassy/bronzish spots, making them blend into the chrome better.  8)
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


Maxed Out

  Sid, all the pre war metal spools had the smaller diameter arbor. After the war the arbors got bigger and was intentionally designed for the arbor to have a stronger bond with the spool flanges. The early spools had issues with side flanges coming loose from the arbor. Also note that the larger arbor had virtually no effect on the amount of line it would hold.

  Ted
We Must Never Forget Our Veterans....God Bless Them All !!

mo65

#19
Quote from: basto on August 06, 2016, 10:11:55 PM
In my opinion now, I think the plastic spool must be the ultimate in corrosion resistance and therefore longevity.
I had a 711 Spinfisher, my first spin reel, that had a plastic spool and I thought that spool was inferior to an aluminium one. My thinking has changed a lot since then.

Basto  

  Well Basto...at least there are two of us rebels...I have been experimenting with the old plastic spools too. All the time we hear the same old story: "I wound mono on a plastic spool and it busted"...yeah, yeah, yeah...I think just about everyone knows this now. Something I've never seen yet is a post saying a powerful fish busted one. I have a hunch if these guys are properly spooled they will catch fish, especially the smaller capacity spools. The larger capacity spools are more susceptible to mono destruction...more wraps equals more pressure. As always, a non-stretch line will eliminate any problems at all. It's just a matter of paying attention to details.
  Here's a link to a cool spool I picked up cheap. I plan to build a reel around it...something strong enough to stress it. I'm curious as to how much a properly spooled and maintained plastic spool can handle. 8)


          http://www.ebay.com/itm/272476831420?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


reel man

Of course, I have to throw my 2 cents in.  When Carl started making his conversion kits his spools emulated the Penn design with the rounded flanges.  Later on, when Penn came out with their aluminum spools, the flanges had shoulders, so Carl switched over to the shouldered spools.  While on the subject he went thru a number of engineering changes on the spools over the years, especially the aluminum spools.

Maxed Out

Quote from: reel man on December 21, 2016, 12:25:50 AM
Of course, I have to throw my 2 cents in.  When Carl started making his conversion kits his spools emulated the Penn design with the rounded flanges.  Later on, when Penn came out with their aluminum spools, the flanges had shoulders, so Carl switched over to the shouldered spools.  While on the subject he went thru a number of engineering changes on the spools over the years, especially the aluminum spools.


That's some cool Newell history. Any idea when Carl started making his parts and when the factory(his garage) closed down for good ?? I personally love newell spools. I believe Carl Newell was a guy ahead of his time. His kits are still highly prized today, but not easy to find anymore.
We Must Never Forget Our Veterans....God Bless Them All !!

Vintage Offshore Tackle

#22
Ted and Jerry, I love Newell Penn spools too much.  I would love to unload some!

Randy

Bill B

Found this 2 piece spool on a 149... there is a seam in the middle of the chrome/brass spool and spanned nuts on each end...the 149 has part numbers on the pictured tail plate....


It may not be very productive,
but it's sure going to be interesting!

Makule

Randy, you know that the Hawaii guys go nuts for Newell stuff.

Quote from: Vintage Offshore Tackle on December 21, 2016, 05:26:55 AM
Ted and Jerry, I love Newell Penn spools too much.  I would love to unload some!

Randy
I used to be in a constant state of improvement.  Now I'm in a constant state of renovation.

wailua boy

I recently purchased some random items and included were a few old penn spools in box, I was actually hoping they would fit another model. Can anyone tell me how to identify these guys and an approx value, just so I can tell how much I over paid haha.  Heres a pic and boxes were green with no labels present.

Bill B

#26
Without measurements, I would venture a guess they are Surfmaster/Beachmaster 200.....Bill

Top spool is a Surf/Beach Master, bottom is a Squidder, notice the length of the spool shafts


Right spool is the Squidder, left Surf/Beach Master, again showing the length of the shaft
It may not be very productive,
but it's sure going to be interesting!

wailua boy

Thanks Tarfu. Sounds logical and will measure. I was thinking they could be identified by numbering or something.

alantani

send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

Bill B

#29
If there was a part number it would be something like 29-200 or 29-155....the 2 and the 0 does not give much information....Bill
It may not be very productive,
but it's sure going to be interesting!