yet another reason not to imbibe

[oc1]

I'll do something.  They are sweet little reels and I'd hate to give it up.
-steve

[oc1]

I keep thinking about the Standard Professional Free Spool with all the internal organs exposed (page 1) and am wondering how it would hold up to frequent use and abuse.  Trouble is, the reel is just too large for the task at hand.  They called it a 100 yard reel, but it is a really big 100 yard size.

It's difficult to get an idea of overall size from auction photos, but I got this Standard No.3, 80 yd, Quad.  What sold me was the narrower spool and the hard rubber spacers.  I forgot to take photos before opening it up so the photos with the redish background are from the auction listing:








I could tell the reel is old by the handle but was not ready for the gears.  They are unlike any other Shakespeare gears I have seen and are not nearly as finely cut as the brass main gear and steel pinion that became the Shakespeare standard for decades beginning in the 1910's.  The clicker ratchet looks just like the pinion and the clicker mechanism is more complicated than need be so it could be turned on by a thumb dial in the hard rubber spacer.  Both clicker ratchet and pawl had been ruined, probably by casting with the clicker on.  




Another thumb dial on the head plate controlled a friction casting brake.  The dial has a ramp that pushes a spring loaded brake shoe against the spool flange.  The brake shoe had worn through so it was bare metal gouging the spool flange.

The screws on the reel foot were a little loose and the whole frame was slightly twisted making the spool rub on the side plate rings.  I was told the reel is pre-1910 and "collectable in any condition".  

The hard rubber spacers and casting brake were removed and when the stand and posts were reassembled the twist came out of the frame.... thank goodness.  Later, the clicker was also removed because it was pretty much useless.

The intention was to transplant a Koph clutch from a Standard Professional Free Spool into the Standard 80.  But a new linkage strip between the gear bridge and the clutch lever was going to have to be made so I ended up just making a whole new clutch from scratch using some german silver plate.  An oiled leather washer was put under the clutch lever to give it a smooth action




The Koph is not as dependable as what we're used to today.  When put into gear, that notch in the lever provides a stop and it is held in gear by wedging the lever into that bend in the linkage strip to create tension.  When put into free spool, the lever again wedges itself into that bend in the linkage.  The linkage is thin material and designed to be a little flexible to maintain tension.  The clutch will never accidentally slip into gear when casting.  It will never slip out of gear when retrieving line.  But, there is something about a strong fish making a fast run that makes it want to slip out of gear.  I don't understand the physics of why it happens, but it has happened with the Standard Professional Free Spool and two different Tournament Free Spool 1744.  It's not a big deal if you are prepared for it because the spinning pinion somehow throws the main gear out and there is no grinding or damage

The spool was drilled and a cork arbor added.  In these photos it did not have the final version of the clutch lever and the clicker apparatus had not yet been removed.




The reel was put on a eleven foot Calcutta cane rod with Chinese cane tip section.  The reel works fine and I'm satisfied with the mechanics and casting.  It palms better than the larger Standard Professional, but does not fit in the hand and palm as well as the little Tournament Free Spool 1744's.  Perhaps the best thing about this exercise is that I realized any small knuckle buster with a bridge can be turned into a free spool reel.  A follow-up project is under way.



-steve

[mhc]

Great work Steve, it takes a lot of skill and patience to design and make connecting parts like that. I'm guessing there was a bit of trial and error you haven't mentioned. You did mention a cast control system - "Another thumb dial on the head plate controlled a friction casting brake.  The dial has a ramp that pushes a spring loaded brake shoe against the spool flange." Did you get any photos of it, or more importantly, do you think it could be copied or adapted to make an adjustable magnet holder to mag other reels?
Mike

[oc1]

Yeah Mike, I made two levers and two or three linkage strips before getting it to work.  The tedious part is putting all the parts together to find where it is rubbing, taking it apart to grind off a corner, then putting all back together to test fit again, repeat and repeat.

I forgot to take photos of the worn friction drag but here is one from another reel.  It could work as a magnet adjustment as well.



I cheat by using magnets and should have included a photo of them too.  I glue three to five magnet wafers to the side plate then stack more wafers on top to get the correct height.  With 1/16 inch thick wafers you can fine tune it fairly well.  Its a special purpose reel that is only used to cast 5/16 to 3/8 ounce jigs so once the magnets are tuned it is not adjusted. 
-steve

[Bill B]

The "Adventures of Steve" continue.....good job brother....Enjoy reading your posts...Bill

[oc1]

One more thing...  This photo shows how bad I am at spacing and drilling holes and how bad Shakespeare was at making pinions prior to about 1910.  That's a fairly soft and unburnished solder used to secure the pinion to the arbor and spindle.  The other end of the spool is just like it.



A few years later the pinions looked like this and remained so for about five decades except that about 1937 they started using a spiral cut.



-steve

[mhc]

Thanks Steve - a lot of interesting and uncomplicated engineering in those older reels. Uncomplicated enough to tempt us to copy it at home.
Mike

[wfjord]

Steve, I always find your experiments and creations with antique reels and cane rods fascinating, particularly with the photos I've seen of the bonefish you catch on them.

I have a Shakespeare 1920 Wondereel model HB (level wind).  Have you ever experimented with one of those?

[oc1]

Model HB means it was made in 1939, the year the first Wondereel was produced.  They changed over the years but kept the Wondereel name for a long time.  I don't have one but have been wondering what kind of casting brake they have.  If you open yours post some photos of it.
-steve

[wfjord]

I'll try to get into it soon and take some photos.  I'm familiar with their dating code and understand the '39 date.  1920 was the model number, even though they etched or stamped it into the side of the reel as "Model HB."

[oc1]

Sorry about that.  Shakespeare is great because the approximate manufacture date is usually provided.  But there was always some four-digit number beginning with 19 but having nothing to do with the date making them difficult to discuss.  Are we supposed to call both of them model numbers?

I ask about the Wondereel brake because they were babbling about advanced thumb-free casting when it came out.  From the outside, it appears there is something special about the tail plate bearing and the head plate spool tension knob.
-steve

[oc1]

Standard 80 modifications were made a month or so ago.  I remember you were discussing Loctite at the time and I was concerned about keeping the sliding bridge nut and bolt snug without binding and without being rattled loose.  I ended up just peening the end of the screw with a punch.  They may be ruined when removed, but it is only a thirteen cent screw from the local hardware.

Anyway, the next steam punk winch victim was a Tru-Form.





Don't ask me what a Tru-form is as I've never heard of them.  They are not very well made though.  I bought it because it is marked '40' on the foot.  However, it is about the same size as most 100 yard reels of the time.



It features a friction casting brake with an adjustment knob on the head plate and one of those bars across the front that shuts down the spool when the lure hits the water.  That didn't work because it had a home made spring that was much too stiff.




The clicker was worn to a nub so it was removed too.  



The plastic handle knobs were frozen and riveted in place.  They were worked loose but one knob would still bind with every turn so they were just cut off.

The levelwind was removed leaving some big holes right where I wanted to put a new post.  So, some pieces of german silver were cut and soldered into the holes to fill them.




The rim was cut off the head plate cup and a home made Koph clutch was installed.




The tail plate was cut down to lower the height and make the reel more comfortable to palm.  A cross post (the levelwind wire guide post) was lost when the tail plate was trimmed so a new post was added in the front where it would be out of the way.

The clutch lever and bridge screws needed to be snug, but not binding.  Rather than penning them down, some rustic thumb screws were made from brass nuts.  The back end of the bolts were soldered to the lever or bridge to keep them from turning when the thumb screws were tightened.  This provided external adjustment of those things that need just the right amount of tension.




A floating brass sleeve was put over the gear sleeve under the handle.... for looks and stability.  Some sections of bamboo were cut for handle knobs.  They have a brass sleeve inside and ride on a brass screw that is peened in place on the handle arm.

Since the clicker is gone, I made a simple wire stop latch to secure the spool when traveling.  




Next came a wood arbor to fill up the spool and neodymium magnets glued under the tail plate.



Then came a ten foot rod with Caclutta cane base, Chinese cane tip section, home made wire guides, wrapped with some old silk casting line and cotton twine.



What are you supposed to do if there are parts left over when you finish?




It ain't pretty, but I was satisfied.  It feels much better in the hand than the big Standard 80.  This was my favorite reel for a time.  Catching a fish was uneventful.  Maybe it was too easy.



I'm starting to feel sorry for the bonefish again.  Maybe using new fangled stuff like a clutch is not sporting.  I think I'm going to abandon the free spool reels and only use
the regular knuckle busters where the handle spins backward while casting.  It's a sad state of affairs when you have to tie one hand behind your back to have fun.

-steve

[Crow]

Just want to say how much I've enjoyed reading this thread ! I love fishing with my "old" equipment, and it's obvious that you do, too ! You have taken "tackle tinkering" to new heights !

[oldmanjoe]

   Love the steam punk look "form follows function"       Well done Steve

[Bill B]

Wow Steve  ...Some day you need to get the "Steam Punk Family" together for a photo....Bill