Restoration of an Edward vom Hofe model 621 size 3/0

[sdlehr]

Picked up a few EVH 621s from an ORCA member. I've been hanging out on their Cleaning and Restoration Board learning a lot, so I figured it was time to test myself.

Today's subject is an Edward vom Hofe 621, size 3/0. It arrived missing a handle nut. I knew this beforehand. The procedure to replace it is to find someone that has one with the correct diameter and thread pitch. They weren't standardized through the years. My thread gauge is on the way.

What I wasn't expecting was a crack in the head plate. It was small, and I'm sure the seller didn't notice it. I sent him these photos



Looks like a crack emanating from a screw hole, right? We both thought so. He refunded what I paid for the reel and told me to keep it. To our surprise, it sanded out on the first sanding step. I sent him back his refund. Pictures of the final product at the end.

There's a few interesting design ideas I found in this reel. First, a look at the guts. I have to admit, these next two photos are of a different 621, but the features are the same. This reel is closed back up now and I didn't take pics when it was open. The head plate

is pretty standard. The bridge is double-dogged and the clutch mechanism is pretty common. The pinion gear interlocks with a ring with four holes that engage two SS pins on the spool. Note the mark on the pinion gear that lines up with the mark on the ring. I measured the squareness of this part of the pinion (and ring) and they were square to within one thousandth of an inch. It seemed that they fit together perfectly in any of the four possible orientations.


The pins and the holes into which they engage are notched just like the pinion gear of a Penn reel is notched so that it more easily seats into the tab on the spool.


The tail plate has a dog to engage the ratchet on the left side of the spool - an adjustable drag that only engaged when line was being taken out because of this dog. The long wire spring is to keep this dog engaged properly. Note that this reel has a clicker on the tail plate. This was true only for 1918-1922 for the 621. Later in it's life the 621 would get a perforated drag star that could be locked to the handle to prevent travel, but not until 1938 (edit: it was really 1929). Note the brass plate that the bearing tightens to from the outside.


The other side of the bearing looks like this (from a different reel). It's very difficult to remove this bearing cap without damaging the knurling on the outside. I took it off and was wondering why they put it on so tightly. When I reassembled the reel I realized that if it wasn't as tight as it could be the spool didn't have enough axial free play and there was no free spool. A Robogrip tool padded with leather was what was needed to loosen and tighten this bearing and cover safely.


By the way, all EVH reels made in 1908 and later wear a serial number on the foot that begins with a letter, so all 1908 reels have a serial AXXX where XXX was the number of the reel made that year. This serial is K310, so this was the 310th model 621 size 3/0 reel made in 1918. That was the first year for this model. When they reached Z in 1933 they started the alphabet over again.


Removing the handle, star, and a retaining ring reveals the bearings


Someone has been in this reel before (a few of the screws show it), and it would appear one of the bearings is missing. The other 621 I've opened to date had enough bearings to fill the space all the way around the gear sleeve.

Another clue that this reel has been restored before is the spool flange - it had at one time been pitted, but cleaned up. The spool condition would ultimately limit how much work I was to do on the Nickel silver of this reel. I could have chucked the spool up in a drill and sanded and polished it to a fine luster, but this defect in the spool would have ruined that look, so I opted for a less aggressive approach on this one.


While we're on the spool, remember those SS pins that went through the end of the spool and engaged the pinion ring? Well, it's a case of two dissimilar metals in contact in a salty environment, and the signs of galvanic corrosion are clear when you look at this side of the spool


This reel initially had a pretty nice patina, which I had initially intended to preserve, but there was corrosion present that had to be removed so that the corrosion process was stopped, so I soaked the entire reel in 50% vinegar overnight (as recommended by ORCA folks). Then I disassembled and soaked everything but the side plates and drag washers in mineral oil. ORCA folks say it's OK to soak the hard rubber side plates in mineral oil. I skipped that step and cleaned them up with Dawn dish soap. There were some interesting contours on the side plates that would be challenging as I went through the sanding process starting with 400-grit wet and proceeding through the steps to 2000-grit. BTW, these side plates are turned on a lathe, they were not injection-molded as is done with Bakelite (one of the advantages of Bakelite and one of the reasons it replaced hard rubber in a lot of reels and other applications). The tooling marks on the insides of the plates are distinctly lathe-produced. Hard rubber is made from rubber and sulfur. The vulcanization process invented by Charles Goodyear changed rubber from soft and moldable to stiff and strong. This head plate had to have been turned on a lathe first, then the collar was added - look again at the contour in the hard rubber and how it is continuous under the collar.





Final polishing with Simichrome brought ought the luster of the hard rubber


Note the rounding of the surface adjacent to the screw holes. That is excessive and is to be avoided. It detracts from the collector value of the reel. I tried hard not to do this and failed. I've worked up two prototypes for a sanding instrument so that I may (hopefully) avoid doing this in the future. Neither prototype has been tested yet. More to come on that after testing.

The reel came together nicely in the end. Before and after:







As far as I can tell this reel is made of four materials: Hard rubber (also known as ebonite), Nickel silver, a little bit of brass, and the only SS parts I found are the bridge post (which is magnetic, so it may not be SS), the bearings and the pins on the spool that engage the pinion ring. The bridge post had a spiral groove running the length to allow for the passage of oil. The bridge and the clutch mechanism of this reel are very similar to those on my Pflueger 1419-3/4.

This reel is built with precision I've not yet encountered in reel making. Just the fact that there wasn't enough clearance for the spool to turn without tightening the bearing cap excessively is a sign of very close tolerances. There is no adjustable spool end cap on this reel. It doesn't need it. It's built with the precision and materials that have allowed it to last the last 99 years. Next year is it's centennial. I hope to find a handle nut by then.

Sid

[RowdyW]

Amazing job Sid. That took a lot of patience & TLC. I'll have to come over to take a closer look for myself.                       Rudy

[handi2]

Sid that is amazing. I never knew that material would get to a luster like you have done.

[Bill B]

Museum piece       sid your restrations are always  a thing of beauty......Bill

[Rothmar2]

Beautiful piece. It's a credit to you regardless of some of the errors you feel you might have made on the way.
Thanks for sharing the process.

[thorhammer]

Sid, fantastic. Gotta get some of that Simichrome.

[foakes]

You are really teaching us some of the tricks of the restoration trade, Sid --

Thanks for the tutotial and explanations.

Best,

Fred

[Alto Mare]

Excellent job on that reel Sid...love it!

Sal

[sdlehr]

Thanks for the pats, guys. Not sure what Simichrome will do to Bakelite... I think to get that luster I went over each plate 5 times with Simichrome. Bakelite is harder than hard rubber. It might take more effort.

Sid

[mo65]

    Wow Sid...that came out great! I'm sold...looks like I'll be venturing into Vom Hofes myself!

[sdlehr]

    Wow Sid...that came out great! I'm sold...looks like I'll be venturing into Vom Hofes myself!

Mike, step 1 is to buy Ted Bingham's book, "The Celebrated Reels of Edward vom Hofe". He does a good job describing the company and the different reel models, but fell short for me in not showing any of the mechanics; he did at least list the EVH patents in the end. I was hoping for a lot of photos of reel guts demonstrating EVH's ingenuity. That book has yet to be written.

Sid

[Tightlines667]

Sid,
Job well done there!  I like how you have meticulously read and researched this reel collecting and restoration hobby you have aquired.  These Vom Hofes are quality reels through and through.  It is very rewarding to bring the reel back to its former glory.  You may want to check with the guy that recently pucked up that batch of Vom Hofe parts for your screw and bearing.  Or just post up a request on ORCA once you get the specs.  I'm sure someone will help you out.

 I would like to pick up a JVH BOcean 6/0 w/harness lugs and restore it someday.  I can't bring myself to remove the patina from my 621 6/0 since it has remained untouched since being last fished on Oahu.  I somehow imagine the patina to be a part of its local history.  This is why I have left my 1940s 10/0 from Pearl Harbor 'as found'.  Most of my other collector reels are slated for likely restoration some day.

Nice work!  

I look forward to seeing some of your future projects.

John

[broadway]

Really nice job, Sid. As mentioned earlier, that took some serious TLC to do what you've done.
You've done that ORCA member proud,
Dom

[David Hall]

I found one of his brother Julius reels at a flea market many years ago, I picked it up cheap, cleaned it up and it sat on a shelf for 15yrs or more, then I offered it up on the big auction site, sold it for not a lot more, that was years before I came here and learned anything at all about reels, often wondered if someone on this site ended up with it.

[sdlehr]

You may want to check with tye guy that recently pucked up that batch if Vom Hofe parts for your screw and bearing.  Or just post up a request on ORCA once you get the specs.  I'm sure someone will help you out.

Do you know who that was? Do tell.

I would like to pick up a JVH BOcean 6/0 w/harness lugs and restore it someday.  

A B-Ocean (or two) is also on my list. Talk about historic reels.
Sid