Old, Weird, Historical, and Unusual Spinning Reels --

Started by foakes, August 26, 2017, 06:36:33 PM

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Midway Tommy

Here's one of the more interesting spinning reels I've come across over the years. The Feurer Brothers FB202 Flip Reel.




Roger & Walther Feurer were Swiss watch part manufacturers. In 1962/63 the Feurer brothers purchased the Airex Reel Division, which was originally started by Bache H Brown, of the Lionel Train Co. Most of their reels were made in the US in White Plains, NY but a couple of models were made in Japan. The FB202 Flip Reel was made in Japan and is a large saltwater size reel. Some of the unique features about this reel is that you can crank the handle forward, or in reverse, and the rotor continues spinning in the line winding direction. It has an integral anti-reverse mechanism so that the spool can never turn backwards. They claimed it won't loose loop or backlash. Loosen the lever on the heel of the reel and the entire body rotates (down and around) 180 degrees to become a left handed (right hand crank) reel. There's a small detent tension screw in the front behind the rotor for correct positioning and the rear heel lever locks the body into place. The rotor spins in the same direction while cranking right handed, too, no matter whether you're turning forwards or backwards. It also has two line guide/rollers to assist in optimum and correct line lay.

Here's a look at the inside gearing. It has two anti-reverse mechanisms, one at the front and one at the rear. The A/R dogs lock into the small gears on the main shaft tube. There's also a a nylon spacer/washer under the oscillation gear, and they used an idler gear to keep the front and oscillation gears turning in the same direction.




Turn the lever at the rear of the reel to rotate the body.



Rotate the body and it's now right hand crank. The slide button next to the handle says "Stopper" but it's purpose is to activate a light clicker. The rotor free spins in the forward motion when you stop cranking the handle and pushing that button restricts the free spin. You can also see the detent tension screw from that angle. Turn the crank handle forwards or backwards and the line will fill the spool.



Another photo of the off side. Here you can see the two line guide rollers.



Here's a shot next to an old Cardinal 7 for size comparison. It's a pretty big & heavy reel and quite an interesting and unique reel, to say the least.




   

         
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)

Alto Mare

Tom, that is such a cool design, first time I've seen anything as such.
Do you own this reel?

With the exception of the revolving stand, somehow it reminds me a little of the Sears, Roebuck  910, also made in Japan.

Thanks for sharing.

Sal
Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.

mo65

   Bravo Tommy...that's a cool one!
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


foakes

Thanks for sharing that unique reel, Tommy --

Fascinating.

Never seen one like it.

I'll see if I can pull a couple of weird guys out of the bonepile later today -- but do not have anything as weird as that flip-body.

Cool...

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

Midway Tommy

Thanks, guys! It truly is fascinating! They're pretty rare. I've only seen couple over the last 15 years. You can actually rock the crank handle back and forth and the rotor will continue to spin and lay line on the spool correctly.   ???  I don't know how that would work with the pressure of a "fish on" but it works just fine without a fish.  :)

Sal, yes it's mine. It's been wrapped up in one of "the totes" for a couple of years. I finally decided, with the cold last week, to dig it out and clean it up for the display case. Here's a couple more pics of the reassembly process.

Broken down and cleaned parts. The counter balance weight is raw lead and held in with 2 screws. You have to slide the bail trip lever into the slot before inserting the counter balance, otherwise you can't get the lever in. Counter balance comes out first, otherwise you can't get the lever out. It's an interesting tight fit, for sure!  :P



The main shaft tube and the anti-reverse dogs & gears.



Pinion bearing assembled & rotor cup.



Inside rotor & back of spool.



The "stopper"/click mechanism attached to the side plate.



If you look real close you can see the little springs on the A/R and stopper/clicker dogs. They're the smallest springs I've ever seen on a spinning reel, and they work perfectly, too!  :o They're so tiny I didn't have the guts to remove them.   ;D  I just cleaned them, nervously, in place.  ::) 
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)

newfuturevintage


Dominick

Wow!  Tommy that is some interesting reel.  thanks for posting.  Dominick
Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.

Gfish

Seems like there's some serious creative stuff that used to go on with spinners. Is it just me, or does this level of creative experimentation not exist so much with other kinds of reels.
Gfish
Fishing tackle is an art form and all fish caught on the right tackle are"Gfish"!

foakes

Quote from: Gfish on January 09, 2018, 08:49:55 AM
Seems like there's some serious creative stuff that used to go on with spinners. Is it just me, or does this level of creative experimentation not exist so much with other kinds of reels.
Gfish

Seems like the attempts at being different (some worthwhile, most just a flash in the pan) in the spinning reel world of the 50's and 60's -- IMO, boil down to this:

While spinning reels had been around for a long time before they became so popular during the 50's and 60's -- a few things happened.

Marketing teams promoted the ease of fishing with spinning gear.  8 times the water could be covered in the same amount of time it took with a conventional rig.

Anyone could use a spinning rig with just a little practice.

After WWII, there were many trained engineers who had knowledge of manufacturing and fabricating.

There was more disposable income, and recreation was an important part of raising a family during this period.

Every business was looking for the next new mousetrap, appliance, or vacuum cleaner that would catch on and sell millions.  

Plus, no one wanted to be left behind as the popularity of spinners expanded rapidly.

So many large companies, small firms, niche operations, and talented guys in their garages -- all tried to do something just different enough to catch on big time.

At the end of a few years -- the firms that had just gotten into the business to make a quick buck realized that it took more than a neat product to be successful.  It took commitment, marketing, advertisement, constant innovation, contacts, major capital investment to reach the next level, organization, practical vision, and a network of shops and stores willing to sell their inventions to the angling world.

Sort of like watching some of the early attempts at powered flight...

In the end, a few firms that had already been in the angling business -- were all that was left.

Penn, Zebco, Shakespeare, Mitchell, D.A.M., ABU, and a few others.

They knew that at the end of the day -- their model of quality, marketing, proven history, sound business practices, and knowing the market -- would have the best chance of success.

And perhaps a bigger reason -- their committment to their products included parts, service, warranties, and a network of shops authorized and capable of supporting the reels already being used.

That does not mean that there were not some great products (and many duds) that came out of that innovation era of the 50's and 60's -- and it was a fascinating time with all of the new products and ideas available.

Just my observations and opinions.

Best,

Fred

The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

Midway Tommy

Quoteit was a fascinating time with all of the new products and ideas available.

That's part of what keeps my interest, and love of old spinning reels. Yes, I enjoy having a nice collection of most full lines of maker's spinning reels but opening up a model that I've never been into before and seeing variations in design & engineering is a real joy!

I just opened a USA made Zebco Omega 940XL from the late '70s/early '80s. Keep in mind Zebco had direct access to ABU Cardinal design in both rear drag styles, fulcrum & straight rear. The 940XL is a rear drag reel but Zebco completely changed the configuration and workings of the drag. They also revamped the anti-reverse mechanism. They kept the slide button on the top of the body but added a long extending arm to activate the A/R dog on the front of the body between the body and rotor. That is a new style but they also went back 20 years and incorporated the circle spring concept that was used on the old Langley and early Zebco spinners.

Those types of things sure help to keep this hobby interesting.       
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)

foakes

#100
Just pulled about 15 or 16 old spinners from some of the outer bins, and brought them into the shop to post over the next few weeks.

Nothing special, just neat old spinners with a lot of history.

Here is a vintage Horrocks-Ibbotson Model 1901.

Works perfectly.  Check out the spool clicker inside the rotating head cup -- just a round ball on a wire that interacts with eight ribs on the underside of the spool set 45 degrees apart.

Tiny metal reel weighing 7.4 ounces, reversible crank for lefties or righties.  Nylon main and pinion, brass bushings, steel spool shaft.

Made in the USA, Utica, NY.

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

broadway

Really cool reel, Tommy.  You sure have some cool and unique spinners.  Your a braver man than me for jumping in those suckers.  I get lost when I crack a spinning reel, but you guys handle a cleaning like it's nothing.
Thanks for showing us what's out there.  Especially like the way they made it lefty/righty.
Dom

foakes

#102
Here is an old Airex Beachcomber Model 1.

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

Midway Tommy

They don't get much more basic than that, external bail trip & all.  :)
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)

Midway Tommy

Today I think I'll talk about an old company that few people associate with spinning reels, Old Pal. Old Pal started as a minnow bucket division of the Animal Trap Company of America in 1956. By the mid '60s Old Pal became a trade name of Woodstream. Woodstream bought Fenwick Rod Co and used Woodstream, Fenwick and Old Pal on their tackle products. Woodstream sold the Fenwick Rod portion to Berkley, which later became Pure Fishing. Pure Fishing was bought by Jarden Corp and is now part of Newell Brands. Wow!

Anyway, in the mid '60s Old Pal decided to get into the spinning reel market. They never manufactured any reels. Their reels were made by Zangi & Coptes of Italy, KP Morritts of England and a Reel-Lectric 1000 (battery operated), the maker of which is unknown yet to this day. The Italian made reels were of high quality. There were 3 models, the Cheetah 500 (light size), Cougar 600 (medium size) and Jaguar 800 (large size). I'll discuss those sometime in the near future as they have an interesting connection between Zangi of Italy and Dam of Germany. The reels made by KP Morritts were lighter sized reel and, compared to the Italian reels, were cheaply made.

The reel for this discussion is Old Pal's ultra light called the Tomcat 25. It was made by KP Morritts & is more or less a pile of junk. I'm surprised this specific reel still functions as it should. Here's what it consists of:

All the parts (not many) cleaned and ready to put back together.



This is the anti-reverse mechanism. The rocker button and dog are one piece and plastic, soft plastic to boot. The spring is a thin flat piece of metal wedged between the button and body screw post. The button pivots on a post on the side plate. Believe it or not, the whole thing works and it clicks when the A/R is activated.




The pinion is pressed into the rotor cup. The main shaft tube is molded into the body and threaded on the outer end to retain the rotor. The main shaft is about 3" long with a hole at the rear for a pin that goes into the oscillation groove on the gear. The outer end has two flat sides for washers and the spool.



Install the rotor, slide the main shaft in, drop in the oscillation pin and you're ready for the main gear to be installed. It's a one piece molded pot metal gear with the anti-reverse ratchet gear on one side and the gear teeth and oscillation groove on the other side. Drop it into place making sure the oscillation pin is in the groove.




Now install the side plate & screw it together.



The bail goes into holes in the rotor cup. There are no bail springs, the long side bail arm slides through two holes that don't line up. That puts a twist on the arm and creates the spring tension. The short side goes into a hole on the other side of the cup. There is a ridge there to hold the bail in place when it's open. 



This photo shows the elaborate drag mechanism. The flat metal washer slides all the way down on the main shaft. The red plastic washer is the under spool drag washer and spool click. The little tail rubs against cogs on the outer rim of the spool when the spool rotates with line pay out. If you look closely you can see a nylon washer under the metal washer on the top of the spool. That's the outer main drag. There's no way to get into them, they were evidently molded in place. At least the drag knob is metal.  :o



That's all there is to putting it together. The bail is external trip, it just smacks against the leg and snaps shut. Also, notice there's no line roller or guide. The line just rides against the bend in the bail wire. I'll bet braid would cut through that thing in no time.



Here's the handle side.



It's definitely a good candidate for the shelf, not on a pole.  :D 

     
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)