Another Early 114: First Look

[cbar45]

Thought I'd share some photos of this late 40's reel that came my way courtesy of Ted (Max Doubt).. This particular model sports a three-piece spool, counter balanced handle, and red torpedo knob with large oil port similar to the 50's reel in my previous thread. Ted mentioned however, that the earliest models had absolutely no parts numbers--either outside the reel as in the clamp shown below, or on any of the other parts internal. Intrigued, I couldn't help but take this reel apart for a closer look:


At first glance it looks like a typical older Senator, complete with steel gears and asbestos/brass drag washers:


But turn the stand around and--hey--what happened to the familiar stamp of 30-114?


The same can be said of the spool bushings and both handle and eccentric lever screws. Zero parts numbers aside from the stamp that reminds you a particular part requires "OIL". The lubrication port for the main gear is unmarked as well. A bit hard to see, but the eccentric lever has coin-edge type lines stamped into its cylindrical end. Below that lever is the Penn Senator logo, stamped at the two-o'clock position rather than eleven o'clock as in newer reels:


Compared to later models, the above-mentioned screws have a slightly different look. Dual ports on the handle screw for example, as opposed to a single pinhole that funnels oil down and into the gear sleeve:


The clicker dog on the tail plate is peened to the click button, typical of early models. On the head plate side however, if you look closely, you can see that the post for the anti-reverse dog is slightly thinner. The dog spring itself is also different in that it is "hooked" at one end, allowing it to grip the side plate and remain in place. The material used for the spring seems to be a bit thinner as well--producing a softer click compared to that of my newer Senators:


Here's a shot of a 90's 114H that demonstrates the difference in post size for the anti-reverse dog:


Finally, the top of the bridge is beveled at the point where it contacts the eccentric jack. Not sure if the design was meant to enhance shifting, but this reel is quite smooth going into, and out of, free spool.


So there you have it. I wanted to take a few more photos showing the dog spring in position, but my wife needed to borrow the camera for her work and you know how it goes. In lieu of that, here's a parting photo of the reel all buttoned up and sitting next to its slightly younger sibling. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this brief look at an old classic as much as I did. Any commentary or corrections to my notes are appreciated.


Chad

[coastal_dan]

Neat, thanks for sharing.  The black side plates and red handle are quite classy.

[Shark Hunter]

Very nice Chad. Those two side by side sport some serious bling!

[Penn Chronology]

Nice reel. You have brought out some interesting points in your tutorial.

[sdlehr]

Thanks, Chad. Nice reel, nice work, nice tutorial!

Sid

[Maxed Out]

Very nice tutorial Chad.

I see the shiny steel gears. Is the main gear chrome plated like your late 50's model ?


I also noticed how clean the reel is internally, with no 70 year old grease and grime. You did a nice job cleaning it up. Looks like factory new 


I'd say you have a darn good start on a 114 collection. 

[redsetta]

Great post Chad - thanks for sharing

[broadway]

Chad,
   Thanks for showing how Penn was an ever evolving company finding what worked best for us fishermen while saving themselves some dough in the process.
Happy to see someone who cares about a reel enough to open it up and improve upon it even when Ted sends reels already purring and glistening.
Thanks for sharing your observations,
Dom

[cbar45]

Thanks guys!

Dom, glistening is right. My hat's off to Ted as polishing work takes patience; de-greasing parts, not so much..

Ted, the main gear is plain steel and the pinion stainless. Both are very clean and shiny, but neither appears to be chrome plated.

Chad

[Long Enuff]

How much drag, at the reel, can you get with the old brake lining thick washers?

[cbar45]

How much drag, at the reel, can you get with the old brake lining thick washers?

My other 114 with the same drag stack was able to do a straight pull of 26 lb. at the top of the spool, star tightened with one hand.

It's interesting how these old brake lining drags seem to vary amongst different reels. Some are certainly smoother than others with less spiking at start-up.

Chad