Post-war pre-1950 Senator 115 9/0

[sdlehr]

Sal,
You will note that the handle I sent you has some hairline cracks in it as well.  

John, got your handle, thanks, it's an exact match. I just want to be clear that when I received the reel the handle knob was in pieces. There are a few pics after I attempted an epoxy repair, that really didn't turn out too poorly, but I don't trust it to stay together. Seems the plastic may have shrunk a little over the years and tightened up around the post; now it doesn't fit too well.

Sid

[Reel 224]

You did a great job Sid, but I guess you don't need me to tell you that.

Joe

[Shark Hunter]

Mine should come today Sid. It will clean up nicely. I polished just a little on the back to see if there were any numbers and it cleaned right up.

[Alto Mare]

Sal,
You will note that the handle I sent you has some hairline cracks in it as well. 

John, got your handle, thanks, it's and exact match. I just want to be clear that when I received the reel the handle knob was in pieces. There are a few pics after I attempted an epoxy repair, that really didn't turn out too poorly, but I don't trust it to stay together. Seems the plastic may have shrunk a little over the years and tightened up around the post; now it doesn't fit too well.

Sid

Yup! I'm with you on that, the knob has shrunk over the years.
Here is another example, this is also an old one, still intact though:




Sal

[anglingarchitect]

Incredible job, so pretty.

mark

[sdlehr]

Stunning work Sid. Beautiful result.
Would love to do the same to an old classic one day. But no way the missus would let me have it on display in the house.

I tried to display this on the bookshelf in the family room. It lasted a few hours. It's back up in my man cave again. Some people just don't appreciate beauty like we do....

I just got delivery of a 1st Gen 115 (thank you Oceanreels) with the intention of putting this spool on it; but, alas, this spool has a post, only a drilled arbor would be correct for the 1936-37 Senator (someone please correct me if that is wrong). I really wanted to see that spool on the 1st gen reel....  

Incidentally, this was the first model Senator released in '36, the only new reel of that year, and since it was the only Senator at the time it wasn't labelled as a 9/0 - that would come later. There also was no need for the model number to be on the logo on the headplate, so it just says "Senator" (see pic). A few years later the 12/0 would  be released and given the model number 116. Then they came out with the 10/0 in-between size without a number between 115 and 116, so they picked 116A instead of 115A. (Footnote, Caccioppo, Michael, 2015  ) Kind of an odd selection because the 116A is smaller than the 116. Had Otto asked me I would have voted for 115A, or 115 1/2, or something like that. But he didn't ask.

I'm thinking of doing a post comparing the anatomy of the two Senator versions. There are obvious head plate differences, but also differences in drag (externally accessible in 2nd Gen), gears (older gears are steel, newer are brass, but there are also other interesting differences that are a little more subtle.
Sid

[sdlehr]

Mine should come today Sid. It will clean up nicely. I polished just a little on the back to see if there were any numbers and it cleaned right up.

Thanks, Daron. I'm about to finish up work and head home. Hopefully it will be waiting for me. Hey, how's the finger? I was using a knife to start the pry on a trim ring from a head plate last night and thought of you

Sid

[Shark Hunter]

Its doing fine Sid. I actually planned on doing oil changes on my two trucks today, but the wind is blowing here at 50 mph.
I did a total rebuild on a 650ss after re applying super glue to the gash on my thumb.
That was the third application and probably the last.
I can say I'll never try to separate plates like that again.
If that knife would have been sharp, it would have been much worse.
It was the downward pressure with the 500 plate slipping to the side that caused the cut.
I don't want to sound like a wuss, but that is the worst cut I have ever had to my hands.
It will leave a nice scar to remind me not to do that again.

[sdlehr]

Glad the thumb is on the mend. If we were closer I could have rebuilt it with 5-minute epoxy

The handle arrived on Saturday. Thanks. I haven't polished it up yet, but it will polish up really nicely.

Sid

[handi2]

Beautiful reel..!!

Daron I just stuck a hole in the center of my palm with a skinny screwdriver prying a plate of a 6/0. I bleed like crazy taking Plavix. A drop of super glue stopped it and I went on.

Keith

[Superhook]

STOP PRYING !

Put the side plate in a cereal bowl of hot water  , Then put the side plate only in the freezer. Only takes a few minutes . Repeat a couple of times and after the hot dip and the ring expanded the plate should come off without putting yourself in danger.

Just did a 1933 trim ring that did not want to move.

[Tightlines667]

Sid,
That's a shame it came apart in transit.  It had a few hairline cracks visable, but was wolly intact when it was packaged.  Not sure if it's worth dealing with USPS for an insurance claim on a $10 part though.

[sdlehr]

John, the handle you sent is fine and intact. The picture of the broken handle is the one that came with the reel. I only posted it to show you and Daron that I really did need a new handle, that my torpedo grip was smashed to smithereens, it wasn't just cracked. I could have/would have lived with it cracked. I epoxied it together and it showed up that way in a few of the photos I posted... I was afraid you would look at the pic with the epoxied grip, not see that I had repaired it, and think I had been untruthful about needing a new handle.

Sid

[Tightlines667]

Whew...
Here I was thinking I should have triple bubble wrapped it or something.  Funny that your pic for clarification ended up confusing me

[sdlehr]

No worries my friend. All is fine.

Sid