Columbian no. 61

[mark Hill]

Plastic....ugh! Any parts available for these Columbian 61 reels...or that may interchange?  I found an old plastic gear (4th pic) that I could possibly "MacGyver" as a last resort. This little reel was filled right to the rim with the usual thick old black grease, but I was in such a hurry *Note paper plate bench* to get it cleaned up and working again, that I forgot to take a before picture. Now you get to see a picture of my entire project shut down...haha.  Mo' Mike I think I have that B GRADE SPINNER SYNDROM you mentioned in another post!  It's really a nice little reel... minus the ONE part! 

[philaroman]

oh, buddy -- that's a triple UGH        
going by your photos & my photo parts list, looks like all one part:
"Master Gear" w/ plastic A/R ratchet glued on    NOT KEYED!!!

mine is kinda' minty/boxed/papered, so I never wanted to use or open it
GOOD THING -- I would have pried that sucker off, just like you did
THANKS -- better to learn from YOUR mistake, rather than my own  
(later? 61-A/61-B w/ different emblem & no serial#...  otherwise, looks same...  hope my ratchet is metal)

whittle out a brass copy & solder it on
maybe even make more/smaller teeth
should be an improvement

[philaroman]

P.S., it's an Airex clone --  Midway Tommy might know how close & what's inside

[Midway Tommy]

Never saw one of those with a plastic ratchet gear before.    It's tough to tell from the photos what you've got going on there. I think the ratchet halves are joined up backwards.   How was it secured to the main gear shaft so it wouldn't rotate? It's covering up that part of the main gear & shaft. If you can snug it back together tight enough to use as a pattern I might try to make one out of brass like Phil suggested or maybe even nylon. You can get nylon washers/discs at the hardware store. Can you show some better detail? About the only way to get parts for those things is by cannibalizing or making them.

[oldmanjoe]

  looks like you can file that profile on that gear .   Did that gear have a snug fit on the shaft ?
    Perhaps  some one can do a 3 d printing  !!!

[philaroman]

Never saw one of those with a plastic ratchet gear before.    It's tough to tell from the photos what you've got going on there. I think the ratchet halves are joined up backwards.  How was it secured to the main gear shaft so it wouldn't rotate? It's covering up that part of the main gear & shaft. If you can snug it back together tight enough to use as a pattern I might try to make one out of brass like Phil suggested or maybe even nylon. You can get nylon washers/discs at the hardware store. Can you show some better detail? About the only way to get parts for those things is by cannibalizing or making them.

I know, the only plastic aside from handle knob & it's a major, high-stress, wear-prone mechanical part
how weird is that?  could it be a DIY replacement?  

magnified closer look at 1st photo, suggests the main is two-part, pressed-in;
the joint is "eye-shaped" w/ ill-defined ears; and the ratchet goes over that

[oc1]

Geez, a plastic AR ratchet that is not keyed to the shaft.  What were they thinking?

[Wompus Cat]

Geez, a plastic AR ratchet that is not keyed to the shaft.  What were they thinking?

Like a Newly Hatched Chick would say 
CHEEP. CHEEP ,CHEEP !

I would clean it and the mating surface where it goes on the main gear  real good with hot soapy water (not any Brake Kleen or other chemical cuz it might dissolve the plastic ) then carefully fit it together making sure it is the right direction like Midway mentioned then use Gorilla Brand Super Glue on all the broken edges and on the mating surface between plastic gear to main gear and put it back  and it will be there from now on . Wouldn't try to hold any logs with it but it will work .

[Midway Tommy]

I think there might be more to this design that meets the eye.     I'd like to see a couple of closeups of the shaft side of the main gear without the ratchet gear obstructing the details.

[mark Hill]

 I would have (embarrassedly) admitted to over muscling the part if I had broken it (it wouldn't have been my FIRST time braking something haha)  but I noticed the AR ratchet being cracked in half as I was pulling all the old grease out. You can see where the outline of the gear is stained on the main brass gear shaft. There is a flat side that held the gear snuggly in place and the o.d. is a bit larger where the ratchet sits. The main problem I see is that the inside of the plastic gear was worn that it prolly shifted just enough on the shaft that it finally cracked in half. Now when you squeeze the gear together with your fingers and spin it it barely holds position on the flat spot at all. In fact you can't really see the flat spot in the gear itself in my pictures it's so worn. I kind of doubt that glue would hold up after being submerged in (and soaking up) all that grease for so many years, even with a good cleaning...but I could be wrong. My plan was to make a new one from the old plastic gear I show in the picture and I thought while I was at it I would make finer teeth like Philaroman suggested for a richer (A class reel. lol) sounding clicker. Now I think I should go with brass or steel and go A class all the way!                                                                                                          Any idea of the age of this reel? Or any history on the maker and if they were bought out by Airex or some other company?                                                         PS. I also posted a question on the Diawa thread trying to get some help on identifying a Diawa Sealine I have and the Royal Bee in that post is free for the asking if you have a use for it. The last picture is of the boxes I am currently digging in until the ice melts here in Michigan.  I really appreciate this site and all the help and knowledge you all share.

[Midway Tommy]

Since you've got a nice flat spot for a key I'd probably opt for brass, especially since it's an UL. G. C. Co. was from about 1960 & the Columbian 61 was an E-60's circa, so somewhere in that range. Most likely, as most of the Japanese made reels were from that time frame, Olympic made.

I'd glue it back together, tape on one side, and use it for a pattern to make a new one. Filing will be tedious but it should be pretty simple to get it up & running, especially if you have a Dremel. There may be a brass electrical nut that could would be close to the right size to eliminate some of the filing. I'd check out the hardware store or home improvement electrical parts section. If you put the teeth too close together you'll have to trim down the dog & point.

Looks like you have some nice reels in those crates.   I see a 2CS & Larchmont.  

[mark Hill]

Thanks Tommy for the quick history lesson, much appreciated. I think I will do the repair exactly as you are saying and go with brass. The electrical nut is a great idea and will be a big time saver. The plastic gear was the only thing I had in the parts bin that was worth trying, thanks for shutting that plan down. It's A CLASS all the way now...lol. This spring/summer I plan on taking pictures of all my reels and I will share them on the page....sharing the sickness might be therapeutic. haha. 

[philaroman]

yeah, the original 10-point A/R executed in harder, less coppery brass/bronze is more than plenty for L/UL
no need to redesign both, ratchet & dog

[mark Hill]

Yeah, it will handle everything it's designed to catch so I will prolly opt for the stock teeth number. Your Airex is really nice. Do you happen to have the schematic for it? I would love to have a copy. I obviously didn't take pics of the teardown and I "think" I remember how it all goes back together... but that remains to be seen. 

[philaroman]

the airex isn't mine -- just on-line photo FYI
have boxed 61-A or B (depending on which box flap you look )
no embossed model, no serial#, no "G. C. Co." emblem -- just Columbian no. 61 sticker
paper is parts list + B/W photo of all parts laid out in somewhat correct proximity, but not a true schematic
(main+ratchet is shown as one part -- should I open & see if it might be one solid hunk-o-brass?)

no special attachment to the reel -- plenty in your tinker pile, I'd gladly swap
(not even contending for any A-grade, loose-balled Italians -- that's Tom's specialty  )
is the white lo-pro 90's Japanese Coriolis...  what shape?   ...any L/H baitcasters?
I get a headache trying to figure out what else you have