My Heddon Reels

Started by Redhed, May 05, 2022, 12:57:20 PM

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Redhed

A couple folks asked, in my introductory thread, to see some pictures of my Heddons. I need to set up a proper way to take good photos, but in the meantime here are a few shots I took last night. This may seem silly, but my ultimate goal is to  have each model of reel that was made in this era. I have a few more - a 235 and a couple 236's on the work bench.
Gary

Wompus Cat

#1
Well you are off to a Hell of a Start with those for sure .
I never saw any of these 2 .

I REEELY like the Reel and Matching Rod in the first pic you posted .
The auto bail is neat tooo. Keep em coming .
If a Grass Hopper Carried a Shotgun then the Birds wouldn't MESS with Him

mo65

   Nice collection of Heddons! They are a favorite of mine...just a cool looking reel. 8)
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


Redhed

Quote from: Wompus Cat on May 05, 2022, 01:04:58 PMWell you are off to a Hell of a Start with those for sure .
I never saw any of these 2 .

I REEELY like the Reel and Matching Rod in the first pic you posted .
The auto bail is neat tooo. Keep em coming .

Thank you! The two Spin Pal reels I gather are from the mid 1950's. I thought they would provide a bit of historical grounding to my collection. I'll try to get a better picture of the reel and rod combo. I don't believe that it has ever been used.
Gary

Gfish

Awesome!
Is there any logical sequence to the Heddon reel model numbers?
Fishing tackle is an art form and all fish caught on the right tackle are"Gfish"!

foakes

Very nice collection of good fishers, Gary!

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.

Redhed

Quote from: foakes on May 05, 2022, 03:19:08 PMVery nice collection of good fishers, Gary!

Best, Fred
Thank you, sir!
Gary

Midway Tommy

Quote from: Gfish on May 05, 2022, 03:17:06 PMAwesome!
Is there any logical sequence to the Heddon reel model numbers?

No.  ???

Nice gaggle of Heddons! You are correct, the 2 - 230s are from '55.

One of the earliest (1953) is the original Spin Pal, which has an auto bail. Turn the handle in reverse and the bail opens. A lot of people, when just messing with it, don't think the system is working because there needs to be slight tension on the line for the bail to close completely.

A thorough search will bring up quite a bit of information on the Heddon spinners. Festus did a lot of tutorial and informational work with respect to the various models.
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)

Redhed

Thanks Tommy. It is quite a gaggle, ain't it? :o  Thank you for confirming my thoughts on the Spin Pals and the information on how the early one works. The two I have are very simple. The maroon one is basically new. I don't think it's ever had line on it. There are some minor chips in the paint and the unfortunate loss of a good part of the logo. I had to tear it down and remove the petrified grease. It was stuck solid! The black one I just received and have not had a chance to dig into yet.   
Gary

Redhed



A thorough search will bring up quite a bit of information on the Heddon spinners. Festus did a lot of tutorial and informational work with respect to the various models.
[/quote]

As far as I have been able to tell, this site, and particularly Festus' thread is the undisputed authority on Heddon reels, internet-wise.
Gary

Midway Tommy

Quote from: Redhed on May 05, 2022, 04:42:40 PMA thorough search will bring up quite a bit of information on the Heddon spinners. Festus did a lot of tutorial and informational work with respect to the various models.

As far as I have been able to tell, this site, and particularly Festus' thread is the undisputed authority on Heddon reels, internet-wise.
[/quote]

Yep, Chester dug deeply into the Heddons. For some unknown reason he's taken a lengthy hiatus.  ??? Most of us wish he'd come out of hibernation!
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)

thorhammer

Welcome to the board! I have that same black spin pal in box. Chester is missed for sure; you're now the new Heddon guy!!!! Nice stand of gear.


John

Redhed

Quote from: thorhammer on May 05, 2022, 07:17:00 PMWelcome to the board! I have that same black spin pal in box. Chester is missed for sure; you're now the new Heddon guy!!!! Nice stand of gear.


John

Thanks John. Man, I'm not sure I can fill those shoes. I hope he'll be back.  There seems to be a small cult following of these reels. I like the color scheme. My dad had an out South Bend spin cast reel that I have somewhere in a similar light green color. It's non-functional at this point. I should open it up and see if it's repairable.   
Gary

Crow

Nice collection! I have a few Heddon spinners, but haven't cleaned most of them yet...so many reels, so little time !
There's nothing wrong with a few "F's" on your record....Food, Fun, Flowers, Fishing, Friends, and Fun....to name just a few !

Redhed

Hey folks, I haven't been idle today!  8)
I recently acquired a fairly decent Heddon 246 for my collection. It's in one of the pictures above. The auction had two fuzzy pictures and I took a gamble...and lost, sort of. When the reel arrived it was in the typical filthy state most of these old reels are in. What frustrated me though, was that upon examination I discovered that the A/R switch was missing. Not only that, but opening it revealed that the entire assembly had been removed. As so happens, I also had purchased a small lot of other reels which included a 234. This is a much smaller reel but looks just like the 246. Since I already owned a nicer 234 I began looking at the new one as a potential donor for at least the switch so the 246 would be cosmetically correct at any rate. To cut to the chase, i successfully transplanted the entire A/R assembly from the 234 to the 246. It works as if it was born there! Seems there was some reuse of components on some of these. Note that my photo makes the smaller side plate look almost identical in size. I assure you it is not. :)
I just thought it might be nice to add this tidbit to the general knowledge base for these reels.
Cheers!
Gary