Penn Reels - just as you find them

Started by Superhook, October 30, 2015, 10:43:36 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

tennesseeman and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

54bullseye

It's a 16/0 with part numbers. I was hoping it was earlier but nope !!   John Taylor

Gfish

#1051
Quote from: oc1 on April 18, 2018, 05:31:01 AM
I've never seen braided linen and would have guessed nylon squidding line too.  It's easy enough to tell though.  Just burn the end.  A hard plastic glob means nylon.  An ash that you can flick away means linen or silk.  If it stretches it's nylon.  If it doesn't stretch it's dacron, linen or silk.

Gfish, they stopped making natural fiber fishing line about seventy years ago.  Getting natural fiber to keep it's strength that long requires some really good preservation.  The line would need to be stored better than most WWII uniforms were.  Some of the line you find being passed around on old reels will break at about half the original strength, and some is worse.  Braided nylon squidding line would be period appropriate for a rod and reel post-1937.  There were a lot of split bamboo rods being built then.  The LB are probably post-1937.

If you are going to fish with those rigs, you can buy new braided nylon squidding that is just like the original.  It's made the same way.  Mason Tackle has it.

If the rigs are for display only, I can send you enough twisted Cuttyhunk linen for a top shot that will cover the backing.  I don't have enough to fill a reel though.
-steve

Thanks to both Steve and Sheridan(that's a great 1st name, story?, also my favorite town in Wyoming). Got some Mason Squidding line from my favorite old school Island tackle shop: you know, dark, smells a little like mildew, many overfilled shelves 'n racks, lots of old stuff, mis-priced items, love that place!
PM sent Sheridan
Fishing tackle is an art form and all fish caught on the right tackle are"Gfish"!

Gfish

Quote from: 54bullseye on April 18, 2018, 09:00:18 PM
It's a 16/0 with part numbers. I was hoping it was earlier but nope !!   John Taylor
Cool! Well worth it IMHO. Imagine what old smells your dog is picking up on... What kinda line do think it's got on it?
Fishing tackle is an art form and all fish caught on the right tackle are"Gfish"!

1badf350

John part of me says leave it as is and hang her up.
Then again another part of me wants to clean her up.
-Chris

"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them."
John Wayne as J.B. Books in "The Shootist"

Long Enuff

#1054
Just back from Savannah with my latest tub full. Please excuse the non pedigree intruders.




Bill

Crow

There's nothing wrong with a few "F's" on your record....Food, Fun, Flowers, Fishing, Friends, and Fun....to name just a few !

broadway

Saw that one pop up, John. I gave it a hard look because of the harnell but couldn't get to the sellers number. The starting bid would've been my max but you do amazing things with rods and nice work with reels so I have no doubt you can do it. Can't believe you got it so fast... you must live down the block from the seller, lol.
Enjoy Your project... looking forward to seeing the results.
Dom

54bullseye

Quote from: broadway on April 19, 2018, 04:15:34 PM
Saw that one pop up, John. I gave it a hard look because of the harnell but couldn't get to the sellers number. The starting bid would've been my max but you do amazing things with rods and nice work with reels so I have no doubt you can do it. Can't believe you got it so fast... you must live down the block from the seller, lol.
Enjoy Your project... looking forward to seeing the results.
Dom

Well Dom I was gonna drive up to Eliot Maine and get it they said they would give me back the $52 shipping I paid. Then the guy said he was driving to Ct. yesterday so I met him just off an exit on Rt. 84 by my house and he still gave me $25 back for shipping !!! I just gave the rod a quick go over last night but will take all guides apart tonight and be more fussy. It cleaned up nice. It's a Harnell # 580  117 lb. rod I believe. It's exactly like the 580 I have but it has been retied fairly nice !!! The butt that came with it will be a bit more of a project but I had one I bought a few years back same thing fits perfect. I got the reel soaking but I was able to get all side plate screws out with out any breaking !! It will clean decent but not quite what we all like. Still not a bad price for a big old rig. Here are  pics of rod so far the one I just got with the reel is on top.    John Taylor

54bullseye

couple more

1badf350

#1059
Damn that looks good!!
Dom you might be thinking of the other harnell that sold last week for $595.
-Chris

"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them."
John Wayne as J.B. Books in "The Shootist"

broadway

#1060
John, you did quite a job on that rod, as usual I'm impressed. Please tell me the secret to getting the grips white again?  I have one Harnell and was only able to get it deeent with various cleaning supplies of the trade. I'm sure you'll get the Reel to respectable so make sure you show us what you've done when it's done.  You were very smart for not having that shipped. You can rest assure it's a two piece package and not 22 pieces when it arrives.
Chris, this is the combo I was talking about, as I knew John got it lickety split in near impossible shipping time.
Sweet job,
Dom

54bullseye

Quote from: broadway on April 19, 2018, 10:40:19 PM
John, you did quite a job on that rod, as usual I'm impressed. Please tell me the secret to getting the grips white again?  I have one Harnell and was only able to get it deeent with various cleaning supplies of the trade. I'm sure you'll get the Reel to respectable so make sure you show us what you've done when it's done.  You were very smart for not having that shipped. You can rest assure it's a two piece package and not 22 pieces when it arrives.
Chris, as you can see this is the combo I was talking about, as I knew John got it luckily split in near impossible shipping time.
Sweet job,
Dom

This is what I have found works great on those white Harnell grips. You have to go over them a few times but it whitens them up good.
John Taylor

Swami805

Good old bleach! I wrap a small towel around them with rubber bands, pour the bleach on the towel and let it sit over night if they're really bad. A few I've done twice, gets them really white.
Do what you can with that you have where you are

Shark Hunter

That Harnell looks Great John.
I will have one of them one day.
Good score on that combo.
You got the magic touch my man. ;)
Life is Good!

oc1

#1064
Nice John.

Speaking of Harnell and drifting off topic, I recently bought a really beat up Harnell spinning rod.  The cork was bad, the guides were bad and the wraps were bad, the O-ring was missing from the ferrule.  Ok with me because I just wanted the blank (640).  Everything was stripped off of it and the ferrule was glued shut.  While pulling on a gold thread and letting the rod spin in my hand to unwrap it (you know how you do), the gold thread turned red for a foot or so and then turned gold again.  One continuous piece of thread.  The red was a trim band in front of the fore grip like the lower rod in Johns photo above.  I couldn't tell if it was dyed that way on the thread spool, or if it was dyed as the rod was being wrapped, or if the red was added after it was wrapped.  Also, the blank was a brown phenolic resin tobacco rod that had been coated or painted black.  My memory of Harnell blanks from the late 1960's is that were a dark greyish black to the core.  Curious.
-steve