Pflueger Pre-War Bond 2955

[Paul Roberts]

Picked up an older pre-war Pflueger Bond, a "100yrd", freespool, "quadruple multiplier" (4:1) "light surf-casting" reel. Love the elegant looks of those hard rubber and silver reels.

The pre-war Bond appeared in 1928 and ran until 1941. (The name "Bond" was later recycled in the 1960's with a more modern design). Mine is the Bond 2955, a satin finish nickel silver version (the 2915 was polished). This one has an optional 2543 "Cub" handle, instead of the standard counter-balanced handle. The knobs on both appear to be hard rubber like the plates.

The reel has been well used, but not in some time. It had dried out inside and needed a good cleaning. Externally, there is a fair amount of corrosion (surface rust) on the pillars. The Cub drag plate is missing much of its plating. I suspect a real fisherman had owned it. The screw heads were in fine shape so possibly he/she was a careful one too?

I took the reel down completely, finding it a simple design. The freespool apparatus is interesting. At first sight I thought that the faceplate, where the main gear post comes through, had been damaged. Then I could see that it had been machined into an oblong shape. Uh oh! How am I going to deal with that? Then, as I got fiddling with the FS mechanism, I found that the mechanism simply pushes the main gear down out of the way of the pinion, via a rotating cam. The oblong shape of the opening is for the main gear post to slide forward.

After cleaning, burnishing, lubing, and adjusting the controls, she runs pretty well. There is a bit of gear noise -a buzzing, grinding sound- that I assume is due to somewhat worn gear teeth, or to the tolerances required to get the freespool mechanism to engage easily(?).

Adjusting spool controls is pretty important in these older reels. It's important to first balance the spool at both ends of the shaft. Otherwise, one end or the other will be noisy as the shaft end lolls around loose in the bearing. Or, you'll hear the spool wall "ring" against the inner plate slightly. Once balanced, this old Bond freespools silently, and for quite a long time! I was happy to see that. The handle and main gear, when disengaged (in FS), also spin silently. Engage the gears and the reel buzzes some upon retrieve. Possibly, a heavier grease might help. Regardless, It should be a fun, and pretty, reel to fish with.

[oc1]

It is called a Koph clutch.  Beautiful in their simplicity but sometimes it is tricky to get the tension to stay properly adjusted on the pivot point and slide screws.

You've been coming up with a lot of interesting stuff.

[Donnyboat]

Your doing good Paul, nice find, some of the old early model reels had a after market, Williams clutches or drags fitted, thanks for posting, cheers Don.

[Paul Roberts]

I also posted on ORCA's Reel Talk and someone noticed that I have the FS lever on backwards!  Indeed I do! Or... did. Good 'ol ORCA. Great bunch there, as I'm sure many of you know. Actually I like the look of it outward. But, I can see the utility of having it tucked in when... tethered to something important!

Steve, thanks for that -Koph clutch. And, I think I can see where the issue you mention probably arises. The clutch plate/bar is held in place by two screws that afix to a flattened bronze nut (photo 2 above). These nuts are apt to spin as you try to tighten the screws. The nuts are slotted so that it can be held in place while the screw is tightened. Definitely a job for three hands! Since my shop is currently boxed up for the move, I'm currently making do. Here's my improvised vice; A balancing act... that worked. I suppose if these reels are to be fished, some non-permanent Lock-Tite might be in order on those nuts to keep the shaft/bar in place.

As to interesting stuff... I'm easily amused, and there's lots of interesting stuff out there! Luckily I have a focus: Old reels to fish with, and the fishing gods will dictate in the end.

Thanks, Don! Having fun, and... enjoying the much needed meditative work.

[Paul Roberts]

I went after the rust and corrosion on the pillars and cub handle with an acid and 0000 steel wool. I didn't have any vinegar (everything is packed up for our move) but I did have lemons in the fridge! Got rid of the worst of the dark tarnished areas but lost the silver plating on the spindles, taken down to the underlying brass; A little aggressive with the steel wool, but the corrosion was pitting down through the plating. At least the FS lever is oriented correctly.

[Paul Roberts]

It is called a Koph clutch.  Beautiful in their simplicity but sometimes it is tricky to get the tension to stay properly adjusted on the pivot point and slide screws.

You've been coming up with a lot of interesting stuff.

Finally getting a chance to do some casting with one of my pre-war Bond's. And the Koph clutch began to loosen up some after about 50 casts. So I brought it in to the bench, took it apart, and added a couple drops of CA glue to the nut heads. The nuts are open, exposing the screw end for the glue to contact. Seems to be holding well.

[Wayne B.]

The old Pflueger saltwater reels were great reels and for some reason don't seem to be as popular in the collector world as other reels pulling big bucks. I've always enjoyed getting an old crusty Pflueger (Bond, Oceanic, Templar, etc) that were nickel silver and restoring them. The internals, as you described, were relatively simple. And polishing the metal was an enjoyable experience.

In my need to downsize my collection over the years I sold most of my old Pfleugers. But I could not part with 4 or 5 of them. They are all on the wall on a period correct rod. How can you part with a double knob, Williams drag, nickel silver Templar?

Great job on your restore!

[oc1]

Having the screws loosen is the Achilles Hell of the Koph clutch.

Those Templars are a serious piece of work.  Very well made but a little difficult to service.