Repair a jewel end cap?

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dahut
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Repair a jewel end cap?

Post by dahut »

I got me a pretty little Ocean City "Interstate," that has a missing jewel in one of the spool caps. The cap and spring are fine, but the jewel segment is gone. This causes the spool to rub the side plate.
I'm guessing easy-to-come-by replacement parts are not gonna happen.
I can think of a way to repair it, but how is this "normally" done?
Don Champion
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Post by Don Champion »

I usually machine a new one from red polycarbonate and glue it in with Eastman 910 adhesive. You can't tell it from an original. Milton Lorens makes them from epoxy mixed with dye but I've never had any luck trying that. Len Sawisch uses red beads cut in half but I've found those to look too fake. Perhaps I wasn't using the right bead. My method only works with red so far.
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dahut
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Post by dahut »

Don Champion wrote:I usually machine a new one from red polycarbonate and glue it in with Eastman 910 adhesive. You can't tell it from an original. Milton Lorens makes them from epoxy mixed with dye but I've never had any luck trying that. Len Sawisch uses red beads cut in half but I've found those to look too fake. Perhaps I wasn't using the right bead. My method only works with red so far.
I've considered several options.
Red tinted epoxy was my first thought. I had wondered about machining one, too. However, the cap in question looks to be undercut, so a machined turned piece might slip out down the line.
I had also considered buying another reel for the parts. But then I'm back on ebay trying to sell a reel, one missing an end cap.

I'm thinking that for a common place reel like an "Interstate," the epoxy trick out to work okay.

SO what were they thinking back in those days, using these fragile jewels? Was it a hold over from the days when reels were made by clock smiths?
Dale Noll
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Post by Dale Noll »

Back in 2005 I bought several bags of small glass beads on ebay. These were hand made by a Mr. J.R. Hooper from Leicester, NC. I still have some Orange and Kelly Blue beads. It is difficult to use these because the dimensions of the end caps never seemed to allow a proper fit, and because these were made by hand, the beads dimensions varied a lot, but by measuring and sizing, you could eventually get a pair alike. Just al little note to say they were quite expensive since all were made by a glass blower using an self invented process.
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dahut
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Post by dahut »

Dale Noll wrote:Back in 2005 I bought several bags of small glass beads on ebay. These were hand made by a Mr. J.R. Hooper from Leicester, NC. I still have some Orange and Kelly Blue beads. It is difficult to use these because the dimensions of the end caps never seemed to allow a proper fit, and because these were made by hand, the beads dimensions varied a lot, but by measuring and sizing, you could eventually get a pair alike. Just al little note to say they were quite expensive since all were made by a glass blower using an self invented process.
One of the problems with these glass jewels is that each maker made them differently, or at least in proprietary fashion.

Each end cap is unique to the particular maker and thus, no two are alike.
Im fairly certain they weren't thinking about us, 50 years later, still working with their reels and trying to find parts. This is testament to their quality designs and construction, certainly. It's also a pain the arse when needing repair!

I have a plan for doing the epoxy 'thingie' that should work at least as good as the original. I also dont have to strip yet another reel to do it.

I still wonder, though, if there wasnt another way to get the near frictionless end point they were after. As I think about it more, I reckon probably not with the concepts of the day.
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Brian F.
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Post by Brian F. »

If El is able to pop in here, she might be able to pinpoint where she described her method of replicating the jewel for an end cap. Can't remember if it was on here or in the Reel News but it did include dyed epoxy.
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