Hi to everyone out there. Lately on ebay i've been seeing items that look like old brass Hendryx reels but have no markings on them. How do i tell what they are or where can i find out? 
hendryx or?
-
Tony Malatesta
hendryx or?
Hi to everyone out there. Lately on ebay i've been seeing items that look like old brass Hendryx reels but have no markings on them. How do i tell what they are or where can i find out? 
The easiest way is to look for telltale, Hendryx-patented U-shaped rivets or their swaged ends. The reel feet were fastened to the bottom pillars with those rivets, so you can see pairs of their little heads under the reel, even if the photos don't show the top of the foot. The click spring was also secured with the rivets, so you can see two pairs of rivet heads on the tailplate. In addition, just about all of the brass ones I've seen have feet embossed with two patent dates, but the dates are often illegible.
From top to bottom, these pics show the rivets seen on the foot top, on the foot bottom, and the tailplate:
Many other Hendryx reels usually have bearing caps based on several Hendryx patents, and those are easily recognized.
From top to bottom, these pics show the rivets seen on the foot top, on the foot bottom, and the tailplate:
Many other Hendryx reels usually have bearing caps based on several Hendryx patents, and those are easily recognized.