Who made this *Trade Reel* ?

[crow]

Hi,
I *think* this is what's called a "trade reel", but, it may be a Japanese knock-off, although the screws are "standard", instead of metric. It's marked on the stand , "No.155 250 yds Surf Caster".
With the exception of the chrome , the reel is in really good shape.....and was obviously apart, at least once....scratched on the inside of the end plates are "initials", probably the guy who last serviced it ?!
Also, I have a question about "brassed chrome".....what do most of you do ? Re plate ?polish down to "just brass" ? leave it alone ", or use something like "SimulChrome" Spray paint ? It will , no doubt, be a "shelf reel", or, passed on to someone else, but i'll fish it a few times, just for giggles. Thanks!

[Harry Verdurchi]

Hard to say with the Circular decal missing BUT OLYMPIC,DICKSON,OCEAN CITY, and Penn made similar Reels.
Does the handle have a Small Ball in in the end of the Green Knob and does it have metal side plates ?

[crow]

No, there's no "ball" on the knob, and no metal "trim rings", the "drive shaft" (and of course, the hole in the handle) is square, I'm pretty sure it isn't a Penn, although the end caps and spool are bakelite, the clutch is entirely different.
The spot where the "medallion" would go...if there ever was one....is just a series of concentric circles....sort of a "bulls eye"pattern.

[Harry Verdurchi]

微信防撤回,就是有这操作，时时彩输掉百万，007娱乐，007娱乐平台，007娱乐登陆
编辑：宜春市 时间：

[sdlehr]

Most definitely not a Penn. I've not seen a clutch like that before that I can recall, or is it a drag that applies pressure to the pinion?.... can you take a picture of the inside of the head plate when the lever is in the other position? Can you get a closer view of the pinion/jack? What is stamped on the foot? Thanks.

[crow]

I'm on the wrong computer to post pix....I'll get some better close ups, tomorrow, but, it IS a clutch. The "clutch lever" acts against a "blade spring", that slotted to accommidate the pinion gear...in the "on" position , the spring is released, to move the pinion onto the spool shaft, and in the "off", position , the spring is forced back against the end plate, and pulls the pinion away from the spool.
The foot of the reel stand is marked "No. 155 250 yds Surf Caster". The "Clutch Handle", as well as the "clutch lever "(on the inside of the head plate) , are both riveted to the shaft...so they aren't "removable"

[crow]

Here's a few more pix....not very GOOD ones, but as good as a shaky old man can get !

[john elder]

Neat mechanism and likewise, I have not seen it before. Perhaps Steve V will have a patent but a too new for his files? Sounds awful to say, but most all the Japanese knockoffs i've seen were exact knockoffs... ie, it is similar to Penn so i would have expected to see a clutch closer to Penns, as well.

[wrong99]

I think the fact that it is not marked "MADE IN U.S.A." and is not branded, suggests it was made for the American market in another country.
Mark

[sdlehr]

Thanks, Crow. Interesting, simple clutch mechanism. Perhaps the simplest "always in gear" clutch I have ever seen. I have no idea who made it, but thanks for letting me play along!

[crow]

It *probably* will have to go on the list of "I Dunno" !.....and, probably a Japanese "sort of copy". That said, it IS a pretty neat , old reel, and I'm thinkin', I'll polish off what little chrome is left, put some clear coat over the shined up brass......and fish it ! At least a few times ! It's always pretty neat to see the "alternate ways" that a task can be accomplished, and, from my years working as a heavy equipment mechanic, I've seen that the Japanese are masters at "alternate thinking"....as well as imitation ! Thanks , everyone !

[crow]

Well, I lubed it, assembled it, and put on some old line......unknown vintage, and maker...to match the reel LOL !
All the functions are very smooth, ad I'm thinkin' that tomorrow......I'll try it out on some smallmouth !
Thanks again, fella's !!

[crow]

It was suggested on another forum that it might be a "Horrocks-Ibbotson", and there was a link to a "similar" reel, for sale on e-bay...so, I guess, if I want to pursue it , I'll need to do some research on "H & I", and, I DID try it this AM, ....alas no fish ! So the drag remains "un tested", but , it casts very well, and has a nice, smooth retrieve .

[wrong99]

It's not a Horrocks-Ibbotson reel. It would have been marked as theirs or, at the very least, "Made In U.S.A.". They were very specific about that. I have many of H-I's catalogs from 1931-1956 and there's nothing like it in any of them. Is this the one that sold on eBay for $5.00?
Mark

[crow]

Yes, it came from e-bay.......I'm not smart enough to post a link, but there is a "H-I" reel on there, now, and the tail plate looks identical...same spool bearing cap, click button, and, where the "concentric circles" are on my example, there is , what looks like, a "tin foil",printed badge. The pix aren't clear enough to see much more than that. Do you know when "H & I" went out of business ? Is it possible *left over* parts were sold to another maker ? And, do you know if they made any "trade reels" ? It seems that most manufacturers did, usually with some "store brand" name........Thanks again !

[wrong99]

No, half the time H-I had others make reels for them. After the war, they weren't making reels for anybody. You could probably find dozens of reels that "look" very similar to yours. Keep looking. You may get lucky and find one in its original box, which should tell you where it was made.
Mark

[Midway Tommy D]

I agree, some of the aspects of the eBay H-I are very similar to yours but the handle knob is a little different and it doesn't have the name & info on the bottom of the stand, just the lone "125". I have my doubts about H-I, but it may have been made by someone who made reels for H-I.

eBay reel link

[sdlehr]

I have no trouble believing these were made by the same company, the similarities are far greater than the differences, but I do question whether the spacing on the foot screws is the same, the angles of the photos are a little different.... this clearly wasn't popular enough to have been copied, or to be a copy.

[oc1]

On both reels, the holes in the stand (rod brace holes?) are in a peculiar place because they are way out at the edge.
-steve

[crow]

Thank you for posting the e-bay link !

I do believe that both reels were made by the same company, but, as was pointed out....just WHICH company will *probably* remain a mystery until more examples turn up....some with either some background documentation, patent numbers, or such. It's , no doubt, a "low end" reel, made to be sold cheaply . The quality of the plating, and the "double riveted" clutch shaft scream "cheap". I hadn't paid much attention to the "clamp holes", but, they DO look "wide"...I'll have to do some measuring, to see "how wide". Thanks Again !

[crow]

I checked the width of the spacing on the base.....it must "look" wide because of the narowness of the reel....it's the same spacing as a 66 Longbeach !