Zero Hour Bomb Reel For Sale

[KevinVirden]

I have an extra Zero Hour Bomb reel for sale. It works but has a cosmetic ding to the cover. I would have no idea if you could repair it. If not, you could use the reel for parts. Take it for $25 mailed. Contact me by posting a reply.

Thanks,
Kevin Virden
Akron, Ohio
NFLCC

[oc1]

That's it! The kind of reel my grandmother used to use. Her favorite. I have never known the name and only remember the rotating disk used to thumb it. I've wondered about that thing for forty years.

I'll take it. Let me know what to do or send personal message. Thank you very much.
-steve

[KevinVirden]

I e-mailed you Steve my information. It is yours if you reply.

Thanks,
Kevin Virden
Akron, Ohio
NFLCC

[Wayne B.]

I saw this thread and thought it was a bit of a joke until I saw what was printed on the foot. Can anyone provide some history on this? I assume a Cold War age reel?

[spadej1]

Not a joke Wayne. Zebco (ZEro hour Bomb CO) started as a company that made timers for bombs during the war. The Zebco Standard like above was their first spincasting reel when they got into fishing gear after the war. There is a nice history on the Zebco web page as well as some other sites. Dick Braun can probably fill in more details and correct what I’ve gotten wrong but that’s the basics.

[KevinVirden]

The reel is sold! Thanks.

Kevin

[oc1]

BTW, (and not to be petulant or critical) the rear cup-housing-thing is upside down in the photo. The cut-out should be on top so you can slow the rotation with your thumb.
-steve

[Dick Braun,that-zebco-guy]

The Zero Hour Bomb Co. never made anything for the war effort, the Bomb was a double timer that was lowered into an oil well after drilling and exploded to crack the strada at the bottom of the well for better oil flow and a higher producing well. Their patent was about to expire and a man showed up with a new type of reel and ask if the Zero hour bomb co. would be interested in building them. The owner's didn't fish but one of the line worker's in the plant if he wasn't working he was fishing, they called him to the front office took him outside the building and ask him to cast the reel. He put a weight over the building and 400,000,000 million reels later Zebco is still building great reels for the whole family to use, have fun with and eat dinner. Zebco just recently informed me about the fact that they have now made over 400M reels since the 1st 25 produced on the 13th of May 1949.

[spadej1]

Thanks Dick! I knew I had to have gotten some of it wrong.