Julius vom Hofe 6/0 Ocean-B Reel what year made?

[sea ghost]

Greetings Fellow ORCA members and guests,

Does anybody know what year my reel was made?
or approx what year?
The research I did seems unclear to me.....

I believe the side plates are bakelight due to the shine but not 100% sure.
It does have a spin-off in reverse type handle without the oil fill hole and screw driver slot.
The foot has size 6/0 & serial number C62
The star drag does have the famous pat MAR 21,1911

Thank you
seaghost

[reeltackle]

Hi seagoast,

Your reel is a later B-Ocean reel. Here is a rough chronology.

The first reels were made of hard rubber with German silver face-plate inserts and handle retaining nut with locking screw.

Then came plain hard rubber side-plates with the B-Ocean logo stamped into the front hard rubber side-plate and handle retaining nut with locking screw.

Next came plain hard rubber side-plates with B-Ocean stamped on the sliding oil cap and handle retaining nut.

Next was Bakelite side-plates with handle retaining nut.

After that version Bakelite side-plates with screw off handle.

There were many variations on each iteration and also reels with custom work.
The reels came in sizes 1 - 2/0 - 2/00 - 3-0 - 4/0 - 6/0 - 9/0 - 12/0. Oddly enough they did not make a 1/0 or, as far as I know, no one has ever found one.
They also made a B-Ocean fly reel in a salmon size.

You can see pictures and find more info on my website -
https://antiquefishingreels.com/salt-wa ... fe-julius/

[RonG]

Hey Ed,

Here's a new one on me. This JVH 9/0 has numbered spokes (good idea to remember your drag setting) on the Star Drag and movable oil port on the handle like seen on Stead Reel end plates. Have you seen this before?

[reeltackle]

Ron,

The serrated nut with the lock latch is a trait of the earliest reels as is the oil port on the handle. Both of my first model reels with the German silver inserts on the face-plate have the oil ports. I have seen other early hard rubber versions like yours with handle oil ports as well. Usually the reels with oil ports have the B-Ocean logo stamped in the hard rubber. And not on the center sliding oil cover.

I would speculate the numbers stamped on the star drag are a custom order or perhaps an aftermarket addition. Do the numbers on the star drag match the font of the numbers stamped on the foot?

[RonG]

The only numbers stamped on the reel, in addition to the star drag, is the 9/0 on the foot.

[Steve]

JVH may have had a "Why didn't I think of that?" moment after encountering Bengt Hanson's reel. Hanson's 1922 patent claims the projection-numbering for the drag-adjusting "star." Or vice-versa?

[sea ghost]

Thanks for the great info Ed......

So if the kids or grandkids ask me when was this reel was made, what would be the closest correct answer
1920's ?
1930's ?

can you give me an approx date when this reel was made?
or closest guess?

thank you
cghost

[reeltackle]

Ron,
If there are no numbers for comparison then it would be hard to say if it was done by vom Hofe or aftermarket. Are there any numbers stamped on the edge of the foot like with EvH serial numbers? Most of my JvH B-Ocean reels have them, even the early ones.

Mr. Pie,
Hansen received a patent just for numbering the points on a star drag that precluded other from doing the same?!? Seriously?

seagoast,
I would speculate that your reel was made sometime in the 1930s.

[Steve]

Mr. Pie, Hansen received a patent just for numbering the points on a star drag that precluded other from doing the same?!? Seriously?

Please, Anon, give the guy some credit. Here's just one of the eight lengthy claims:
"In a fishing reel, a spool, a shaft, a friction brake on said shaft and adapted to exert a dragging force on said spool, said brake including a disk fast on the shaft and having a single abutment on its periphery, a stop pin cooperating with said abutment for preventing rotation of said disk and shaft in one direction, means for varying the dragging force of said friction brake which includes a pin movable longitudinally in said shaft, and an adjustable nut threaded on said shaft and capable of but one complete revolution, said nut having consecutively numbered indicating arms."
That last phrase, repeated in a couple other claims, is The Great Precluder , but the other things - pins, abutments, etal. - are also precluders. And that's only one claim. Precluders abound in the patent.

[sea ghost]

Ed,

I noticed when I serviced this reel, on the inside of the metal band that holds back plate in place there is a engrave stamp number 22 near the foot holes.
Also theres a number 22 scratched inside the the inner spool that looks like it was made from a special grinding tool prehapes from the factory.
The insides of this reel looked like it has never been serviced for many years the grease was dried solid.

what would be your thought on these numbers inside Ed?
perhapes the reel parts were made in 1922?
then used to build a 1930 circa reel?

sea ghost

[reeltackle]

Oh Mr. Pie,

I figured there was more to it but .... you set yourself up so nicely, I knew my response would elicit a full, or near full, explanation of the patent which would be so much easier than looking it up myself. Thanks you for your thoroughness, it is always awe-inspiring and appreciated.

I assume by the photo you posted that you possess one of these Hanson reels with the numbered star points? Can you post a couple more photos of the reel for those of us who would like to see the whole reel? Thank you good sir!

sea ghost,

I couldn't say for sure what the numbers are for but if I were to speculate I would imagine that because the reels are handmade, the boys in the factory numbered the parts so when assembling the reels they would get the right spool with the right frame.

Are you any relation to space ghost?

[Steve]

I figured there was more to it but...Can you post a couple more photos of the reel for those of us who would like to see the whole reel?

Well, Anon, the main reason for the long-winded reply I made was that I hoped it would jog your memory ...and even Mr. Gast's. As many have been pointing out for many years, one of the major benefits of being a dues-paying member of ORCA is receiving The Reel News six times a year , which is chock-full of info that is not easily available to non-members . Taking full advantage of this benefit involves reading the magazine. With that in mind, I suggest you open your issue of The Reel News, July, 2022, to page 10, where folks can read about the reel, machine tools, and machine guns.

[reeltackle]

Who are you and what memory are you talking about jogging????

[Steve]

Who are you and what memory are you talking about jogging????

I am the ghost of Christmas Island, and I wanted to remind you of cousin sea ghost's original question. First of all, sea, there are several simple tests for differentiating between Bakelite and hard rubber, easily found by googling. Shine is probably not the most reliable test. Meanwhile, I would want to ask the memory-deprived reeltackle if he can tell us when JVH stopped using hard rubber. When did this happen? -"Next was Bakelite side-plates..." That determination would provide a clue to the reel's age. And as for the 22's in the reel - yes, part numbering before assembly had long been practiced by reelmakers.

[reeltackle]

Ahhh my dear Pie,

Meanwhile, I would want to ask the memory-deprived reeltackle if he can tell us when JVH stopped using hard rubber.

So you ask when to JVH stopped using hard rubber? The answer is simple - When he started using Bakelite!

Seriously now, I would say the ratio of hard rubber side-plate reels to Bakelite reels is about 1 to 5. You don't see a lot of hard rubber reels so I would imagine he switched to Bakelite sometime around 1920s.

Seaghost - Your reel was one of the later reels and was probably made sometime in the mid to late 1930s.

Unfortunately it is almost impossible to say for sure because the side-plate construction is not mentioned in the advertisements and the illustrations, which might hold a clue to the changes, were not updated along with the changes in the reel. And again, unfortunately there does not seem to be a dating code as with the EVH reels.

One of the things that always confounded me about the B-Ocean reels is the way the rim edges cant slightly inward toward the spool. I can't for the life of me figure out why JVH made his reels like that. It had to add another step to making the side-plates and it also had to make fitting the nickle silver bands to the edge a little harder ... and to what end. I don't see what purpose it served. Does anyone have any ideas on this?

[Steve]

It had to add another step to making the side-plates and it also had to make fitting the nickle silver bands to the edge a little harder

It's possible that the canted plates, if Bakelite at least, were molded as needed and did not need to be machined for the metal bands to fit. And the bands themselves may simply have been stamp-formed to fit tightly on the canted plates. It would help to be able to watch the manufacturing process.

Anon, after observing the cants on the reels shown on your website, I came up with a question on another subject for you. Will start a new thread.

[sea ghost]

Ok great...... thanx for all the great info from everybody who partook in this topic
Seaghost

Ed, do you remember the old Franken Rod I own? EVH
What year would speculate that Rod was made?
You can still see it in it's original thread......

Thnx seaghost
And yes ed I am ghost of all ghosts