Greetings all,
Just received my first Bronson/JACoxe 25 reel, a 25-3. I want to break it down to clean, polish and re-lube but the Bakelite head plate won't separate from the frame. The tail plate came away easy as I suspect the head plate should.
Any help/suggestions as to how to proceed?
Thanks
I have taken four of these apart and each one of them was a bear to get the faceplate off. I suggest you put the handle back on it and use that for some leverage. That was the only way I could get mine off.
Bill Sonnett is the ORCA expert on Coxe 25s. Maybe he'll stop by and have a better suggestion. Let me know if that works.
Thanks Terry.
I was thinking along the lines of positioning a flat punch on the edge of bearing and lighty tap tap. I'll wait on Bill before I try that having experience with Bakelite's brittle nature.
Klonder, probably a good idea to wait for Wild Bill. lol. Yes that Bakelite is brittle stuff, especially after a few decades. Post pics when you’re done with it!!
Success!!
I put the take apart axle back in place without the spool and tail plate. Wood block on the end of the axle, then tap- tap and the plate popped right out!
Don't know why I didn't try that before
Thanks again Terry for your reply which got the wheels turning.
Cheers, Steve
Now that the reel is apart clean the head plate real good to remove the old oil that has hardened on the surfaces. That is usually what makes them tight.
The next time you service the reel just back off the
Cross bolt a few turns and push on it. That will pop out the head plate a little bit.
Remove the cross bolt and everything will come apart easily!
They are good reels but the drive gear bore tends
to wear out. Make sure to oil it frequently!
Enjoy your “new “ reel! George
Thanks George.
I've a 25-2 and a Coronet on the way. Normally I'm a raised pillar, hard rubber guy with a smattering of Bakelite, casting and fly.
The look of the 25s and the Bakelite/NS combo is what attracted me and now, having one in hand, I am equally impressed with the machining and the fine tolerances for a production reel.
Lovely little reels.
klonder wrote: ↑Sun Jan 26, 2025 12:37 pm
Worm gear..grease or oil?
Thanks
Steve, I’m with Bill on this. Light oil only. In fact I do not put any form of grease in my direct drive reels at all. All it does is take away from your cast.
Nice start of a Bronson/J.A.Coxe “25”collection!
Try to find the first version. It has a little lever mechanism that locks the cross bolt in place.
It’s stamped with number “39” on the bottom of the cross plate (foot).
The cross bolt is different than the later variants.
Then there are the narrow spool models!
And there are several styles of spools for both the standard and narrow reels.
Lots of fun to collect,cast,and fish the Coxe 25’s!
klonder wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2025 6:48 pm
And yes, I will give it another go with a Vintage Heddon #600 bamboo.
What modern line would you suggest ?
Damn Steve, that is a beautiful display and I am drooling over that rod! As for line, I'd suggest braid. Bill Sonnett has me searching high and low for vintage braided nylon but when I get to itchy to cast a reel, I just put spectra braid on it. But I have to caution you on that. It will eat through guides and levelwinds if you do more than cast with it. If you fish it, I would definitely look for some vintage 10-15 pound nylon braid off eBay or at one of the NFLCC or ORCA shows.
That’s good advice. Dacron also works well.
The ACA used to sell Cortland Micron 8 lb and 10 lb
Braided line to members for revolving spool accuracy.
Dacron/Micron fly line backing is good too in light sizes. A few years ago Orvis had a sale on 12 lb Dacron backing at unbelievably low prices. I think it was a close out. The line was just a tiny bit larger diameter than 10 lb Micron, perfect for reels with greater spool flange tolerances where thinner lines get behind them.
Light green spot Dacron will work in a pinch,but Beware: it will burn your thumb unless you get it wet before casting, especially with a fast reel!
(Meek No.3 tournament for 5/8 accuracy,l know!)
Someone already touched on it but by screwing the shaft back into the head plate after the tail plate is removed and tapping on it with the side of my needle nose they generally come right off. Also as the head plate starts to move you will notice a small open notch appear in the black plastic just below the levelwind. The purpose of this opening is to be able to insert a medium-sized screwdriver where upon a simple twist of the screwdriver will easily remove the headplate.
I fish almost exclusively with the Narrow spool model. Often the balsa arbor is out of round. Take off the level wind and put the reel in an old handle placed in a vice. Using the reel as a lathe, I wrap some emory paper around the flat end of a file and turn the arbor back to round.
As far as line goes I generally use 10 lb test braided Nylon (Wexford) and if fishing in heavy cover I put a cast and a half worth of a small tight braid spectra line on top of the nylon.
One last note the part that is most often worn out or ruined by improper assembly is the tiny wire clip that is stationary and provides the friction to make the reel reengage from freespool when the retrieve is begun. A great substitute can be made from the lightest weight spring you can find in most ball point pens. I have always enjoyed bring these reels back to life.
I love to get old reels, work on them until they run as smooth as silk and the take them fishing using pre-1960 plugs, mostly surface fishing for Largemouths after dark.
