gears for Julius Vom Hofe reefs

[Stuart]

I'm looking for a source for Vom Hofe parts both Julius and Edward. Mainly gears and screws for side plates. Does anyone know of a source for having new gears made?

[SWIM JIG]

cool-thumb jump usa < stuart, you most likly wont find any hoards of parts , as this company farmed out a lot of their work ! I have fount that some OCEAN CITY and Early penn gears and screws will interchange,As for making or having made, you need to understand the process, most, if not all of their screws were of the CUT TYPE not rolled type, they are the spirial sharp v-type, thus a flat thread will work on a sharp v however not the other way around( shakespere changed that when they went to blow injection screws after WORLD WAR 11 , If you are mechnicly inclined then you will need some books on the cuting process,( gear cutting practice 1937 bt Colvin and StanlyWrite to ( Lindsay Publications Inc. POBOX 12 Bradley Il. 60915-0012) also their book 1942 edition ( how to run a lathe it includes screw cutting) and another book of theirs Precision lead Screws , gears and pantographs, Machinerys Industrial Secrets) If you donot have a lathe etc the books still will help you, As for someone to do the work, most industrial arts high school or Vocational school instructors will on occastion take the Project for their shop classes! A good jewler not a parts replacer can also do this work! If you are mechanicly inclined there are some decent lathes for sale ie new off shore items that are capable of doingthis work! I see new ones from $500.00 up, Shur line is a good set up! Note older lathes will work however they generly are sloppy from years of use! and require shimming etc! The one item I see you can make are the serated washers, all you need is a file, and a small vise! I am certain others that read this post will help you find what you need! Your ohio Conection On Lake Erie Col. Milton lorens aka SWIM JIG

[Dr. Rob]

Gears: Find a prototype machinist or small machine shop. Bigger machine shops wouldn't like to be bothered with it. Or as said above, a vocational school. Thing is, you need someone knowledgeable enough about gear geometry, and small enough to care about the details. A rare combination.

There are several sources for small gears off the shelf, but you'll still need a machinist to ge the rest done right.

As it happens, that someone would be a lot like me, since I happen to have a gear hobbing machine and several lathes, and use them to make gears for reels.

Somehow, I don't think there are a lot of guys like me around. You could ask Cal Sheets, but he is a very busy guy. Jack Erskine is also very capable, but lives in Australia. (so what? The mailman goes there all the time) There are a couple of machinist forums you could ask at-- I know a couple of fellows there who have gear hobbers and the knowledge to use them.

Part of it I guess, is that you need to find someone who really WANTS to do it... Paying full-price for this might be a little costly.

Important question: Do you have the original gears, in any condition, or are they missing completely?

[Stuart]

Thanks for the input guys. I tried to PM to Dr. Rob but kept getting error messages. Dr. Rob, sorry for all of the duplicates if they did in fact go your way...Stuart

[Harvey]

Contact Tony Dillender or Herman Voss.
Either may be able to help.

[Dr. Rob]

Yes I got the PMs, Stuart. And you're right; I do live far away. The mailman comes here too, but there is somehow the pleasing aspect of having something done locally. Don't think I know any machinists in Florida though.

What about those guys Harvey mentioned... Who are they, Harvey? Machinists or parts people?

[Harvey]

Tony is a Machinists in Louisville. He is a Kentucky reel, gears and screws kind a guy and Herman has done work on VH reels. He is down here in Pompano Fla. I haven't talked to either for a few years but it might be worth checking out. Let us know for references.
"H"