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Post 13 Sep 2021, 15:20 • #1 
Sport
Joined: 08/18/21
Posts: 31
Location: Southern Maine
I came across this Bristol 64 attached to a broken rod at my grandmother's farm a few year ago. It was buried in a pile of old fishing gear, mostly zebcos and other hardware store rods. I gave it a good cleaning and have let it sit ever since. I'm considering loading some line for a 3wt but am concerned the pawl mechanism will not hold up long - specifically, the small wire bar. If I do break it, has anyone here fabricated this piece from scratch or is it safe to say that this old reel will get relegated to full time bookshelf status at that point? It's certainly no collectors item but I like knowing it works.

I would also appreciate any knowledge one might be willing to share about this particular manufacturer and model. Thank you.





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Post 13 Sep 2021, 16:01 • #2 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
At one time, Bristol brand was Horton Manufacturing in Bristol, Conn, which included multipiece steel rods, and they moved Meek from Kentucky.
Outdoor magazine, 1917
Image Image

The fly reels were later, and I'm doing a little googlebooks digging...
I believe they were eventually bought by American Fork and Hoe, also making steel rods, eventually dba True Temper, who also acquired Ocean City.
Aluminum production ramped up during WWI (finally bringing the cost of aluminum below silver), but aluminum consumer goods fit best best with the post-WWII blue collar marketing boom.

...Just as I thought
from1930 to 1950, Bristol fly reel ads spring up in 1946 - here's Life Magazine.


here's the search result if you want to play with it
https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=bristol+fly+reel&tbs=,bkv:f,cdr:1,cd_min:Jan+1_2+1930,cd_max:Dec+31_2+1950&num=10

and here's where the search began - use year window and Full View Only
https://books.google.com/advanced_book_search?hl=en

When I widen the date from 1920 to 1960, it only adds Bristol steel rods before WWII, and no reference to Bristol reels after 1950.

Pretty cool - they had a mag brake baitcaster in 1949


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Post 13 Sep 2021, 17:02 • #3 
Sport
Joined: 08/18/21
Posts: 31
Location: Southern Maine
Thank you for all the info. I didn’t anticipate this reel being so old. It wasn’t babied but seems to be in great condition. I love looking through the old ads - light weight, premium materials and faster line retrieval have certainly stood the test of time for marketers.


Last edited by DoubleHaul207 on 13 Sep 2021, 19:35, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 13 Sep 2021, 17:14 • #4 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
From the great Connecticut manufacturing belt. A world of history there, not to mention whatever you might have learned of its history in your family and ancestors' farm. If you don't use something for fear it will break, it is, in effect, broken. Clean and lubricate it and enjoy it. If the spring were to break, one could be fabricated, but you could find a parts reel, and probably long before something on that one wears out or you lose interest in using it. Your own use added, the history will last if the reel winds up on a shelf later, with or without broken or worn out parts.


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Post 13 Sep 2021, 17:20 • #5 
Administrator
Joined: 01/10/06
Posts: 7811
Location: Holly Springs, NC
Give the reel the full Bulldog cleaning and relube. It should work fine. If you outfit the spool with a cork arbor you won't need as much backing for that 3 weight line.

A new spring can be made, if necessary. In my experience, don't try to adjust the spring. I've never broken one by leaving it alone.


Tom


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Post 13 Sep 2021, 17:36 • #6 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
The easiest way to make a spring is using music wire.

If you Really want to do it, the best spring is phosphor bronze strip - here cut from sheet with a hand-press-brake cutter, sanded to width, bent and set-tempered, shown before cutting to final length.
Of course this Talbot reel is worth the full effort - it restores more than $100 to the value of an already valuable reel.

Image Image

PS - if you add location to your profile, it tells us a lot more about Your context


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 13 Sep 2021, 21:49, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 13 Sep 2021, 19:55 • #7 
Sport
Joined: 08/18/21
Posts: 31
Location: Southern Maine
Tom- I was just considering a way to fill the arbor without loading a ton of backing. Thanks for the link. The “Bulldog Cleaning” regiment is appreciated as well.

Unfortunately, I don’t know much about the history of the reel. The farm it came from dates back over 200 years with my family and had accumulated A LOT of stuff over the years. That being said, I’ll do my best to rough out some history and add to it when I finally pass it along with the rest of my collection. I’m sure it will be accurate enough to serve its purpose. Thanks for the advice Whrlpool.


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Post 13 Sep 2021, 20:01 • #8 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
Good find....definitely vintage of good quality and worth getting back to functioning again.


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Post 14 Sep 2021, 09:05 • #9 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
ps - Bristol came up again on ORCA this morning thanks to Barry - the aluminum-sheet fly reel models 65 and 66 were introduced c.1940, but no doubt aluminum priority shelved them after a couple of years until production resumed in 1946.


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Post 14 Sep 2021, 11:48 • #10 
Sport
Joined: 08/18/21
Posts: 31
Location: Southern Maine
You've all talked me into it. I loaded some line and mounted it on a 6.5 ft 3wt LL Bean Streamlight last night. I'm on the prowl for a small fiberglass rod but this one will work well for now. To be honest, I've caught more fish on it than the rest of my rods combined. My son likes fishing it too and I figure that reel will put up with his rough handling better than anything else I have.


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