REELS THEIR USE AND ABUSE. 545 



This was made of brass. I had hardly finished it, when a 

 local angler who had experienced much trouble, came in and 

 at once bought it for twenty dollars. He used it for a long 

 time, and it proved so easy and so smooth, in operation, 

 and stood the rough usage so well, that several other anglers 

 came and ordered duplicates of it. So the "Frankfort, or 

 Kentucky" Reel was first made. 



Those made for local anglers found their way abroad, and 

 a good trade has been built up on this class of reels. Anglers 

 have found that a reel that is high-priced at first, proves 

 cheapest in the end, for those made away back in the thirties, 

 are good to-day, and have been in constant use ever since 

 they left the shop. There is only one way to make a perfcet 



whole, and that is to make each part perfect as you go. In 

 the first place, you should get your metal rolled hard till it 

 springs like steel. The caps and plates are then cut from 

 this. Never should a casting be used; it is too soft, and a 

 smart fall may break your cap, and render this part of your 

 outfit useless. Bars are turned from the same hard material. 

 Next, your gearing must be adjusted so that you feel not a 

 bump, but a steady roll when the handle is turned and the 

 weight is put on. The pinions must be of properly tempered 

 steel, and the wheel of hard-hammered brass. Thus, all 

 your parts gotten out, they must be put together with 

 great care, so that when the thing is complete, it runs noise- 

 lessly and smoothly, yet the spool is free from shake or 

 vibration. 



The secret, in a long-lived reel, is the gearing. This must 

 be made to absolutely roll. If there is the slightest friction 

 the evil will continue to grow with use, and soon you will 

 have a regular coffee mill. This is the part that requires the 

 greatest skill in its construction. 



The truest machinery will occasionally produce an imper- 

 fect tooth. After we have made our wheels with the latest 

 and best gear-cutter, also our pinions, every pair is tested 



