Perfection Fly Reels

Waiting for: less rain, continued mild temps -- let's go fishing

2012-01-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

Fairy and Fatty

2011-06-22T12:54:00.002-04:00

Up to now I had been using the Fairy reel mainly on smaller trout habitats in the feeder streams in both NW Connecticut and the Catskills. Last week I tried a 3 weight outfit on the Housatonic during an evening fall of light Cahills. Fishing white flies in the early summer dark is thrilling. Presenting the fly to a rising fish about 25 feet out got me hooked to a nice 13" Rainbow that took a bit of patience to land in the swift current. The photo was taken on my cell phone, and the reel was only a dull flash in the corner, so I had to paint it in a bit.

CHECK "OLDER POSTS" FOR DETAILS ON RECENT PRICE INCREASE.

Overheard: Tourists Discussing Fairy Fly Reel

2011-01-14T11:27:00.003-05:00

Einstein and Napoleon at the Taj Mahal

link: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8265878

First Shipment of Fairy Reels

2010-11-22T20:09:00.003-05:00

Going out to collectors who seek low serial numbers, reels numbered 001 - 006 are shown prior to shipment.
The traditional Leonard-Mills reels were all right hand wind, but the simple pawl and spring assembly lets each reel be tuned for either left or right hand wind.

Hooking into a Grayhound

2010-10-24T10:05:00.003-04:00

This will link you to a video of a 40 mph stress test of the fairy reel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY1cO4c9ttA

Here it is at last.

2010-09-12T23:56:00.014-04:00

After about nearly a year of development, I am thrilled to show this Fairy reel, which is our best effort to hand make a reel that embodies all the quality and simple elegance of the vintage

HL Leonard version.

In a few instances, we have felt it necessary to upgrade some of the Leonard details: the old reel had a slightly mis-aligned rear bushing that, due to the resulting uneven wear, caused the spool to run less smoothly than it should.

The early pawl gear was also a bit worn and so our new reel has has a stainless spur gear. Also, the holes in the "ears" of our ebonitesideplates are more accurately centered and counterbored.

The teardrop shape of the winding arm was designed as a reference to the legendary early Philbrook and Payne raised pillar reel.

The diameter is 2 3/8", the width 5/8", the weight 2.5 ounces, as in the original.

Because modern fly lines are thicker than the old silk lines, our reel holds about
half of a 3 wgt line, with a few yards of backing.

Price is $1100 on reels from this first edition of 14, numbered sequentially.

Comments and evaluations of the reel have been encouraging; here are a few:

"I have seen and held this reel and it is spectacular"

"It is gorgeous, it has a most pleasant tone when drawing line from it. ...a magnificent piece. Great job!"

"I saw and handled the reel and agree it is beautiful. I'll have one in my collection. Very nicely done, NO shortcuts, nickel silver screws, reel foot, hard rubber side plates. It really is a work of art."

"...such a finely made reel"

"Being functional does not detract from its value as sculpture"

"The integrity junkies's dream reel"

REMEMBERING TED BINGHAM

2010-09-10T09:15:00.005-04:00

Remembering Ted Bingham

Blue water angler, fishing tackle historian and author Ted Bingham died unexpectedly on September 8, 2010.

Tall and sturdy, Ted towered over others in a height that reflected his stature as the unchallenged authority on the legendary tackle maker, Edward vom Hofe. Published in 2007, his book, The Celebrated Reels of Edward vom Hofe, instantly became the standard reference on the subject. http://www.edwardvomhofe.com/

In The Celebrated Reels of Edward vom Hofe, Ted Bingham's unswerving reliance on facts rather

than assumptions, on direct research over hearsay, on pithy declarative sentences over pretentious

platitudes, raises the bar for future writers on sportfishing history. His conclusion and analyses

are the result of intellectual rigor over years of primary research, field work and scrupulous

fact checking.

Ted is survived by his wife (and editor) Laurie, whose reputation, as an authority on early New York

fishing reels and historical fishing related patents, surely must have inspired him.

Both Ted and Laurie have shown great generosity as coaches, confidantes, enablers and guides

to others in the historical fishing tackle community, and have been influential in my own

modest reel making efforts. After years frustration and marginal success, I completed my

first stand alone fly reel on the day he died.

Making the Bi-Metal Fly Reel Spool

2010-07-18T09:22:00.007-04:00

TO CONTROL SOUND ON ANY SLIDESHOW, PASS YOUR POINTER OVER THE FRAME AND CLICK THE LOUDSPEAKER GRAPHIC

Completing the Bi-Metal Fly Reel Spool, Part II

2010-07-09T19:43:00.019-04:00

To see larger images and sound, go to: http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d955513kP135102280o2/part-2

Fly reel details -- Reel Porn

2010-06-20T14:35:00.065-04:00

Yet another slideshow that is quite revealing:

2009-12-31T11:17:00.014-05:00

Slides of Making Nickel Silver Footplates

To view this show in larger format with captions,
please follow this link: Nickel SilverFootplates

Introducing The Leonard-Mills Fairy Reel

2009-11-03T23:21:00.138-05:00

The Perfection Fly Reel Company

“The finest fly reels made today.”

After a sequence of not entirely satisfying attempts to produce a respectable traditional fly reel with various partners, I came to the realization that one person has to be solely responsible for every detail of product design, manufacturing quality and material control. The Perfection Fly Reel Company has returned to the basics of American fly fishing reels to re-generate a simple click reel with an all-ebonite body and nickel silver elements throughout, apart from the Tobin bronze spool shaft and click gear.

H. L. Leonard's legendary "Fairy" reel is the direct successor of the raised pillar concept he devised, seen in his early bi-metal and related Leonard and Philbrooke marbleized reels. In the Fairy, design is distilled to its purest and lightest form, freed from a heavy metal cage by the innovative use of sturdy ebonite as the sole material of sideplates. Many of these small reels were manufactured under license by Julius vom Hofe.

Shown above, a prototype reelface fits perfectly with an original model footplate.

Ebonite had been used in sideplates by Julius and Edward vom Hofe and a few others for about two decades, although H. L. Leonard appears to be the first to use it as a structural frame element. The raised pillars reduced weight while still accommodating a relatively ample supply of line, with the protruding "ears" providing protection for the overhanging rim on the front side of the reel.

In further pursuit of weight reduction, Leonard substituted the then somewhat mysterious metal, aluminum, for the nickel silver of the spoolplates. By eliminating other heavy portions of a reel, such as the metal rim guard, Leonard was able to complement his lightweight #3 and #4 weight Petite Catskill rods introduced in 1890. This revolutionary light tackle combination delivered the "first cast" of modern fly fishing.

Fairy reels are once again in limited production by us and we invite you to observe their progress toward completion through this newsletter. Our initial offering will be a numbered edition of 12 reels. If you wish to be added to or eliminated from our mailing list, notify info@perfectionflyreel.com

Our "home pool" on the Housatonic River

Connecticut Yankee ingenuity and craftsmanship have produced high quality hunting and fishing gear for over a century, from the legendary Edwards, Gillam and Terry to the huge Winchester Company. The tradition continues right here in Litchfield County. Every part for each Fairy reel is individually handmade by skilled artisans. Ebonite sideplates originate in the building seen here. Reels are assembled and tuned in our workshop on the opposite side of our home pool on the Housatonic River at the Covered Bridge in West Cornwall.

Setting up a template

The geometry of a vintage reel is precisely observed for the new reel.

Polishing Ebonite

Subject to scarring and outgassing when heated, Ebonite is challenging and time consuming to work. Even polishing takes patience and much application.

Nickel Silver Elements

Individually crafted Filister head screws, sculpted pillars and straight pillars of traditional Nickel Silver. About 18 handmade Nickel Silver parts are required for each reel.

For further information, please contact me.

Fred Balling: fballing@perfectionflyreel.com

Please Scroll Down for EBONITE Information

2008-11-30T09:36:00.009-05:00

You will find ebonite information at the bottom of this page.
CLICK through "older posts"

What Happened to your website PerfectionFlyReel.com ?

2008-11-21T10:48:00.046-05:00

Friends and supporters have asked me "Whatever happened to your website?"

Over the past few months people looking to contact The Perfection Fly Reel Company have typed in PerfectionFlyReel.com only to find the site has been taken down. In fact it has been hijacked by a corporation.

In early 2009 we opened this blog under that name and will someday post a history of the The Perfection Fly Reel Company from 2004 to the present.

Right now the priority is to regenerate the lost plans and prints and mechanical processes held hostage by former partners and associates. In the works is a clean and elegant retro reel that will be worth the wait.

Fly Fishing on the Kenai River

2008-11-05T08:57:00.066-05:00

Altho I had never met David St John in person, I regularly sought his advice on fly fishing and reel making. He was man on the scene for Alaska angling and a respected cane rod builder. When he invited me to be the fourth in a group to fish for big Rainbows and Dolly Vardens on the Willow, the Russian and Kenai Rivers, I jumped at the chance.

St John and his old friends, Paul and Robert, have fished these rivers for over ten years. After a mid-September warm up day on the Willow and some selective outfitting, we headed out in a huge borrowed motor home, stopping only to pick up our driftboat and van, and headed out through Cooks Inlet to our campsite on the Russian River/Kenai confluence in Coopers Landing. This was home for nearly two weeks.

Kenai guide Ben Collier met us with a full cord of firewood for our campfire; he stayed with us for much of the time, putting us over great fish in magical private waters, fishing along with us, and revealing some of the greatest secrets of the fast, fantastic, furious and fishy Kenai River.

The Kenai took its toll; a rod was broken on a fish, a rod and reel were lost overboard, and there and a few minor injuries came from bouncing in the boat. I hold the record for falling in (2). One morning we salvaged a bright yellow kayak from a tangle of tree trunks and branches. It is known that bananas on a guide boat bring bad luck, and this big banana cost me what would've been my largest fish. A big Rainbow simply spooled me and swam off. Ben is holding the next fish that came along; this was maybe half the size of the one that got away.

Robert shows the red patch on the lower jaw that appears when Rainbows aggressively forage the rocky river bottom

for fresh salmon eggs.

Fishing deep with a single bead and sometimes a flesh fly, we drifted, anchored and waded to catch hundreds of large strong healthy fish. The large number of salmon catchers had left the river, and there were several days when we were virtually alone.

The Dolly Vardens showed up in their full glory. In addition

to his own hook, Paul removed a second one which indicated

Dolly knew a thing or two about fishing.

Bears and eagles are plentiful, with the bears apparently preferring dead salmon and the eagles catching trout. This Brown juvenile followed us for most of the day as we waded the Russian, and even showed up in camp for lunch. We spotted him six times. At one point we nearly stumbled upon him as he was hunkered down eating berries.

Triple hookups when you wade are great, but when you

are in the boat they can become chaotic.

Links:

Ben Collier, http://www.trophydrifters.com/id8.html

Robert Hodgson, flyfishingextreme.com

Paul York, thompsonchoppers.com

Winter Kenai Rainbows & Perfection Fly Reel Prototype

2008-11-03T10:20:00.014-05:00

The Perfection Fly Reel Company is serious about making reels that actually work. A reel can also be a collectible, but it is only a paperweight if it can't fish. Last winter, mid February, David St. John, maker of high performance bamboo rods, and Ben Collier, Kenai River guide, waited for the weather to "warm up."

When the temperature climbed to 20 below, they slipped their drift boat into the river and brought up magnificent rainbows and salmon with Dave's rods and Ben's special flesh flies on 4 weight line.

The following Summer I managed to fish with David and Ben for a week.
At right, above, we follow an eagle that has caught a 22" rainbow.

Although conditions were challenging for both anglers and tackle, a good number of fine fish came to hand.

At left, Ben with a bright rainbow.

Ben guides year round. Visit his website:

www.trophydrifters.com for info.

David hoists a good rainbow.

In the cold weather, he avoids

touching any fins that might

snap off.

Perfection Fly Reel Company Rediscovers Ebonite

2008-11-02T15:30:00.028-05:00

After four years of research and development, or "forensic engineering," we are now collaborating with a traditional rubber compounder that bears a long legacy. Careful review of their archives turned up formulae for the highest quality Ebonite, which is a "hard rubber" laboriously custom made in small precision batches and is indistinguishable from the material originally used extensively by Edward and Julius vom Hofe and others.

Most modern makers of traditional reels work with anodized aluminum or delrin for black sideplates. A few vom Hofe imitators, more devoted to profit than quality, have settled for recycled cart wheels or a sponge-like fudge contaminated with lead clinkers and gas bubbles.

Our Ebonite is made from virgin latex, calendared with pure grade sulphur and carbon, carefully vulcanized under the strictest conditions. While we do not wish to supply our would-be competitors with this resource, we are open to share it in small quantities with honest restorers, boutique reel makers and builders of fine rods.

Our custom 80 durometer black Ebonite machines and finishes beautifully.

(See right side of photo above.)

Currently available in 3/8" sheet by the square foot and soon to be stocked in 1" bars for creative or restoration use by rodmakers and other artisans.

Pricing: sheet is $150 per square foot plus shipping from NW Connecticut. Smaller orders necessitate and increase for custom cuts. Price of 12" Rod 1" square has not yet been priced. Please contact Fred Balling at The Perfection Fly Reel Company, fballing@perfectionflyreel.com, for further information. Please include the subject "Ebonite" in your email.