Hardy Uniqua

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bulldog1935		#41	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5913 07/09/2008 11:50 Bulldog1935	always reminds me of a line from Rocky & Bullwinkle.
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turtledoc		#42	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2002 07/09/2008 13:51 Moderator	Malcolm - I enjoyed the information in your posting and envy your Dingley made Silex reels....I hope you can round out your week of Dingley's, but remember, Walter was very likely working 6 days a week, so you might need two more reels in stead of just one Mark B
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enigma309		#43	[url]	[-]
Posts: 264 07/09/2008 15:57 Reclusive! Like J D Salinger	Malcolm, some excellent information on Mr Dingley. That doesn't look like a particularly happy Christmas day for Walter and family? Perhaps he was worrying about your Silex, or, more likely, saying "Hardy call that a Christmas bonus?". Out of interest are the feet of your Dingley Silexes stamped with a 'D'? Brian "My ambition is to have no ambition" George Harrison
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tiethefly		#44	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1008 07/09/2008 17:48	Brian On the reply to my own post on the Uniqua I own with D. W stamped. Dennis Ward, wouldn't an easier more likely answer to the later stamped reel in question on this post, Mr Ward just used the D stamp since no one else had that initial at the time? Seems everyone is going to great lengths to say it is Dingley. Robert my Uniqua... "So I will arise and go now, to meet you there early and I hope , often." Arnold Gingrich "The Joys of Trout"
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oddsnrods		#45	[url]	[-]
Posts: 93 07/09/2008 20:55	Thanks. Turtledoc, yes, I forgot that in the early days they worked 6 days a week with no paid holiday for their one week off.. Apprentices were first in it seems at 7am, then worked till 5pm and during the busy period of the summer, they also worked overtime from 5.30 pm until 7.30. Imagine starting in that work world when you are 14. Somewhere I have the date when those conditions changed for all of Hardy's workers. I will await the day till another Silex turns up - they do come from interesting places, in their own time - rarely a good one from that auction site. I am making a rod at the moment similar to what would have been made of old to use with such a reel, including a replica handle and original fittings. Enigma309. Typical Edwardian 'worthies' in that photo. Victorians were pre 1902, odd to think that one of my dearest friends in the UK was a 'cusp' Victorian having been born in 1889, who lived alone in a 21 room 15th. century Manor House which had been in the same family for 400 years before he purchased it in the '50's, visiting was like going back in time to the Elizabethan period. The Dingley's had to keep still for those photos due to the long exposure time of the camera, straight faces were the norm ( I was wondering who trimmed his moustache). The reel seats (or 'backs' as Hardy's called them) on my Silex's only have single or double dot stamps corresponding to the dots inside the reel as they were made in batches of 4 or five at a time. I have not heard of any initials on the reel feet at all. Tiethefly. Nice idea, however during the 20's there was still James Dodds (JD), James Davidson (J.S.D), Jack Donohoue may have still been there, T.D and L.D may have been there still, but their complete names are not known along with Denys ( rather than Dennis) Ward who was there between 1926 and 1939. I have a photo of his actual 'D' stamp somewhere. Bulldog1935. ?? Finally, regarding the Silex reels - spot the spools on the Hardy bench -circa 1910, minus handles, and note one of those apprentices on the right, I wonder who he was. Regards, Malcolm Last Edited By: oddsnrods 07/10/2008 05:49. Edited 3 times.
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quashnet	D-stamp comparisons	#46	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2041 07/09/2008 22:38 Moderatus Muscae	Here are some photos of D-stamps under discussion: I must respectfully disagree with Patrick that all such stamps are serifed. The Denys Ward stamp (upper left) is sans serif. Note also that it is the most condensed (narrow-width) of the letter D's. It is interesting that all of the Denys Ward stamps that I have seen show a period following the D, but no period following the W. This points to the individual character and design sense of the man who made the stamp. This stamp was not casually made. On the upper right is the D from oddsnrods's Silex. Notice how broad the letter is. Notice that the upper and lower portions of the letter actually bend outward to accentuate the wide, broad curve of this letter D. The lower photos on the left and the right are the D markings from my 3-inch, 3-screw, D-marked Hardy St. George. This D is much closer in shape and form to the Silex Dingley D than the Denys Ward D, but I don't think it is quite identical. Even taking into account that none of these letters were photographed perpendicular to the imaging plane, it seems that the St. George D is just a bit condensed compared to the Silex Dingley D. Also, the upper and lower portions of the letter seem flatter; they do not bend outward quite so much to begin a grand, sweeping curve. But again, this is arguable depending on the different camera equipment and differing angles of view. I purchased my Hardy St. George in 1990, long before the current, widespread interest in Walter Dingley began. Collectors cared about Hardy, not Dingley. So in my opinion there would have been no reason to modify this reel with a D stamp to convince a buyer that Dingley built it. It is authentic, but... who stamped it with a D, and for what purpose? And as this St. George left the reelmaker's hands, could he have guessed how much it would be enjoyed almost eighty years later? Quashnet's Paul H. Young Rod Database has photos and descriptions of 290 PHY Co. rods, plus catalogs, accessories, etc. Thank you to all who continue to send me PHY rod photos and info. Last Edited By: quashnet 07/09/2008 22:41. Edited 1 time.
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Shoeless Joe		#47	[url]	[-]
Posts: 808 07/09/2008 23:05	quashnet wrote: ... who stamped it with a D, and for what purpose? Ummm ... Denys Ward, cause in all likelihood he built that looker of a St. George. A photo of Ward's single 'D' stamp, quite possibly the same pic that Malcomb alluded to, can be spied in Drewett's book (Page 90). IDIOTS' DELIGHT B-17F #42-30301 94th Bomb Group ~ 332nd Bomb Squadron Rougham, Bury St Edmunds ENG Last Edited By: Shoeless Joe 07/09/2008 23:12. Edited 1 time.
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quashnet		#48	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2042 07/09/2008 23:35 Moderatus Muscae	Would Sparquero's 3-3/4" Uniqua (shown in his May 19 post) also be a reel assembled by Denys Ward? It is hard for me to imagine why Ward would relinquish his D.W stamp for a more generic D, but these things happen. Possibly it was the equivalent of a forum member changing his or her avatar. Quashnet's Paul H. Young Rod Database has photos and descriptions of 290 PHY Co. rods, plus catalogs, accessories, etc. Thank you to all who continue to send me PHY rod photos and info.
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tiethefly		#49	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1009 07/09/2008 23:43	This is a great discussion and some real insightful info on something that runs deep inside us all. Hardy reels and the men who made them. "So I will arise and go now, to meet you there early and I hope , often." Arnold Gingrich "The Joys of Trout"
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Shoeless Joe		#50	[url]	[-]
Posts: 810 07/09/2008 23:49	quashnet wrote: ... but these things happen. Possibly it was the equivalent of a forum member changing his or her avatar. Yea, you're probably correct there, Quash ... Denys probably deplored anything resembling stagnation or for that matter, fixation. IDIOTS' DELIGHT B-17F #42-30301 94th Bomb Group ~ 332nd Bomb Squadron Rougham, Bury St Edmunds ENG
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enigma309		#51	[url]	[-]
Posts: 266 07/10/2008 04:54 Reclusive! Like J D Salinger	oddsnrods wrote: I have not heard of any initials on the reel feet at all. Malcolm, my Silex (as found, pre cleaning!) Who said reel don't speak? They speak volumes Brian "My ambition is to have no ambition" George Harrison
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oddsnrods		#52	[url]	[-]
Posts: 94 07/10/2008 06:27	Enigma, that D is a new one on me, I have not been looking closely enough. What does the reel look like now I wonder as it must be an early one. Silex's are prone to worn bushings as they were casting reels. John Milner at www.johnmilnerreels.com is a craftman of the old school and has quite the reputation for repairing old Hardy's (along with one or two others out there), he did a (Hiduminium) Major of mine recently, remaking the rather complicated spindle a tad oversize and enlarging the bushing to fit by a few thou. Looking through Drewett's book I see a few other stamped brass feet which I had not noticed before on Silex's, you would have thought that they would have preferred to stamp on something that was soft rather than thin and brittle like the inside of a spool. Which of us would have been brave enough to hover over the machined spool of a St George reel with a hammer and an F stamp... and yes, one of those stamps is shown on pg. 90 of Drewetts book, along with a few other tools. Those who have the Drewett book may be interested in an interview with the man himself at: http://www.purepiscator.com/Interviews/interviews_johndrewett.aspx Malcolm
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enigma309		#53	[url]	[-]
Posts: 267 07/10/2008 07:49 Reclusive! Like J D Salinger	Malcolm, She cleaned up well enough to get her own thread here! and has since scrubbed up even better. Hard to describe the pleasure in finding an old, neglected work of art, covered in ****, and restoring it to something like its former glory. I often wonder about the guy(s?) over here (UK) who stamp D's into old cast reels; how many do they smash? The one who used to make his D's with a centre punch seems to have gone quiet recently Brian "My ambition is to have no ambition" George Harrison
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bulldog1935	human factor	#54	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5916 07/10/2008 08:33 Bulldog1935	the stamps were not put there for us. They were to keep the hand-fitted workpieces paired together through various finishing operations. For the artisan to keep his work straight - he would waste no time pairing up parts, or confusing his parts with someone else's. (probably a refinished reel, but the stamps look original) If it was Denny or Dobbs who stamped a D on his Silex foot it was for a purpose, to make his work more efficient. Maybe somebody grabbed a few of his feet one day when he went to another part of the shop.
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oddsnrods		#55	[url]	[-]
Posts: 95 07/10/2008 18:25	Not sure that you are correct on that one Bulldog. The reel 'finishers' made their small batches of reels up in the reel shop after picking up the parts from the 'parts dept'. The initial (name) stamps were used for quality control - for Hardy's to know who made a particular reel if a probem were to arise. When being made, the reel parts were paired using Roman numerals scratched into the spool and backplate, as I have seen on many occasions. Small dot stamps were also used early on -one , two and three dots. It seems that they did spend some time and effort matching the components together as various parts seem to be identified with the numerals.This photo shows both makers stamp and V ,for 5, in a 3 3/4" Super Silex from sometime during the 30's. Early reels (pre WWI) had both numbers and single stamped letters on occasion.
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bow river		#56	[url]	[-]
Posts: 602 07/11/2008 10:43	oddsnrods i enjoyed your posts on this i been so busy with guiding that i have missed this reel page , just wonderfull thoughts , i had a dingley that had a ''D'' stamp on it's foot also one time , most dingley reels have a number stamped on the foot somehow i just can't come to beleave that hardy would of had some of their reels being made over at the dingley shop , ? , now if you was to say being made at the local korean shop . i might go for that Richard Check out my site for vintage reels & rods , guided float trips on canada's # 1 best trout river http://bowriveradventures.googlepages.com/home
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