Nobby,
Please correct me If I'm wrong or missing something.
Mates,
Bailarm is observing the circular hole in the forward part of the guide plate but the common back part of the guide plate had raised wings the full length of the guide plate vice just the forward portion. This one is flat on the back at the slide part which didn't come until later when the forward part of the guide plate was a square punch out.
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Nobby, I've seen a number of these and believe it was a transition/cost/efficiency piece. I have a several examples but will have to look more closely to determine approximate year that this happened...more to follow.
I've not seen one before and presumed it to be a rare error, but it seems there are a few about then?
I wish now that I'd kept a record of the reels I have stripped, repaired or serviced and sold on. It must be about 250 by now and I have never seen another malformed slide guide.
The reel has the wide notch on the bail arm and the serrated edge to the nearby bail release. It has serial number 1899801 on the foot with a 7 to the front edge of the foot. What do we think....about 1958???
I just stumbled on this 'old.. ish' thread and when I saw the suggested date of 1958 for the reel that had that odd occilator guide plate, I thought I would check the photos I took when I serviced my 1959 300, and lo and behold... the very same version guide plate!
Everyday's a school day.
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Thinking it through again it seems as though the two sides to the rear of the guide were not bent upwards at 90 degrees as the forward sides had been.
Since there seems to be extra metal at the rear on my one, just waiting to be bent up I think it was possibly an error in manufacturing which for one reason or another was not picked up on.
The rear sides, when bent up, will tend to stop the guide from twisting sideways. Since the metal is there I think it was meant to be bent, but somehow wasn't.
However, on yours Rockape there doesn't seem to be that extra metal at the sides that could be bent....so that's deliberate I guess?
It doesn't seem to have affect reliability since these reels are now 60 years old and some.........
I just looked over some of my Mitchell servicing photos, and noticed that my 1955 otomatic has the folded edges on the guide plate, but my 1956 model has the same non-folded version, and continuing on through my 70's and early 80's reels, they also have the non-folded type, so it would seem this is the norm from a certain period? I only have around 20 Mitchell reels of this design (Half Bail, 300, 330, 410, 440/Matches), so I can't claim a trend on this.
They are all constant width though, and (as you say) they do not look like the folding was missed out.
No Gib connection in the name, but I live on Portland in Dorset and so I often get called a rockape (seemed a good forum tag).
I am aware of the Gibraltar term, as I work a lot with the RN, so I get to visit occasionally.
Thanks Paul. I'm just working on a late Sixties reel and there are no sides to fold up at all at the rear.
I used to know Portland well, friends in the MOD police there. It had the best fish & chip shop I ever saw...battered mushy pea balls!. A queue around the corner on a Friday night.
