Gadgets

 

All of my favorite gadgets have a few things in common. You see, for me there are a few essential characteristics an old fishing gizmo must possess in order to achieve distinction. First and foremost, it must be made of metal. I’m not particularly picky about the type of metal …brass, nickel-silver, steel, aluminum, whatever …so long as it is made of metal. With rare exception (and there are exceptions), plastic and quality seem to be mutually exclusive.

The second key feature of a prime vest pocket collectible is its ability to fit neatly into a vest pocket. Often less than three inches long, all of my favorite doohickeys are under six inches in length. There is no place in my heart for bulky items that need to be toted about in a tackle box. This is one instance where smaller is better …and tiny is better still.

A distinguished gizmo also has to look good. Actually, it should look great. Aesthetic appeal is what separates the average items from the premium ones. There isn’t much you can do with a drawer full of gadgets except look at them …so, they may as well be attractive.

Ingenuity. All of my favorite vest pocket collectibles have this trait in common. An item must show creativity of design. Whether the item is a complete success or an unequivocal failure matters not, so long as the intent and the attempt are admirable. Sometimes failed attempts yield the most elaborate and intriguing gadgets. I have a penchant for preferring gadgets that most likely caused anglers endless hours of stream-side frustration.

~ Click On Pictures To Enlarge ~

The Scarce First Model Hardy “Wardle” Magnifier Is Easily Distinguished From The Second Model By The Four Screws In The Rim Which Hold The Two Halves Together And By The Lacquered Brass Finish, Rather Than The Black Paint Of The More Common Second Model. Note Two Of The Screws Have Been Filed Flush So The Heads Do Not Protrude
The First Model Wardle As Shown In Hardy's 1937 Catalog The First Model Wardle As Shown In Hardy’s 1937 Catalog
The “Wardle” Was Designed To Be Worn On Your Coat Or Vest And Flipped Up For Use And Left Down When Not, To Keep It Out Of The Way
Hancock’s 4.5″ Drag & Clearing Ring. This Magnificent Circa 1896 Gadget Was Used For Retrieving Tackle That Had Fallen Into The Water Or Had Gotten Snagged. Simply A Marvelous Contraption! See Advertisement Below.
Advertisement For Hancock’s Drag & Clearing Ring
Hardy’s “Driflydresser” Has Amadou Pads On One Side For Drying Flies And Felt Pads On The Other For Oiling Them. When You Slide The Latch On The End It Opens For Use. Circa 1937 And 3″ Long. Note The Example In Front Is Pre-Patent.

Hardy’s “Driflydresser” Has Amadou Pads On One Side For Drying Flies And Felt Pads On The Other For Oiling Them. When You Slide The Latch On The End It Opens For Use. Circa 1937 And 3″ Long. Note The Example In Front Is Pre-Patent And Is Stamped “Patent Applied For” On The Rear.

The 4.25″ Metal Specialties “Handiclip” Combines Tweezers, Snippers And A Disgorger. Sold Through The David T. Abercrombie Company Circa 1940 And Made In Attleboro, Massachusetts.

The Hardy “Drianoil” Fly Oiler Is A Modified Pocket Watch Case With A Felt Pad For Oiling Flies And An Amadou Pad For Drying Them. Circa 1921.  These Are Rare And Those Examples Which Are Not Marked “Hardy” Are Not By Hardy.
Hardy Brothers Marbleized “Harlaw” Dry Fly Oiler With Original Box. The Oil Is Housed In The Pen And You Apply It To The Fly With The Paintbrush Tip. Absolute Eye Candy.
A Pair Of Hardy Bros. “Harlaw” Dry Fly Oilers: The Marbleized And Standard Black Version
I Strongly Suspect The Inspiration For Herters "Dry Fly Oiler" Was The Hardy "Harlaw". This Is The First Of These I Have Seen, Making It Rare Compared To The Hardy Version.

I Strongly Suspect The Inspiration For Herters “Dry Fly Oiler” Was The Hardy “Harlaw”. This Is The First Of These I Have Seen, Making It Rare Compared To The Hardy Version.

Advertising Fly & Hook Scales By John Forest And J. Bernard & Sons. Both Are Made Of Celluloid And Measure 5″ Long.

The Working Side Of The Fly & Hook Scales

Two gut cutters: One American And One English. The Cutter With The Chain Was Made By Olson And Is American. The English Cutter Is Marked “The Test” And “Rd. No. 567037″. An English “Registered” number Is The Equivalent Of An American “Patent” Number.

Both Olson's Gut Cutter And The English Version Have Cutters And Tweezers ...The Olson Cutter Adds A Pick And Disgorger, Which Swing Out From Below

Both Olson’s Gut Cutter And The English Version Have Cutters And Tweezers …The Olson Cutter Adds A Pick And Disgorger, Which Swing Out From Below

Olson's Gut Cutters Can Be Found With Two Types Of Chains: A Bead Chain And A Link Chain. The Clasp's Vary Slightly In Decoration As Well.

Olson’s Gut Cutters Can Be Found With Two Types Of Chains: A Bead Chain And A Link Chain. The Clasp’s Vary Slightly In Decoration As Well.

A Hook and Line/Leader Gauge by Hardy Brothers. This Side Is The Line/Leader Gauge. The Protective Leather Sleeve is marked “Made In England”
This Side Has a 4″ Rule And A Hook Gauge. The Gauge Was Made For Hardy BY “Chesterman Of Sheffield, England,” Best Known For Their Exquisite, Leather Cased Measuring Tapes.
This Early Pair Of Tweezers With Pivoting Magnifier Is Most Useful For Fly Tying And Is Marked “Pat Jan 20th 1903″. See Below For The Patent Drawing.

The Patent

The Patent

The First (Rear) And Second Versions Of Boehm's Patent "Combined Tweezers And Magnifying Glass". Patent 718,748 Of January 20, 1903.

The First (Rear) And Second Versions Of Boehm’s Patent “Combined Tweezers And Magnifying Glass”. Patent 718,748 Of January 20, 1903.

A Hardy Reel Oiler And A Cummins Dry Fly Oiler

A Hardy Reel Oiler And A Cummins Dry Fly Oiler

A Hardy Reel Oiler And A Cummins Dry Fly Oiler

Makers Marks

The More Appealing, Kinder, Gentler End Of An Anglers Club Of New York Priest (Fish Knocker)
The Anglers Club Of New York Priest Is 5.75″ Long
This Very Scarce Pair Of Hardy “Sheath Scissors” With Nickle-Silver Tip Guard, Marked “Hardy Brothers, Alnwick, England”, Was Cataloged From 1928 to 1937

The Captive Pin Of The Palmer Dry-Fly Oiler Automatically Falls Open When The Oiler Is Inverted For Use. This Is The Only Example I Have Ever Seen.

A Wonderful 4″ Advertising Disgorger Of Aluminum From W.J. Cummins Of Bishop, Auckland. Rd. (Patent) 63081. Note The Trout Length/Weight Scale On The Right Side.

A Very Scarce Pair Of Farlow “Sheath Scissors” With Nickle-Silver Tip Guard, Marked “Farlow, Panton St. S.W., Made In England”
A “William Mills & Son, NY” Fly Scale Of Aluminum. The Hole Is For Attaching A Lanyard So That You Wouldn’t Drop This Little Jewel In The Drink. Note How The Scale Is Stamped In The Same Fashion As Their Reels.

This Tiny (2″) Panfish Scale Was Made By The Miller Manufacturing Company Of San Francisco, California, And Is Called The “Esy-Weigh”

This Farlow “Net Ring” Came In A Box Advertising Their “Chamois Leather Cast Pouch”. The Net Ring Precedes The Days Of The Fishing Vest And Supplied Anglers With A Way To Keep Their Net At Hand By Pinning The Ring To Their Jacket And Then Sliding The Handle Of The Net Through The Ring.

This Truly Tiny Dry Fly Oiler Is Just A Bit Over 1″ In Diameter And The Fit And Finish Is Absolutely First Rate. The “Ring” Was Designed To Be Attached To A Rod Handle And It Can Be Sized To Fit By Turning The Nuts On The Front. The Cap Is Not Threaded And Is Instead Very Finely Tapered To Provide A Leak-Proof Closure. This Is The First One I Have Seen.

Disassembled

Disassembled

The Oiler Mounted On A Rod And Ready For Use

The Oiler Mounted On A Rod And Ready For Use

The Paul H. Young (Detroit) “Trik-Kutter” Was Advertised In 1931 As “Cutlery Steel, Dull Or Bright Finish, Gut Cutters And Tweezers With Disgorger At End”. The Price Was One Dollar …They Fetch Quite A Bit More Now.

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Patented On August 1, 1899, The Watch Case Atomizer Is Made Of Hard Rubber And Was Available In Two Models: The No. 10, For Spraying Water And The No. 11, For Spraying Oily Fluids, Such As Dry Fly Oil. The No. 11 Is Differentiated By Its Red Tip. These Can Be Found In Turn Of The Century Tackle Catalogs And Are A Bit Scarce.

An Extremely Rare H.L. Leonard Tippet and Leader Gauge.

An Extremely Rare H.L. Leonard Tippet and Leader Gauge.

Hardy Fly Tying "Bent Blade" Scissors. Circa 1920.

Hardy Fly Tying “Bent Blade” Scissors. Circa 1920.

Hardy’s Version Of A Gut Cutter Shares The Same Name As Their “Curate” And Is Simply The Large Version Sans The Priest. Refer To “Hardy Brother’s Curate” In The “Favorites” Section Of This Site To See The Full Size Version. As Typical Of A Gut Cutter, This Tool Incorporates A Line (Gut) Cutter, Tweezers And A Disgorger. These Are Downright Rare In Comparison To The Full Size Curate, Which Are Certainly Very Scarce, And Finding One In Excellent Condition Is Very Difficult.

Hardy’s Version Of A Gut Cutter Shares The Same Name As Their “Curate” And Is Simply The Large Version Sans The Priest. Refer To “Hardy Brother’s Curate” Page Of This Site To See The Full Size Version. As Typical Of A Gut Cutter, This Tool Incorporates A Line (Gut) Cutter, Tweezers And A Disgorger. These Are Downright Rare In Comparison To The Full Size Curate, Which Are Certainly Very Scarce, And Finding One In Excellent Condition Is Very Difficult.

Admittedly, This Doesn’t Look Like Much, But For A Hard-Core Gadget Collector It Doesn’t Get Much Better Than The Hardy “Eyed-Fly Gut-Cutter And Tweezers” …As It Was Called In Hardy’s 1892 (!!) Catalog. While Hardy’s Later “Curate” Style Gut-Cutter (Which Has Curved Tips And A Disgorger) Is Rare, This Is The First Earlier Version  I Have Ever Seen.

Admittedly, This Doesn’t Look Like Much, But For A Hard-Core Gadget Collector It Doesn’t Get Much Better Than The Hardy “Eyed-Fly Gut-Cutter And Tweezers” …As It Was Called In Hardy’s 1892 (!!) Catalog. While Hardy’s Later “Curate” Style Gut-Cutter (Which Has Curved Tips And A Disgorger) Is Rare, This Is The First Earlier Version I Have Ever Seen.

The Abercrombie & Fitch “Trout Tool”(By Puma) Is Just 2.25″ Long And Contains A Disgorger, File, Scraper, Stiletto, Tweezers, Scissors And A Screwdriver. Like The Olson Gut Cutter, It Includes A Chain And Clasp To Attach To Your Jacket.

The Abercrombie & Fitch “Trout Tool”(By Puma) Is Just 2.25″ Long And Contains A Disgorger, File, Scraper, Stiletto, Tweezers, Scissors And A Screwdriver. Like The Olson Gut Cutter, It Includes A Chain And Clasp To Attach To Your Jacket.

As Shown In An Abercrombie & Fitch Catalog, Circa 1950

As Shown In An Abercrombie & Fitch Catalog, Circa 1950

This Tool Is Signed "T.L. Payne, Maker, Coventry" And Is For Sizing Tippets By Dragging them Through The Holes, Which Are Marked X Through 5X On The Back

This Tool Is Signed “T.L. Payne, Maker, Coventry” And Is For Drawing Gut To Smaller Diameters. The Gut Strands Were Soaked In Water And Then Drawn Through Subsequently Smaller Dies To Bring Them Down To The Desired Diameter. The Inserts In The Holes Are Jewels, Like The Jewels In A Watch, To Prevent Wear. The Holes On This Example Are Marked X Through 5X On The Back And The Tool Is Dated 1930.

This Blued Line/Leader Gauge Is Marked “Paul H. Young, Detroit”

This Blued Line/Leader Gauge Is Marked “Paul H. Young, Detroit”

I Wonder If The Maker Of This Fly Clip (Metal Specialties of Attleboro, Massachusetts) Had Seen A Hank’s Fly Clip Before Creating Their Gadget. While The Proportions Are Similar And The Intents Identical, The Finished Products Are Quite Different.

I Wonder If The Maker Of This Fly Clip (Metal Specialties of Attleboro, Massachusetts) Had Seen A Hank’s Fly Clip Before Creating Their Gadget. While The Proportions Are Similar And The Intended Function Identical, The Finished Products Are Quite Different In Materials And Form.

Hardy Brothers Big Game Reel Oil Bottle

Hardy Brothers Big Game Reel Oil Bottle

The Waistcoat Pocket Fly Oil Bottle Is The Rarest Of All Hardy Fly Oil Bottles.  Only Appearing In The 1924 Anglers Guide, This Flat Circular Bottle Was Made Of Celluloid And Was Fitted With An Internal Sleeve And Applicator Brush.

The Waistcoat Pocket Fly Oil Bottle Is The Rarest Of All Hardy Fly Oil Bottles. Only Appearing In The 1924 Anglers Guide, This Flat Circular Bottle Was Made Of Celluloid And Was Fitted With An Internal Sleeve And Applicator Brush.

Note The Construction Is a Simple Hoop With Two Sides Applied

Note The Construction Is a Simple Hoop With Two Sides Applied

Clearing Rings Were Used To Retrieve Lures That Had Gotten Hung Up on Underwater Obstacles.  The Angler Would Flip The Closure, Open The Ring, Place it Over His Line, Close The Ring And With A Strong Cord Attached Slide It Down The Line To Hopefully Knock The Lure Free Or Entangle It So It Could Be Pulled Back

Clearing Rings Are Pre-1900 Gadgets Used To Retrieve Lures That Had Gotten Hung Up On An Underwater Obstacle. The Angler Would Flip The Closure, Open The Ring, Place It Over His Line, Close The Ring And With A Strong Cord Attached Slide It Down The Line To Hopefully Knock The Lure Free Or Entangle It So It Could Be Pulled Back. My Guess Is Many Of These Can Be Found On The Bottom Of Rivers, Lakes And Ponds.

This 1877 Evans Fish Trap Is Marked “Pat Apl 17-77″ and “G. W. Evans and Son Frankford, PA”. Unusual That The Day And Year Are Marked, But Not The Month. These Were Available In Two Sizes: 3″ and 4″. This Is The Smaller Version. A Nasty Contraption.

This 1877 Evans Fish Trap Is Marked “Pat Apl 17-77″ and “G. W. Evans and Son Frankford, PA”. These Were Available In Two Sizes: 3″ and 4″. This Is The Smaller Version. A Nasty Contraption.

The Hardy "Zane Grey" Reel Oiler Operates More Like A Grease Gun. Even More Impressive Than It Looks.

The Hardy “Zane Grey” Reel Oiler Operates More Like A Grease Gun. Even More Impressive Than It Looks.

This Small Alcohol Lamp Came In Very Handy For Stream Side Rod Repairs

This Small Alcohol Lamp Came In Very Handy For Stream Side Rod Repairs

The “Illingworth” Dry Fly Oiler Is As Rare As It Is Complex. The Earliest Version Was Made Of Glass. I’ve Only Seen One Of Glass And It Was Broken. Perhaps It Was Fragile, Hence The Change To Celluloid. See The Scan Below For How This Gadget Worked.

The “Illingworth” Dry Fly Oiler Is As Rare As It Is Complex. The Earliest Version Was Made Of Glass. I’ve Only Seen One Of Glass And It Was Broken. Perhaps It Was Fragile, Hence The Change To Celluloid. See The Scan Below For How This Gadget Worked.

My Guess Is The Complexity Of This Marvelous Contraption Is What In The End Made It So Rare. Seems To Me They Would Be Cumbersome And Probably Terribly Inefficient. I Doubt Many Were Sold. Circa 1910-1920.

My Guess Is The Complexity Of This Marvelous Contraption Is What In The End Made It So Rare. Seems To Me They Would Be Cumbersome And Probably Terribly Inefficient. I Doubt Many Were Sold. Circa 1910-1920.

A "Thumb Magnifier" By Foster ...A Wonderfully Handy Gadget For Helping Old Guys Like Me See Small Stuff. The Foster Brothers Were Founded In 1833 By David Foster.

A “Thumb Magnifier” By Foster …A Wonderfully Handy Gadget For Helping Old Guys Like Me See Small Stuff. The Foster Brothers Were Founded In 1833 By David Foster.

"Skish" Is A Tournament Casting Competition That Uses Accuracy Targets For Both Fly And Bait Casting. These Casting Competitions Sometimes Had Line Restrictions, Which Were Checked By Judges Armed With Gauges Like This One.

“Skish” Is A Tournament Casting Competition That Uses Accuracy Targets For Both Fly And Bait Casting. These Casting Competitions Sometimes Had Line Restrictions, Which Were Checked By Judges Armed With Gauges Like This One.

The 1926 Ad Copy For This Delightful Gadget Reads "...A Trout Fly Can Be Threaded To Gut In The Dark With The Aid Of This Useful Article."

The 1926 Ad Copy For This Delightful Gadget Reads “…A Trout Fly Can Be Threaded To Gut In The Dark With The Aid Of This Useful Article.”

It Actually Works Quite Well. Sold By The Army & Navy Cooperative Society And Called  The "Eyed Hook Threader."

It Actually Works Quite Well. Sold By The Army & Navy Cooperative Society And Called The “Eyed Hook Threader.”

A Gauge Sold By Carter & Co For Measuring Gut Tippets And Leaders. The Gauge Was Made By Chesterman. Of Sheffield.

A Gauge Sold By Carter & Co For Measuring Gut Tippets And Leaders. The Gauge Was Made By Chesterman. Of Sheffield.

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