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The Tripart Reel
The smaller brother of the Takapart - the Tripart reel - was developed
through several stages starting in 1906. By 1909 it ended up as a narrow spool
version of the Takapart. Why the Meisselbach's didn't go directly to this
variation is unknown. However it does give us Meisselbach collectors three
scarce variations to search for.
The Tripart was a huge success, and in the decade from 1909 until 1919 was
probably the most popular bait casting reel in the United States. Thus many of
the standard Tripart #580 are still available for the collector. However, the
reel was also available in all the same variations as the Takapart - free spool,
double knobs, jeweled, and nickel silver. Many of these variations are quite
scarce, especially the nickel silver models. There was also a tournament
Tripart, and it is quite scarce.
Some Triparts from my collection are shown below. Click on any of the photos
to see an enlarged photo.
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1st Version. (1906-07). The very first
version of the Tri-Part reel is called the "Two Screw"
Tri-Part. The rear plate is swaged permanently to the frame. The
headplate is attached by two machine screws. Loosen the screws and the
plate pulls out. The frame flairs out at both the head and tailplates.
You should note that the early versions of both the Take-Apart &
Tri-Part have a spool axle with no lump in the center and knurling along
the flanges. |
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2nd Version. (1907). This rare version is
called the "Three Screw" Tri-part. The tailplate is swaged to
the tube frame, and the headplate is held inside the tube by three
machine screws. This is a very sleek reel, for it is the diameter of the
tube. No catalog listing or advertising for this version has been found.
It is stamped with the 1907 Meisselbach patent. |
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3rd Version. (1907-08) This version is
called the "One Ring" Tri-part. The photo clearly shows the
reason. There is a screw-on ring holding the headplate in place, but the
tailplate is still swaged permanently to the frame. These reels have all
the patents through 1907. They are also found in the free spool version
marked "Pat Apld For". This reel is scarce. Note the maroon
box typical of the period. |
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There are so many versions of the Tripart
that you could make a collection of variations. The reel was
manufactured with many trade names: Kingfisher, KK Special, Simmons
Special, Diamond, A&I, Heddon, Wm Read, and maybe others. There are
also many variations of boxes. |
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Both the Takapart and Tripart reels were
available in Tournament versions. These reels have aluminum spool
flanges, cork or balsa spool arbors, and some apparently have a thumb
rest as shown on this reel. The Tournament models could be assembled in
any of the variations, with jeweled caps, or in nickel silver. These
reels are rare in any version. |
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Notes |
| The Tripart reel is
actually just a narrow spool version of the larger Takapart Reel.
However, it took several years to get to that point. |
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