Hey, Jabbado;
That is a good idea. Like you, I also looked for the fishing reel part image to no avail. My dad had a ratcheting screwdriver when we were kids that operated by way of a shaft with the same, or very similar groves. I'm a sort of old fashioned fisherman. You know; bait the hook, hang a bob on the line, cast it out a little ways, and be vewy, vewy quiet.
Howdy, Retroplayer;
That threaded rod idea is one I've also been contemplating. Using your illustration labels with C being the output gear, A the idler, and B the driven gear, would you use the threaded rod as the axle for A, or B? The "hooks" are currently made from 18 gauge stainless wire, hardened by heating over a gas range, and quenched in water; I'll try 14 ga. or 16 ga. next, but it would be easy enough to add a loop or two to extend below the present rod to a threaded rod.
Your nuts...where might I find those, and by what name? I haven't had any luck with locating them, but they sound perfect. Since I don't want for either the steel rod the steel rod, nor the threaded rod to move due to the hooks that connect them, I'm thinking of adding a 4th gear to the array. It will be below, and between A & B, and if I go this direction, the threaded rod will be it's axle, as well as the pivot point for A & B.
I haven't worked out yet what to make the trip levers from, nor how throwing the lever will move the bar that connects A & B. One step at a time. I appreciate the exchange of ideas. My thanks to both of you!
Oh, I almost forgot. Your comment about using the high tech approach when a low tech one would do just as well if not better is a wise one. I disassemble old sewing machines, re-plate (nickel) the parts that need it, sandblast the main casting, and repaint that with auto lacquer, reassemble, lube, and adjust tension, needle position, and generally just put things back in order again. I have 18 machines built from the late 50s to the late 70s. These machines are workhorses.
Beginning in the late 70s, the vast majority of machines were computerized. Rather than having exchangeable cams to make different stitch patterns, manufacturers offering dozens or even hundreds of stitches built in, and used electronics to accomplish the movement of the needles, and feed dogs. I haven't spoken to anyone who uses more than a couple of these no matter how many their machine can do. But if a component on a PCB goes, it often affects the whole machine, and it's rare that a user can isolate and repair the problem.