Reel Modifications

[Chevin]

Reading some of these threads, especially the reel making ones, it appears we have some very talented engineers/metalworkers/woodworkers on this site.

This got me thinking about modifications, has anyone attempted or thought about a modification of a reel that they own. Ive heard tales of pins that Gary Mills has modified i.e ventilated backplates or extra or larger holes in the drum, this was obviously to reduce the weight of the original reel. Has anyone done this or have a reel that has been modified.

[Vole]

I swapped the guts of a Mitchell 300 and a 301 to get a reel whose pick-up goes round the right way, but you have to wind backwards...
Must practice more with line coming off the top of my 'pin.

[Estaban]

I've made a few changes to some modern reels, just to eliminate points where line would get snagged. The only vintage reel I own is a Mitchell 300, haven't fiddled with it yet.

[Nobby]

Oh Yes.....I can't leave alone me:

My first pin got attacked by mice:

back row, first on the left...all the rest have been polished to within an inch of their lives and all the 'pins have re-modelled centrepins to spin more easily.




All the 300 Mitchells above have had every single component polised and radiused and now do 200mph on half throttle.

[Estaban]

Beautiful collection Nobby.

[Watermole+]

I could be putting my head on the block by saying this but..

..if anyone out there would like a particular reel / piece of tackle modified or altered in some way, please feel free to post, or send a PM..

Regards,

wm+

[MGs]

I swapped the guts of a Mitchell 300 and a 301 to get a reel whose pick-up goes round the right way, but you have to wind backwards...
Must practice more with line coming off the top of my 'pin.

I thought it was just me being dim. Having used a 320, 324, 206 and 308 for years, I have got used to the line coming off the right hand side of the spool. I started using a 300 recently and the line comes off the other side. Thought I was going potty. Obviously not.

[Woolly Bear]

Have said it before and will say it again ,nice pins Sir . Regards .Woolly Bear .

[Vole]

MGs, I've used the southpaw versions of those - 201,207, 209, 321, 325,309, and 409, they all have a single drive gear, and all have the flyer turning so that the line pays off the spool onto the ball of the finger, not the nail; and so that, when you trap the line to strike off an open spool, the pick-up comes round and takes the line off the crook of your finger without any slack the "proper" way.
The big Mitchells have an even number of gears (eight, I think) and the flyer goes the other way.
One more little 1:1 gear in the train and they'd have been perfect.
Or as good as anything with white metal gears can be.

[Greentura]

Made a few modifications, mainly to keep reels going with what i had laying about. Swapped the level wind gears from an egg bodied version 3 into a 330 to get a better line lay but it didn't make much difference so swapped them back. Drilled out larger and tapped the rotor of a 440a match and made a larger pivot for the bail arm mechanism after the old one pulled a thread at some time, bought it for spares as the bale arm didn't work and that cured it. Converted a grice and young avon royal so the check lever was on the other side, waste of time really as i sold the reel a week later before trying it. converted one of my star backs to have a check button using bits from a broken one, works ok but only realy used as a paper weight now