I'm showing my ignorance again.

Are there any talented machinist out there making their own custom reels?

I am thinking since there are so many guys making nice hand built custom rods that there has to be a few guys out there making / hand machining custom reels.

It just seems kinda silly to me to put a mass produced factory reel on a finely crafted hand built rod.

At this point I can strip, engrave and re-anodize a good quality factory reel but it would be nice to have the option of working with a reel maker to have something that is as truly one of a kind and unique as the rod is.

Thanks,

Ray

Ray Cover
My Projects Blog
[raycover.blogspot.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2008 10:04PM by Ray Cover.

Ray,
I am not familiar with any custom reel builders, but I know there are some very good "tuners" that work on factory made baitcasters mostly for bass fishermen. They upgrade internals and change parts to make the reel both lighter and better performing. I've seen custom colors, custom handles and custom side panels done also. It's guys just like us that want to build a better mouse trap.

Maybe some of the saltwater or fly rod guys can chime in with what they've seen. I would think a fly reel would be the easiest if you were a good machinist and had the right equipment.

Robert

Ray,

There is a VERY good machinist out of Burlington, Ontario Canada that makes beautiful custom reels. He specializes in centerpins however would probably be able to do whatever you require.

Contact Info:

Adam Ibotson
BAZCO PRECISION CUSTOM MACHINING
5109 Harvester Rd. Unit 12 -13, Burlington, Ont.
905-333-6444 or contact Adam at fishycritter@hotmail.com

[img.photobucket.com]

Good Luck!

Thanks fellas,

I am primarily interested in fly reels since I almost exclusively build fly rods.

Thanks for the contact Info Brendan. Do you know if they have a website with examples of their work pictured?

Thanks,

Ray

Look up the name "Alantani" on google or on any of the major fishing forums.

He mainly does tutorials on upgrading drag systems for saltwater reels (mostly conventional, but all types).

Imbedded in all those tutorials there are a few reels he has highly modified and pretty much only a portion of the original outter casing is left.
The guy knows reels and knows them well and is more than willing to share information.

Sean

Let me run this by you - take a nice commercially made reel and customize it to match the rod. That's often enough to satisfy and delight most customers. I would often make a reel seat insert out of something and use a bit of it to then make a new handle for the reel. Sort of made them a matching set.

For instance: [www.rodbuilding.org]


...............

ray, yes there are people making their own fly reels from scratch though being in the realm of fly, most are based on classic designs. the names bellinger and ballan quickly come to mind but there may be a few even smaller like the somewhat underground bamboo fly rod making community.

eric
fresno, ca.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2008 04:25PM by eric zamora.

I've seen a few of these reels and they are pretty sharp, based on the old style reels of the past...

[thespeycompany.blogspot.com]

I'll second Brendan's recommendation, I have one of Adam's reels and they are very nicely built. Another option would be to contact John Milner in British Columbia. He builds centrepin reels also, but has build fly reels in the past and his word is second to none. John likes taking on special tasks at times, so it worth a phone call.

www.johnmilnerreels.com

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information,which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
- Herbert Spencer