For you Reel Pros out there...

[texasag06]

I am seeing this more and more... people don't work on their reels anymore. I grew up wading with my dad, and aside from fishing, "playing" with fishing stuff was the next best thing. We'd break down each 5500 (no I'm only 24, but that's still what we fished with) and clean them up after every trip. I still enjoy it. I'll find an old reel and clean it up to working again.

A friend of mine took his reel to a shop not to be named, and the reel came back with sand still on the handle, corrosion still on the nut, two side-plate screws that we couldn't back out, and an over-greased drag. For $30, I could have done alot better. To be fair, the reel worked well, guy didn't replace bearings that didn't need to be replaced, and it was in better condition that when it was sent in.

I've always thought reel cleaning/repair could be a fun side job, but I'd be nervous about working on new reels (reels other than penn, shimano, diawa, abu-garcia) and, honestly, breaking something. If a reel hasn't been taken care of that great, screws break off inside, etc.

There aren't many shops in the area, and I've thought about trying my hand at it, but I don't know what I would need to start: manufacturer certification, insurance, spare parts, manufacturer/model specific specialty tools? I know that many people make a good living doing this kind of work, but I've already got a career as an engineer (civil, not mechanical) and am just looking for a side thing that I could grow if I wanted to.

Do you guys have any advice, tips, lessons learned? Bantam, how would a person go about getting certified? Are there any kind of franchising fees, royalties, dues associated with being certified by a manufacturer? Do manufacturers even certify small-timers?

Thanks in advance for any help. Feel free to PM or email if you don't want to post publicly.

[Bantam1]

We do not really offer any certification courses. We do train internally and offer some training to the warranty centers. Reels are simple and if you have some experience with mechanical things then it shouldn't be an issue. Now a lot of experience with a certain brand will show you trends and you will learn how to trouble shoot much quicker.

Specialty tools can be purchased through us, but there are not that many that you need. Most tools are simple or you will end up making them yourself for specific applications.

You would need to set up a parts account and start ordering parts. Inventory is up to what you need and can afford. I'm not sure about insurance and the business related aspects. You might want to ask some of the guys on this board who repair reels how they started.

[muggs]

Bantam1, what type of specialty tools are available and how to order?

[trout250]

SCHOOL of hard knocks.

Experience is the best teacher, i started out just cleaning my families reels, approx 20 reels, then started doing one here and there for different firefighters at work , reputation is the best advertisement ,ie word of mouth, good thing about shimanos is that 1 size bearing is common to a lot of different reels, I copied schematics for each reel that I cleaned off the webb, I now have 2- 2" binders full of schematics for different reels, I purchased my ultasonic cleaner from northern tools, use simple green for a cleaning agent , just don't mix it up too strong, because it will remove the finish, I use rem oil, quatum hot sauce, rocket fuel, corrosion x, shimano drag grease, or what ever a customer specifies.
Good luck with the endeavor,

Be glad to try to answer any specific questions you might have just pm me.

[Bantam1]

There are not that many specialty tools. We have the TLD wrench, Torsa/Tyrnos wrench and a Stella allen key tool. There are some other "specialty tools" that are not really required. Simple hand tools can be used in place of the non required tools. You can order them directly from us by calling 877-577-0600.