The Jigmaster Project

[STRIPER LOU]

Hey Chris,

I'm very sorry to hear about your daughter. So glad to hear its benign! Man, that's some scary stuff. There's some great doctors and procedure these days and I'm sure everything will work out fine.

Please keep us posted and all the very best to you and your family,  ..  Lou

[Decker]

Prayers for you and your daughter, Chris! 

[mo65]

   I hope all goes well for your daughter Chris.

[Florida Cracker]

WOW! Awesome job!.

[Rothmar2]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the thoughts for my daughter. She has amazed my wife and I with her resilience through all this. The surgery went very well and the benign growth removed. While she still has a bit of an ache from where the lump was removed from, she is almost back to normal. The surgeon has said less than 5% chance of re-occurrence, so glad to have put this behind us.
As for the frame, I have it back from the anodiser, and I will get some pics of the assembled reel up ASAP. Still have trouble with the photo orientation though....

[Jerseymic]

Prayers for your family Chris.

Mike.

[STRIPER LOU]

Excellent Chris! Please keep us posted with any news as to how the healing is going.

Wishing you and your family all the best,  ..  Lou

[Rothmar2]

I would just like to say a big thank-you to all those who have posted Well Wishes here about my daughters scare. She has fully re-covered and is back to her usual self. There is almost no scarring, and she is not actually worried about the minimal one she has. With all this modern day "body image" thing that teenagers go on about, I think she has shown maturity beyond what we though she was capable.

Anyway, finally got around to getting some photos up of the frame as it came back from the Anodiser. At first I was a bit bummed about the matte finish, but after mounting the Cortez plates to it, I actually quite liked it.







When I next get home, I will be finishing the black/white acrylic swirl T-bar to replace the pictured one, which will finish this particular Jigmaster right off.

[Alto Mare]

Chris, first I'm glad everything is back to normal with your daughter...great news!
I agree on the matte finish, it looks really good with Tom's plates.
May I ask what is the matter with that blue knob? I think it looks great on that reel.
Are you making those yourself?

Best,

Sal

[Rothmar2]

Cheers Sal. Yes I am making the handles myself. Got inspired by Lou's art, and have taken on doing a few, but in my own way. The Blue one does look OK, but I think you'll agree when you see it, that it's replacement will tie in better. I also want the next one to be a bit smaller in diameter, only by a couple of millimeters. The Blue feels good in the hand, but I think I can improve it a bit more. It's all learning/progression!

[mhc]

Good to hear your daughter has fully recovered, she must have inherited a bit of your resolve.
I like the matte finish as well, it looks ready for work - I think I'll try bead blasting a SS part to see it gives a similar finish.

Mike

[thorhammer]

Hey Chris, I'm late to this one but glade to hear your daughter is back up to snuff!


John

[mike1010]

Chris, had not seen the post about your daughter's illness until now, and add my voice to those cheering the happy outcome.

[Rothmar2]

Well this project is coming to an end. I have been chipping away at this project slowly since my last post. I obtained some more acrylic stock in black/white swirl from DuckCalls USA off the big auction site, to tie in with the black spool. I added a little more profiling to the handle where the thumb rests for a bit more comfort. Result





So the Cortez plated reel is now completed in full.





I also created another handle for my mates Jigmaster to replace the stainless one it had previously, which I was never entirely happy with. He also when for the thumb rest on the overall shape, which we did with him present, until he was completely happy with the feel. This reel may get a few extra parts in the future, but for now it will stay as is.







The "Franken-jiggy" is now ready to fish. The combination of Jig and Surfmaster plates, PC internals, and other self made parts is the reason for the monicker. It has the SS 501 frame that the Cortez plates were once on. I also made another delrin sheathed spacer sleave, spun up on my mini-lathe



The reel clamp was short-cutted somewhat. I found a block of black polyethylene at the tip and figured this would do for a clamp. It was far less arduous to machine, and well within the capabilities of my mini-lathe. Much easier to make than the composite or stainless clamps I have made for other reels in this project. The clamp studs and recessed nuts were also made for the over-all assembly



The counter-weighted crank was made quite a while ago, and I wanted to give the ball handle a go. I got a large PC ball sent over and called it done. I did have intentions of making my own ball, but I have lost access to the big lathes needed when I lost my job with a previous employer. I'm not entirely sold on the look of this assembly, its "bitsy" for my taste, but I will at least fish it to see how it feels in a real situation. I have contacted Ted to get one of his designed handle/cranks sent over when they become available again. Black and white of course! Easy enough to switch if the ball doesn't suit. Ted and Adam (3 Sevens) had influence in the clutch lever I made for this reel as well.













The clicker assembly in the Surfmaster plate was is good condition so there is no need to change it for now. I do have a mag kit to fit as well, but its highly unlikely this reel will be used for casting for the style of fishing I do.
Our offshore season will fire up again soon, so hopefully I will get a chance to put these reels through their paces.
For everyone who has followed this thread, thanks again for your interest. I hope this has inspired some of you to create some parts with your own handi-work. This thread should not take away from the large amount of upgrade parts that are available through the vendors who have put a large amount of time and money into bringing these parts to us. Respect to all of them!

[thorhammer]

Chris, absolutely fantastic, and certainly inspiring! Your last paragraph sounded a bit too much like a eulogy for my taste; you have to keep it going or else start another project for us!!!!


John