My law partner Tony had an uncle named Ray with whom he was very close. Sadly, uncle Ray passed away recently and Tony had to deal with the estate. Ray was a fisherman all his life. After his death, Tony and the other heirs each took their choice of Ray's newer fishing equipment. But no one knew what do with Ray's older equipment. One day Tony asked me, "Bill, would you be interested in..." You can all guess the rest.
Among other things, I was given a box of old reels that included a pair of Mitchell 302 Saltwaters and a pair of 300s. Ray also had spare spools for these reels. They all need work, ranging from a good cleaning to some major repairs. So off I go on a new adventure. I'll be posting the experience here. I appreciate what I have already read in the 302 cleaning thread Chris started a few years back as well as the Mitchell Museum web site. While I'm not sure I understand all the parts and problems I've read about, I have a feeling I'll have a very clear understanding before too long. Here is a picture of "Uncle" Ray's Mitchell collection.
Nothing like getting a handful of old Mitchells that need some TLC to fan the spark of reel repair.
There may (or may not) be better built or more good-looking spinning reels, but when you turn the handle on a ready-to-go Mitchell 300, the sound and feel is just so good....
Frank
They are intriguing, Frank. And a good way to spend Thanksgiving morning!
Many thanks to Ohana member Handi (Kieth) for providing me with more parts for the 302s than I ever asked for. With the two reels I had already, and the parts (including a complete reel) he sent me I was easily able to create three 302s in excellent working order, one spare spool, and have enough parts left over to keep these three going for a long time. Pictures to follow. Thank you Keith, and keep on the lookout for my mail.
Great work Keith, man I love this place! In the world of internet anonymity it's refreshing to see a place where people are nice to each other for a change. I've worked in a 24hr telephone call centre as a part time job for the past four years while attending uni and I get abused on a daily basis. A lot of people think it's ok just to let rip at another person because you're hiding behind a keyboard or a telephone; it's good that people like this are quickly booted out of the ohana and any memory of their existence is wiped along with them. And then to top it off you've got great guys like Keith/Alan/Fred....(the list goes on!) who go out of there way to help others like Bill selflessly! Awesome!
*Sorry for the rant, it's my second last day in the call centre and I am thoroughly over it! Now back to photos of reels and fish please Bill!