Hi guys,
Wondered if any of you have stripped old metal reels of paint? I have a couple of old & battered Mitchell 386's that i was going to customise, intending to leave in the brushed/polished metal state rather than re-paint. One of them I had dipped to remove the paint, which left it in a dull but usable finish. I then went on to have it blasted, hoping this would save me the trouble of sanding it by hand to bring out the shine. Unfortunately, it's left the finish looking like natural stone! It seems to have taken out all the corrosion and i imagine any imperfections from the original casting process, as it is now pretty much an unworkable surface. The guy who did it for me said he was using fine media.
I assume i should have just stopped after the dipping process and then worked it by hand sanding to achieve a brushed metal finish. However, i've read that a lot of the custom reel builders do blast them. Was it just the reel, or would it have been the media used?
Any comments on the best way to do what i'm trying to do? I think this reel is beyond saving now which is a shame, but i have one more I can work with.
Mark.
Sounds like it was bead blasted. You could try to spray paint it I guess. Not my area of expertise.
If it were me, I would consider powder coating the exterior surfaces -- the same surfaces that were painted from the factory. Since it is a custom job -- you can do anything you want, since it is being built for performance -- and not collector value.
These are small jobs for a powder coater -- and sometimes you can save some $$$ by doing some of the work yourself -- like the prep to protect the surfaces that will not be powder coated.
In my case, I have worked out an agreement with a local guy who also likes to fish -- so we do a trade-out.
Been considering hot rodding a bunch of old Quick Supers -- since I have around 20-25, and they would make very strong offshore or surf reels with CF, SS, new bearing, manual bail pick up, and a larger crank knob.
Best,
Fred
Quote from: foakes on September 17, 2014, 01:46:43 PM
If it were me, I would consider powder coating the exterior surfaces --
X2
Is it at this stage?
(http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww177/Marc1956/20140917_104258_zpsdf3a9d79.jpg) (http://s717.photobucket.com/user/Marc1956/media/20140917_104258_zpsdf3a9d79.jpg.html)
If it is then, wet sand 400 grit and I used a dremel with sanding disc for spot where there was still paint leftover
(http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww177/Marc1956/20140917_105328_zps2acbf00c.jpg) (http://s717.photobucket.com/user/Marc1956/media/20140917_105328_zps2acbf00c.jpg.html)
Then polish it with Polishing Compound bars(black-brown) with the dremel again with the buffer wheel and drill press with bigger buffer wheel for large area
(http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww177/Marc1956/20140917_103804_zpsfcac7626.jpg) (http://s717.photobucket.com/user/Marc1956/media/20140917_103804_zpsfcac7626.jpg.html)
Eventually it will become this(http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww177/Marc1956/20131018_121427_zps6f7e0481.jpg) (http://s717.photobucket.com/user/Marc1956/media/20131018_121427_zps6f7e0481.jpg.html)
Marc..
I'm a big fan of powder coating too.
Rgds
Mark
Looks Good Mark! ;)
I've had a few reel coated with dura coat and they came out fine. See if they have that in your area along with the powder coating.
thanks again guys.
Mark, that Penn looks the business and is the sort of finish I was looking for. I'll upload a photo of what the 386 looked like before and after the blasting.
With regards to powder coating, wouldn't this just show up the imperfections like paint?
Mark.
and as it was when I got it.
Too much pitting for polishing unfortunately
The other option like painting/Duracoat are doable but not sure about powder coating unless you fill all the imperfection with heat resistant material
Marc..
That is some great work Marq .. time consuming for sure !
Hi Greybadger --
If that were my reel, I would do very little to it.
The pits and imperfections in the aluminum body, sideplate, rotor, and spool -- you cannot change easily -- and some people like that look anyway.
Instead of trying to make it look shiny and custom -- just paint the exterior parts a dull, flat color -- no shine.
Either powder coating or the Dura will work -- and if you choose a flat military grade type color -- it will look capable and be very functional.
I think I might get a new spool in gloss black, though. You will have no issues with casting or line lay with a new spool.
This old war horse basically is what it is at this point. So take advantage of that fact, and build yourself a great reel that you could bang around a bit with no worries. Save the old spool for a spare, and use a greased CF drag.
Just my thoughts --
Best,
Fred
Fred, that's kind of what I've decided, nothing much I can do with it now anyway. I've actually clearcoated it with Bondaseal which has given it a sheen rather than a high-gloss, and will seal it against further corrosion, for a while anyway. I've got another which I may have another go at, this time just dipping it and then polishing it as Marq discussed. Cheers.
Mark
If you want to fill the pits, jb weld or other 2 part metal filled epoxy will work well. Once its dry, you can sand it flush with the metal, and then paint it.