did this on another forum too. just want opinions!
As the title says I am interested in custom painting a reel. I know there are people that do it but I am thinking of trying it myself but I do not have a clue how to.
Ofcourse the reel will be taken fully apart to all major components. I am thinking:
step 1, disassemble reel completely, take all main parts, housing, handle knobs etc and clean them thorouly with alcohol and degreaser.
step 2. Use a variety of sand papers (wet and dry) carefully until the finish of the fishing reel is gone and you have a solid and grippy surface to work with, then polish and clean again? What kind og grain on the paper?
step 3. Primer or do I need an aluminum anodizer? (aluminum house) what product? In each case how many layers?
step 4. main colour on top of primed or anodized surface... what product?,how many layers?
step 5. some kind of hard glossy finish? maybe matt? What product?
honestly, thor, i would rather see you get a brand new reel! ;D
All I get is new reels :) But would like to try it on an old calcutta I have... could be interesting... :)
I was actually just thinking about doing this m'self. Have an old SLT 30 that works great, but is an ugly gal. I've also thought about the bene's/ drawbacks of powder coating.
Have you considered that alternative?
I would sand it down with very, very, fine paper then polish on a felt wheel w/jewelers rouge. Thoroughly degrease with something like Acetone. I usually overdo things and am not scared of MEK though. I would probably paint it with Duracoat, which is a paint designed for firearms. You can get it on e-bay or from Brownell's. It's pretty tough stuff.
a friend of mine used a paint remover on his reel I think it was called stripeze or something close to that spelling. It removed all the paint with virtually no sanding. He did a few applications. He painted fire engine red with automobile engine block paint that was heat resistant. Turned out beautiful. He removed all parts that were not painted. The stuff he used was very caustic so wear safety goggles and gloves.
Pizz customs does custom painting of Reels..
http://www.pizzcustoms.com/reels/
Paul, the owner is negotiating with me about Reassembly of the reels he does..
He needs them put back together........
Only issue we have is that I wont do it without a basic service included, Dont want my name associated with dry, corroded, rusty Reels...!!!!
IM still $10 per Reel cheaper then who he is using now..
And NO 4 to 6 week waiting for them!!! (1 to 3 days at most)...
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