Reel Repair by Alan Tani

I recently inherited some Shimano Tiagra fishing reels from my late father-in-law - they are badly pitted cosmetically - but mechanically they are sound.

If one filled the pitting with an epoxy and sanded them down could one cerakote these reels?

Any other ideas of how to sort out the housing on a Tiagra ...

Quote from: MACflyer on October 24, 2025, 05:16:54 PMLooks like it should work fine. For me, it's satisfying to modify parts for reuse or repurpose. Plus it saves money.

I'm with you there! As a youtube junkie, I liked to watch this guy who was super-resourceful with camping, using common household stuff to make camping gear, and foraging in the woods.  One day he posted a video where he was in a $1000 tent cooking a $50 steak, and I left some very critical comments.  Sponsors must have thrown money at him.  He seems to have taken my comments to heart because he went back to his resourceful self in subsequent videos.  Personally, I find it really difficult to resist running out to the store for my next solution, case in point: the soda-can shimming. I intend to keep trying to change this habit. Youtube has a lot of creativity and innovation, but also pushes a heck of a lot of product.   

Quote from: Gfish on September 24, 2025, 08:33:36 PMInterested to see what you experience with this one Alex.

the wait is over amigo mio, this reel is done and ready to the battle.

well, at the end, the Boss Alan came to the rescue and sent me some cross pins of different width and lengths and there was one of them that was the EXACT measures, wow, how about that ?

this is the OG pin which was pretty beat up



and this is the new SS pin for the spool shaft



and this is the size of the cross pin that did the trick



this is the new cross pin already installed, I can asure you this pin is going no where because I had kinda hard time to install it, the factory pin is 1.4mm width but is a tiny hair more thinner on both ends so you can slide it in a bit and then push it in with the pin tool, this OG pin is 1.4mm in the middle and that width makes a tight fit on the shaft and what keep it secured there, while the new pin is 1.4 the whole lenght, so I couldnt installed on a easy way, but I could do it with success.



the pinion grabs the pin pretty good in both ends, so, I will call it done





time will tell how long this repair will hold, hopefully its a permanent fix

Looks like it should work fine. For me, it's satisfying to modify parts for reuse or repurpose. Plus it saves money.

Well, I did manage some progress.  I forgot that I had some aluminum sheeting for the house, and cut a (very) small piece to wrap around the knob shaft end.  The brass tubing hasn't been used so far, but I'll keep it for possible future use. After much trial and error, I jammed the shaft into the blade with the shim (pic 1 below).   

Thinking about this connection, it is not critical that that connection be centered in the hole, only that the shaft and blade be strongly perpendicular, since that side of the shaft will be fixed. As you can see the shaft will need some washers between its flange and the blade (pic 2).  My next job will be to find washers to fill that gap snugly.

In my ADD work ethic, I decided to drill out the knob of one of the stock Daiwa handles.  With patience, some WD40, a Dremel and a drill, I got it very cleanly without touching the chrome. Since I have multiples of the 300H reel, I'll use that blade also (pic 4).

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on October 24, 2025, 10:37:31 AMI've thought about it. The "little rascals" inspired stack fell pretty quick. So I decided to go with the scariest one yet.

this one is goooood !      

I've thought about it. The "little rascals" inspired stack fell pretty quick. So I decided to go with the scariest one yet.

Jason, it is only a matter of time until we see a skelaton fish hooked up with a seriously bent rod? - john

 My neighbor 2 doors down, has about 50 tall gravestones scattered out in his front yard, surrounded by rickety old fencing. He does it every year

Hey, Alex!  I've screwed up some of these reel handle mods, but my last couple are good.  Takes patience and good judgement, which only come with sufficient punishment for past mistakes. Here is a wasted handle:  https://alantani.com/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=59602;image;thumb

MACflyer, I headed out to find some tubing to use, and ended up buying 1/4" K&S brass tubing from HobbyLobby for about $5.  Fits the blade very well, but I'll have to make a cut to get the knob shaft inside.  On the way home from the store, I actually had the thought of using a soda can .  Aluminum is good shimming material (I recall this from the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.") When it oxidizes slightly, it expands to tighten the fit. Had I waited for your reply, I could have saved $5 and about an hour of time.