Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Dear Alan Tani members,

Some of you on this forum have been aware that over the last four years, I have been writing a book on the history of Arthur Kovalovsky and his family.  Back in the 30's, Arthur had a reputation for making the finest big game fishing reels money could buy.  Kovalovsky tackle is highly prized by collectors, today.  I only have to finish the index and the artwork for the cover foil stamp, and the book will be ready to send to the printer/binder.
 
The book is 370 pages, and covers Arthur's early years, big game fishing history, the history of his two sons, Oscar and Lewis, and their involvement in the tackle business, their hunting and gunsmithing, Oscar and Lewis' reels and tackle, a complete history of Oscar's partnership with Fin Nor and Angling Products, Inc. (API), other family members, famous and not so famous clients, the companies that competed with Kovalovsky, other inventions, etc.

My book is packed with photos, letters, and documents from the Kovalovsky estate, as well as my own photos.  It includes an in-depth examination of all the model reels, including patent drawings, detailed descriptions, and pictures of the insides.  It also has a couple of chapters on machining reels and includes photos of many of the tools and jigs Arthur used to make the various reel parts.

Michael Fowlkes, producer and director of the award-winning fishing series Inside Sportfishing, and the documentary film series The History of Sportfishing, wrote the foreword for my book.  He described it as, "...one of the most comprehensive, inspiring and engaging books on the sport I've ever read."

The book will be 9"x12" in size and landscape-orientated.  Trim size of the interior pages will be 8.75"X11.75".  Crafted with the utmost care, it will feature a Smyth-sewn binding for durability, a slipcase for protection, and will be printed on heavy-weight high gloss paper in the USA.  The slipcase will be portrait orientated, so once the book is slipped inside the case, it will fit upright on most book shelves.

Over the years, quite a few collectors have been aware of my project and expressed interest in purchasing a book when it came out.  Unfortunately, I have not been keeping a list of names, and my memory isn't as good as it used to be.  And there are many of you who were unaware this book was even in the works.  There will only be a limited number of hard copies published, each one signed and numbered for exclusivity.  To secure your copy, you can pre-order with no money down and no obligation to purchase by simply sending me a private message.  I will put your name on the list.

Thanks,

John Bechtold
https://www.kovalovskyreels.com/

The 65 or 66 reel seat won't work.only the 99 seat because 3screws on each side of the seat, instead of 2

I see this is for a Penn 112 - 3/0 black plates not a Penn 112h red plates because the parts are very different between them.

Can you build a mid width 3/0 with the 65 reel seat, 66 posts, and the 65 spool? Why use the 99 reel seat? 🤔 I don't have a 65 or 99 to test or build this.

Quote from: Bryan Young on April 09, 2024, 04:43:35 AMWhat others have said.

BTW, do you still have those Penn SS reels with the corroded spools?  What models?  I may have replacement spools for you.

Bryan

I found the reel today Bryan.
It's a 712Z. It's still in "deconstructed" condition. I put the tray aside when I ran into some corrosion. Just boxed up the parts today to clear my work area.
I have too many unfinished reels that need parts or extra special attention that I didn't have time for.

Quote from: MexicanGulf on April 18, 2024, 07:10:56 PMI wonder what the criteria are for being recruited as pro-staff.

I talked to some guides about this a while back.  It varies by company.  There are programs to recruit well known tournament anglers, guides, and celebrities to enhance the brand reputation. If you can get a recommendation from another pro-staff member, or your brother-in-law works for the marketing department, you might get in the back door.

 There are smaller programs that use recognized experts to provide product development opportunities and feedback.  While not technically pro-staff, some brands also provide pro-staff product discounts to tackle shop employees.

Finally there is recruitment of social media influencers- these folk generate content on fishing and promote the brand and its product in this context.  For this, you need to generate lots of content, have a large following and fulfill some sort of marketing need(age/gender/cultural group/personal style, type of fishing, type of content, species, region, etc.)

In the USA, there are enough people wanting to get on Okuma pro-staff that they have an online application focusing on social media credentials:

https://okumafishingusa.com/pages/pro-staff-inquiries

A lot of work just to get a product discount and a tiny bit of reputation enhancement. Plus you have to sell your soul a bit to promote products that you may not always believe in at 100%.

But there is no shortage of aspiring sportfishing "influencers" out there (just a shortage of expertise).

Quote from: mikeysm on April 18, 2024, 07:49:35 AMYes it does i read the information on it and it says that the cast control was mechanical not magnetic. So it does have some sort of cast control.

Ooh you are right!  Thanks for the correction.

Okuma has a spool tension knob on the Alijos labeled as cast control (worst cast control possible- but at least it is simple and might be useful on a reel with a very heavy spool).  So they can claim both a micrometric clutch (adjustable drag lever)  AND  a micrometic cast control (adjustable spool tension), as long as they are willing to ignore the actual meaning of micrometric

My odds of making pro-staff with Okuma are getting smaller and smaller as I type...  Oh well.  As Groucho Marx once said:  "I don't want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members."    

-J

This is, effectively, a slow 112H. The 112H spool would not work in this reel I don't think. The shaft is different for the 500 pinion.

The 500 main has more surface area, but I don't think enough to make up for the lower gear ratios torque. I LOVE the 112H, this reel is just a bit more unique and better as a live bait reel.
Come to think of it, it wouldn't be horrible for bigger albacore with live bait. No need to cast, so the heavy spool is fine, reel is probably close in speed to a 99 because of the diameter, and more torque so you don't "wind without the spool moving" (Ted hates that.) More capacity than you need, but that keeps the spool in the "fast" zone (again, don't laugh.
The Man

Thanks for the hand off.
I'm in DC until May 20th and then driving back to Olympia, WA.

We'll get everything settled with those going on the trip as well as with the boat captain.

If I can get a quick confirmation from those on the list to go it would help me with the transition.

This stands to be a great time.

Nick

Quote from: Maxed Out on April 18, 2024, 07:25:37 PMI wonder if I changed my name to "Crime" and could pay no taxes, cause I've always been told "Crime" doesn't pay 

Let us know how that works for you, Ted!

Best, Fred

 I wonder if I changed my name to "Crime" and could pay no taxes, cause I've always been told "Crime" doesn't pay 

Weird. You did good turn for the guy though, and maybe good karma's coming your way. If only I myself could go through life without expecting to be appreciated when I do good, that would be ideal, but noooooo...