Reel Repair by Alan Tani

It was a victim of Hurricane Sandy in a bucket for months in a boat. Sat around for three years. Recently  I was able to rescue and rebuild internals with parts from Mystic. The frame and body is horrible looking but got a 20lb stripper on it. I guess i could live with this or should i re anodize or paint

nice save !!

I would use it like that, it has a great story behind

Speaking of the anodized redo,I see good Ambassadeurs that could use it.I haven't a clue on the process or what can be done for scratches or adding color,would it be obvious so not worth the trouble?

I would keep your reel as is  for its history, like a "rat rod" or reel,a sleeper...

Imagine how big of a stripper you might lure in if you painted it lol? Sorry I couldn't help myself lol!

Looks to me like the foot is riveted on.  You won't be able to re-anodize without removing any non-aluminum components.

I also think that you should keep as is.  The reel has a story.

-J

When i fish.. on party boats. My equipment is always in great shape and looks new .. just bugs me to fish an ugly reel. Anodizing is expensive. Perhaps paint it?? Thoughts on painting?

  Fish it the way it is , it has mojoe ..

Leave it as is. I doubt you could anodize it with pits in the aluminum like that
You could make up a good story about how the reel got that way for entertainment value

It's a sleeper,,,, I got a 4/0 all new upgraded parts inside but looks like junk,,,if you're fishing on a public pier nobody is going to steal it and you don't have to worry about scratching it,,,sometimes I let my girlfriend use it and that's ok,,,,,

Strip off the rest and polish it?

Quote from: Fishgolfman on July 10, 2025, 11:17:02 PMWhen i fish.. on party boats. My equipment is always in great shape and looks new .. just bugs me to fish an ugly reel. Anodizing is expensive. Perhaps paint it?? Thoughts on painting?

Quote from: jurelometer on July 10, 2025, 10:47:18 PMLooks to me like the foot is riveted on.  You won't be able to re-anodize without removing any non-aluminum components.

-J

Price is not your main problem. You can't anodize it because the foot and rivets are not aluminum.  The foot and rivets will be damaged or completely destroyed.  No mixed metal assemblies when anodizing.

Not to mention the deep pitting, which is also going to make painting it not fun/ inexpensive, and pretty much rules out powder coating.

-J

Painting doesn't work unless you invest in a set-up that will cost much more than a restored reel is worth.  I agree with the others.  Embrace it's history and life experiences.  Rub it down with oil now and again to keep it from getting any worse.

Benni3 has a point, especially for a party boat experience; easy to recognize and not desirable to steal. Perhaps passenger vehicles in high-crime areas are best left dented, scratched and with faded paint.

For real though as far as shapes go that would not be a hard one to polish. EZ-off oven cleaner will remove the rest of the anodization in a few minutes.

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on July 11, 2025, 11:25:35 AMFor real though as far as shapes go that would not be a hard one to polish. EZ-off oven cleaner will remove the rest of the anodization in a few minutes.

You might want to zoom  in on the photos if you haven't yet.  The pitting is substantial. He would end up with a shiny pitted reel.  Not sure that that is an improvement.

IMHO. a refinish job that does not come out really well ends up looking worse than what was started with.

If I was offered a chance to fish with one of two equally well maintained outfits, I would take the one with this reel over a brand new shiny one.  I wouldn't have to worry about scratching it, and it just plain looks cooler to me. 

And as a bonus, I am probably going to get more deference at the rail than the  guy with the quiver of all shiny gear that looks like the price tag was just removed. 

Totally  fair if the OP feels differently. But in that case, it is probably better to move on from this reel and find a nice shiny one. This one does not look like a cosmetic restoration candidate.

-J