Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Quote from: foakes on October 05, 2026, 09:00:29 PMThe trick, at least for me, is not having a place to store them.

It is having an organized place to put them back when I am done with them.

Everything else then just falls into place.

But the effort has to be made upfront to get everything a place to go back to and to draw from next time.

You don't see surgeons fumbling around trying to find the next needed instrument —- we should be no different.  Except our rates are a lot lower!

There is calm, peace, and patience in knowing where everything goes when the job is done.  That too, is most worthwhile —- whether you are a DIY'r or a professional.

I know this sounds corny, but tripping over stuff, or not knowing where you put it, or buying things you already had because you couldn't find them —- is not only a worthless waste of time and money —- it can also be dangerous.

Best, Fred

Fred
You got me on this.

"or buying things you already had because you couldn't find them"

Been there. Done that. More than once.
Maybe I should buy higher quality tools. I would be more likely to treat them well and keep up with their whereabouts.

I know where almost every item I have is located as long as someone hasn't used it and decided not to put it back where it came from. I do, though, occasionally forget that I even have a thing or two if I haven't seen it for 10 or 12 years. That's when I have to spend a little time sorting through a few items where it should be before I decide whether or not to go buy it. The nice thing about being retired is that time, at this point in life, isn't overly important. There's never a time clock any more to have to punch or worry about or deadline to meet.

Quote from: Midway Tommy on October 06, 2026, 04:59:45 AMThe nice thing about being retired is that time, at this point in life, isn't overly important. There's never a time clock any more to have to punch or worry about or deadline to meet.

I love my job. But THAT is the part of retirement that really really appeals to me, as it is the exact opposite of my current situation.

I have never used any of these but they occupy a space in my toolbox.
Are they for metal filing only?

Pretty much just metal files. I don't see any wood rasps. Coarse mill bastard files can be used on wood but that's a slow tedious process. The rat tail files are for metal but are coarse enough to be used on wood. I use various sizes of rattail files for shaping and fitting cork rod handles to rod blanks when I build my spinning rods. I've never used anything but rattail file when fitting cork to blanks. It looks like there might be a couple of chain saw files in there kind of in the center left.

Files are more sensitive to moisture and oxidation than just about any other tool.