Underhead 501 jigmaster

Started by mhc, August 03, 2018, 01:34:35 PM

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swill88

I'm awestruck Mike.  Thanks!

Steve

Rothmar2

An amazing piece, particularly without any machining from a lathe or Mill. Be very interested to hear how it goes in a real fishing situation.

Fishy247

That thing is cool as hell! Very nicely done!
I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs. If nothing else, Sal is right. It's a piece of art and a masterpiece!

Mike

sdlehr

Mike, time after time you amaze me more and more with your skills. I can't wait to see what's next.
Sid Lehr
Veterinarian, fishing enthusiast, custom rod builder, reel collector

mhc

I've had a chance to try out the underhead while bait fishing for table fish on a reef around 60 ft deep - and liked it. While I didn't land anything of size with it I did get half a dozen or so small fish and got a feel for fighting a larger fish with it when a shark grabbed one of my fish. I thought I was gaining line at one stage but I think he had just stopped to set a course on his GPS and the 35lb mono parted soon after he got his bearings.  :D

A small venus tusk fish to break in the underhead;



maneuvering around the blunt end of the boat when I still thought I might turn the shark;



Back to the reel - I was able to control the spool with my thumb during casts although it was a bit of a stretch, I think a 10 mm (3/8") shorter leg will help a lot and still leave room for fingers between the line and foregrip. Same with guiding the line onto the spool - it wasn't all that awkward but having the line a little closer would be better. It was no surprise a shorter leg would be better, I started a second frame a little while back and I'm getting close to finishing it.

Mike
It can't be too difficult - a lot of people do it.

ReelFishingProblems

Looks like a blast! I think we would all love to follow your adventures with that reel.

basto

Hi Mike
Do you think a rod with the bottom line guide a bit closer to the reel might help with guiding the line on?
Greg
DAM Quick 3001      SHIMANO Spedmaster 3   Jigging Master PE5n

xjchad

So cool to see your vision turn into a success Mike!
Awesome work!!
Husband, Father, Fisherman

mhc

#68
Thanks guys, I'm pretty happy with it so far. It will take a bit of getting used to - one thing I've noticed with line lay is the top 'stand' limits your view of the spool and I had to look at the back of the spool to see how things were going.
Quote from: basto on December 22, 2018, 08:16:32 PM
Hi Mike
Do you think a rod with the bottom line guide a bit closer to the reel might help with guiding the line on?
Greg
Quite possibly Greg, I'll give it a try - the rod I had it on is an old Penn Powerstik overhead rod with a broken tip that I rewrapped as a spinning rod a few years ago.

Mike
It can't be too difficult - a lot of people do it.

Bryan Young

     😯😯😯😯
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😯   😯    😯   😯
😯       😯       😯
😯                😯
  😯     😯     😯
    😯           😯
      😯😯😯😯
:D I talk with every part I send out and each reel I repair so that they perform at the top of their game. :D

mhc

Take 2.
The second underhead is ready to spool, it is pretty much the same as the first with a 10mm shorter leg and Lee-Pro side plates. I have also skipped polishing the frame and left it matt after buffing it with a 400 grit wheel in the dremel.
The frame components;



The leg/stand assembly next to the first version;



I haven't had any experience with Lee-Pro plates and found these to be very touchy with the spool location. At first I thought it might be something to do with my frame (the first underhead) but it wasn't any easier with a tib 501 frame. After a bit of trial and error with shims inside the bushing and/or under the bushing in the head plate I got it to work using a 0.7mm delrin shim under the bushing.

Version two with a penn SS spool and the handle Sal made to match the side plates;





And the two versions together;



As much as I like stainless, I'm thinking a lighter Aluminium frame might be nice......

Mike
 
It can't be too difficult - a lot of people do it.

Alto Mare

#71
Hello Mike, it's true what they say: the second time will be much easier, time to start production😁.
I hear you on weight and going with aluminum, but as for looks those are the best Jigmaster pair I've ever seen and I'm not saying this because of my knobs🙂.
Report back on how it handles when you get the time.
I would love to hear your thoughts comparing the two.
Excellent job Mike!

Cheer,

Sal
Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.

Rothmar2

Next level hand craftsmanship Mike. Sal's handles definitely finish them right off!

Bill B

Mike you make it look so easy, but Im not going to let you fool me.  Incredible skills were involved to produce this brace of reels.

Outstanding....Bill
It may not be very productive,
but it's sure going to be interesting!

Donnyboat

Really great Mike, I was surprised, that you went to the trouble, of making a second reel just to get the shorter foot, but the reel with the green plates & Sals knob really came up great, thanks for taking us on that journey, a great learning curve for all of us, cheers Don. by the way a drum sander I have fifty thousand million of them with my dremmel set.
Don, or donnyboat