Mitchell Reel Forum

alllanbiddle wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 6:26 pm Reply to Wallace
My question to the Admin (Wallace) would be I and I think many others would be happy to contribute to the upkeep of the site, and if this was a yearly fee of say $15-$20 this would be reasonable, and I for one would be happy with that, after the short time I have surfed the site and can appreciate the effort needed to maintain it.

Wallace Carney wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 1:11 pm

alllanbiddle wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 6:26 pm Reply to Wallace
My question to the Admin (Wallace) would be I and I think many others would be happy to contribute to the upkeep of the site, and if this was a yearly fee of say $15-$20 this would be reasonable, and I for one would be happy with that, after the short time I have surfed the site and can appreciate the effort needed to maintain it.

Hey Allan, Thanks for your interest and understanding regarding the time and money it takes to properly run a high quality website like ours. I have tried to get users to financially help and normally only a few good souls ended up helping. I'm also concerned about new Mitchell collectors being ran off if this is a.... while typing this, I'm having mixed thoughts. I would like others to help by expressing their opinions of a paid membership site.... Will it work? Will it run off new collectors? Would a Donate Button be better? Is it worth it?

Kind Regards,
Wallace

Bonaventure wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 11:26 pm During the pandemic, I have refurbished and painted 9 Mitchell 300 reels. All were done with Spray Cans. All but the last were primed with grey automotive primer. I am not sure that this is a good primer for aluminum. The last one is primed with an etch primer, which is recommended for aluminum. It is an olive green colour. I recommend this type. Google primer for aluminum to find it.

First I stripped all the parts I could off the reel, one reel at a time, I cleaned the parts with brake cleaner and put them in a small plastic box. You can use varsol or mineral spirits to clean, but need to use brake clean or contact cleaner to remove petroleum traces

I got a friend at work to strip all the paint off in a paint remover tank and treat the aluminum case parts and rotor with a chemical treatment called Chroma Coat, made specifically for aluminum. I then masked off the 3 parts needing paint with masking tape. I taped off the first 7 antireverse handles, then decided to paint the last 2. When you paint this area, spray beside the handle, then move it over the painted area. If you don't do this, there will be a shadow in the finish. If the handle is too close to the part being painted, bend it up to clear. Also, use the good painter's tape, the Green or blue stuff.

Prime first, get a good covering coat. Follow instructions on the can regarding drying time before the topcoat. With the primer dry, spray 2 coats of good quality spray can enamel. Krylon, Rustoleum, Tremclad are all suitable. I painted the first 8 reels black but the last one, with the etch primer I did with a dark blue. This is so I could know which reel had that primer. Let the topcoat dry overnight before removing the masking tape and reassembling the reel.

After the topcoat, you can spray a coat or two of polyurethane clear coating over the topcoat. The painted parts can then be baked, but I didn't take this step as I don't have much experience in this step. Wear a Cartridge Respirator for all spray painting steps

When I was in the Canadian Military, 19 of my 25 years of service was as an Aircraft Refinished, so spray painting fishing reels was in my blood.

I assembled the reels using Superlube synthetic grease as the primary lubricant. I rubbed it over all internal unpainted surfaces with a cotton swab. A small artist paint brush would also do. Put your choice of grease on all moving and meshing surfaces. I do not recommend the old soap based greases, nor lithium grease. I bought a couple of 300s from a guy at work who told me they were done with lithium. The insides were covered in black grease, hard to clean up. I think the lithium reacted with the aluminum alloy. Penn Reel Grease or a grease specifically for reels is fine.

For the bail spring, I used a spray can of Walter Hang on oil. It is designed to cling to surfaces and provide a protective fim. I used it on the bail pivot points as well. Motorcycle chain oil in a spray would also work. So would penetrating oil or Fluid Film. Use what you think will work, but spray oil is what I like, I use the plastic tube to cover the spring area and wipe off any excess.

Hope these few tips help.

Glen in Nova Scotia