How expensive is your gear?

Ummmmm, the Corvalus is basically just a Cardiff without the AR-B bearings and a cheaper handle.... I've owned both, had both apart, repaired both. I don't currently have either, but at least six or eight of them have passed through my hands. Both are good reels. 

rkj1974, looks like you have some real reel expertise.  Glad to see it coming out here.

-Allen

It's an obsession gone crazy....

I'm a toolmaker by trade, so I work in the ultimate "hobby" shop. It also means I really like mechanical stuff. Gears and bearings, and all that other stuff just do it for me. So, I love working on reels or "tweeking" them to make them better or fit my needs. I love hunting for that sorry little jem on ebay, taking it apart and building it back up sweet. I don't call myself a true reel expert because I don't do it for a living or fix them every single day. But I do work on much more than my share of fishing reels. I bet I do and average of 1-2 per week(take a reel apart that is). Currently working on a previously damaged Calcutta 200GTB...  The poor little guy was so sick when I first met him.

rkj1974 welcome!!! Always great to have someone around like you who can decypher schematics and actually know what to do after that. I'm the total dork who takes it all apart, puts it back together, only to find that there's a bunch of extra parts left over. ...and then gets on the board and posts.. What do I do noww!!??

There's a guy @ NCKA, alantani, who's gifted like you and always has the best posts about reel upgrades and rebuilds. Check this post. http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,7845.0.html All I can say when I see these is WOW!!!

Z

  I think it was one of Alan's posts on another website a few years back that really got my obsession going! I think it was one on the Penn Jigmaster. It's been all down hill from there...

I understand reels, but what really impressed me about Alan's posts are the photos and how well it's presented. I once thought I'd do a do-it-yourself rebuild post on the Shimano Calcutta TE401 since I was rebuilding two at the time. It's darned hard to get good photos and describe what you are doing accurately! I gave up on my post...I'll leave that to him!

I  to Alan Tani.

His posts are publishable, except that he gives them away!

I buy low to medium priced spinning rods, trolling rods, casting rods, steelhead/salmon rods etc (50-100 bucks) because I usually break about one per year, because I'm a clutz.  I built my more expensive bank sturgeon rods (lamiglas blanks) and flyrods (Sage, loomis, orvis, and fenwick blanks) due to the rediculus price of them new.

Mike

I  to Alan Tani.

His posts are publishable, except that he gives them away!

I sent an email to Alan asking if I can repost some of his articles here.  Or perhaps he'll sign up here and post them himself.  We'll see what he has to say.

-Allen