Pflueger Medalist 1495 paint touch up?

[DWSmith 0]

This is a picture from the seller.  I haven't received the reel yet and it definitely needs a good cleaning.  Do most of you just ignore this type of scrapes and scratches or is there a good way to touch up a worn/scraped finish on these?  It does add a bit of 'character' to the reel I suppose.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

My best advice… with these old Medalists - just use it !  I actually have one for one of my 5wts and they’re still a great light weight reel.  Any touch up you do will quickly get scuffed up as well - unless you pretty it up then leave it in a drawer somewhere…

This particular design will have a few things to keep in mind maintenance wise… The screws that it’s assembled with will loosen up over time - so check them with a small driver occasionally.. If you ever use the reel in the salt make a point of thoroughly rinsing it off in freshwater afterwards - don’t use any soap or detergent either- just a tiny drip of good quality light gun oil (no 3 in 1 oil…) on any moving parts when the reel is dry…

Hope this helps, mine is used in freshwater for peacocks and other exotics and in the salt for baby tarpon and others when the situation is right for a relatively light rod…

[niveker 0]

1 hour ago, Capt Bob LeMay said:

My best advice… with these old Medalists - just use it

Agreed, I just clean them up, grease 'em and line 'em. 

 And when cleaning, don't use too strong a cleaner.  

I don't remember why I did it, maybe the reel was real dirty when I picked it up, but I pulled apart a 1495 once and let all the parts soak in some household degreaser/cleaner and then took a toothbrush to it and all the paint fell off.  It doesn't look bad, but not what I prefer.  Glad I didn't soak the latch cover and lose that printing.  

[DWSmith 0]

Thanks guys!

I thought about washing the parts in some warm water with a squirt of Dawn in it.  Not going to soak it but Dawn is good for removing grease/oil so I thought that might help.  Then follow that up with plenty of rinsing with clean water.  Dry it with paper towels and a hair dryer. Then let it dry over night before reassembly.

A little grease and a drop or two of oil and it should be good to go.

Anyway, just keeping it simple for the cleaning.  I'll just chalk up the worn out finish to adding 'character'.

Thanks again.

[niveker 0]

Dawn should do it.  I used something called Mean Green or Clean Green, something like that, straight outa the bottle.  I think it was a concentrate, so it should have been diluted.  Probably should have read the directions first.  

[gadabout 0]

I think you probably mean Simple Green.  That’s what I use to clean reels (and old rods too).  A little Simple Green and an old toothbrush.  You can dilute the Simple Green 50% if you want.

[DWSmith 0]

I just received my 1495.  Do you think it would be okay to start a new thread to cover working on it and the questions that will come up?  It needs a little work.

Or I suppose I could just re-title this thread.

Would I be violating any more rules than I already have?  😁

[flytire 0]

as a moderator, i recommend you keep your work in progress to this one thread

i dont think we need a new thread for each thing you do on your reel

[niveker 0]

Careful to work over a towel or similar surface to keep the little bits from bouncing into another dimension when you drop them

[DWSmith 0]

It's finished except for the bent spool handle (which didn't show up on the seller's photos).

It wasn't nearly as dirty as the photos made it look.  Paper towels and Q-Tips cleaned it up nicely.

I switched it to left hand retrieve.  I also oiled and greased it.

I pushed on the handle a little bit but I didn't want to break it off.  I'll have to get used to it or buy another spool.  Can those handles be safely bent back into place?

The drag adjustment spring that pushes against the brake pad (?) was disengaged from the pad.  I'm wondering if someone didn't like the drag and intentionally disengaged it.  The screw holding that spring in place had the head messed up by some ham-fisted mechanic so it looks like it was intentional.

Speaking of disengaging the drag adjustment spring, is that a common occurrence on these reels.  I'm used to spring-and-pawl drags and I think the adjustable drag will take a bit of getting used to on this reel BUT this drag is wonderfully smooth and it adjusts down to barely being noticeable so I may soon learn to like it.

Now I just need to put on some new backing, line, and a leader then mount it on one of my rods and it's good to go.

[DWSmith 0]

1 hour ago, niveker said:

Careful to work over a towel or similar surface to keep the little bits from bouncing into another dimension when you drop them

Thanks for the advice!  Been there, done that.  Need to get the T-shirt.

I have a piece of felt on my work surface and I keep a couple of magnets handy just in case something falls onto the carpet.

[gadabout 0]

Drill a hole in a block of wood that is just large enough to accept the handle knob.  Insert the knob fully into this hole and use the block of wood to gently bend it back to straightness.  It will probably be ok.

[niveker 0]

Depending on what I paid, I would either return it, or ask for a partial refund from the seller.  IME, most will work with you.  

If needed: https://onepfoot.com/parts.  I have never needed, so can't vouch.  

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

A few additional thoughts... I used to be on the receiving end of saltwater reels by the bucketful that needed cleaning, repair, prayers. (not hard for a reel in the salt to end up so frozen up that even with a torch and elbow grease - it just won't be repairable...)..  My de-greaser was always mineral spirits (most days you can find it labeled as "paint thinner" in any hardware store - and as I break down a reel I drop each part into a bath of spirits.  Once they've soaked a bit each part is then scrubbed off with an old toothbrush - the allowed to dry on a paper towel... With reels used in the salt you have three issues to inspect for - corrosion, old lube or grease that's turned into glue or varnish... and whether there's any damage.. that bath and scrubbing will remove any old lube any corrosion or damage will usually have me ordering new parts (if they're not already in hand)... Generally speaking,  the mineral spirits won't harm plastic parts or paint -but it will remove any glued on stickers - so if they're present I keep any contact with mineral spirits to a momentary use only.. no soaking...

For fly reels, which hardly ever need any de-greaser at all unless some previous owner has put way, way too much grease or oil on it... just a thorough rinse in very hot water to remove any dirt or sand - then a careful work over with clean paper towels then a re-application of lube where needed... If you must use cleaners of any kind - keep them away from the fly line since the plastic coating on any fly line is very vulnerable to a host of different chemicals... 

Lastly, these days my ability to repair any reel ever made (as long as I have a good schematic and the needed parts...) are coming to an end.  In fact you'll have a hard time finding even a few reel repair guys in any tackle shop you visit today... Most reel manufacturers have moved offshore and parts - even for well established makes are getting harder and harder to find (and for me personally I no longer have the parts wholesaler I dealt with for thirty years...).  Wish it weren't so...

[DWSmith 0]

12 hours ago, niveker said:

Depending on what I paid, I would either return it, or ask for a partial refund from the seller.  IME, most will work with you. 

Thanks! Good idea.

I asked for a partial refund.  I'll let him decide how much, if anything.  I did get him to come down significantly from his initial price but so many of those prices are too high, IMHO.

If he refunds anything it can go towards a replacement spool or part.