Medalist repair

[dflanagan 0]

Hey all,

 

I just bought a Medalist 1492 1/2 CJ. Got it in the mail today and it's in pretty good shape except for one thing. The end of the spindle is missing so there's no way to keep the spool on the reel. I called Pflueger but that part isn't available by itself, I guess. Didn't sound like they had anything available to fix it.

 

Anyone know of any workarounds? Looks like the piece should just screw in to the end of the spindle but the end of it needs to be machined, right? Any advice, folks?

 

Thanks,

David

[whatfly 0]

On one of my local boards, Archuleta's Reel Works is the name that usually comes up for reel repair of older reels: http://www.archuletasreelworks.com/

 

Have not done business with him myself, but the owner has an excellent reputation among vintage reel aficionados.

[spiralspey 0]

Yup, Arch is the man. Does great work for a fair price. I've only used him once, but several friends have dealt with him multiple times and swear by him.

[dflanagan 0]

Thanks for the recommendation, guys. I just spoke with Bill at Archuletas. Sounds like I'm gonna have to figure out something else. The cost to repair is more than the reel is worth to me. Nice guy, though, and I'll keep him in mind for the next time I have reel problems.

[fshng2 0]

The seller should have disclosed this before the sale. If not you should be able to send it back for a refund, which I would.

[dflanagan 0]

The seller should have disclosed this before the sale. If not you should be able to send it back for a refund, which I would.

Yep. That's the plan. I talked to them and it's no big deal. Simple problem they should have caught but they're taking it back. Kinda sucks. Other than the missing spindle head it's in really good shape.

[fshng2 0]

Another one is on ebay right now.

However two were recently listed that were a better price that did not sell.

You might consider sending them a message thru ebay. Ask them if they would consider relisting.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

What many do is find a used reel (same model) and pick it up as a "parts reel"... That, of course, gets old pretty quickly but these days there are many makes and models of reels that barely have much in the way of spare parts available - when they're new on the market -much less when they're long out of production.

 

I have reels (that have always been in really severe service) that are still working just fine because I have a parts source for them, even thirty years later - but nothing's fool proof - so every now and then I buy a "parts reel" that will only be used for one or two parts... Sometimes if you go to E-Bay and enter the make/model of the reel you're needing parts for you'll find that some enterprising soul has torn one down and is busy selling it - one part at a time... Of course the parts that commonly break (or go missing) are the first to sell so 98% of the parts listed aren't on anyone's menu.

 

One of the few advantages with fly fishing gear in general is that it holds up pretty well to years of use (provided we're talking freshwater) so parts problems rarely show up. With conventional or spinning gear there's always a lot of wear and tear by comparison (so a guy like me that repairs reels will usually only recommend a new reel that comes with a parts supply back-up from the manufacturer... and these days with more and more hardware being manufactured overseas that's a shrinking resource....). Wish it weren't so.

[colotyer 0]

Or just buy a better quality reel.

[dflanagan 0]

Or just buy a better quality reel.

That's a novel idea. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Steeldrifter 0]

Or just buy a better quality reel.

 

While I am not a fan of the Medalist myself (have owned some years ago and just not my tastes these days) they DO have a huge following still today. So come on, lets not just give remarks like that okay.

[utyer 0]

Back in the 70s to 95, I ran a tackle repair shop. Medalists were the most common fly reel in use. I had a good supply of parts, and in those days, I could build them from scratch. Somewhere in the 80s, the production shifted to Asia. They started using metric screws. I couldn't even get Shakespeare (the owner of the brand,) to tell me the source for the SAE screws. When I found them, I bought 10,000. Sold thousands to other shops, and kept the rest in stock.

 

I still have 2 Medalists even now, but my shop is long gone, and the parts are long gone. My first "big game" reel was a Pflueger Supreme 577, which I still use. Heavy, and clunky by today's standards but it still gets the job done.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I actually have a brand new in the box version of that reel (in the largest size)... One of these days I'll have to let it go... As already noted - at one time they were pretty much the only game in town. Back in the seventies there was a local guy (Herman Voss) that machined out replacement spools for them down here in paradise... they were properly counter-balanced and all. Many a first bonefish on fly were taken on those early Medalists - both as they came from the box and ones that were modified to go after bigger fish. You can still find an occasional one for sale - and all of them were the work of Herman....

[islander727 0]

I've picked up parts from here http://www.ereplacementparts.com/pflueger-fly-reel-parts-c-186372_186378.html

 

Unfortunately, many are unavailable.

 

I love those reels!

[dflanagan 0]

I've picked up parts from here http://www.ereplacementparts.com/pflueger-fly-reel-parts-c-186372_186378.html

 

Unfortunately, many are unavailable.

 

I love those reels!

Yep, checked there. Apparently the part that's missing wasn't ever available as a replacement part. I find that hard to believe but that's what I've been told.