DaveT63 Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 I'm not a reel repair guy, and don't even do my own maintenance. But I've got small drivers, pliers, tweezers, and stuff like that to change handles, knobs, bearings, and stuff like that. Right now, they are on a pile on a shelf. How do you all store/organize your reel tools? Thanks, Dave Quote
Super User MN Fisher Posted March 12, 2024 Super User Posted March 12, 2024 I've got my reel tools in a Plano 3620 box...allows me to keep types separate. Quote
Super User Mobasser Posted March 12, 2024 Super User Posted March 12, 2024 I keep my reel tools in an old shoe box. I made a small area out of cardboard and tape in the corner to keep reel.oil upright and keep a tube of grease also. An old tackle box, or a small plastic tool box should work well also. 1 Quote
Super User Jig Man Posted March 12, 2024 Super User Posted March 12, 2024 Tackle bag devoted to that stuff an line spooler. Quote
GRiver Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 Keep mine in a Tupperware kinda box with dividers. It’s a little bit bigger than a shoe box, and has two levels. I keep the oil, grease and tools in it. Quote
JediAmoeba Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 I have one of those bug old tackle boxes with 4 trays and then 3 other rubbermaid boxes. Quote
swhit140 Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 I just have a plain cardboard box with my reel supplies in my closet. I have a glass container for cleaning bearings/gears, toothbrushes, oil/grease, more brushes, white towels to lay on my work bench. Otherwise if I need anything else I have a large tool box in my garage & air compressor. Quote
Super User FishTank Posted March 12, 2024 Super User Posted March 12, 2024 I keep everything in a card board box I got with an order from Japan. I keep extra parts and stuff in an old Plano box. I suppose at some point I should get a small tool box to store the stuff in but what I have has worked for me so far. Quote
redmeansdistortion Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 Check out Harbor Freight, they have a lot of options for cheap tool storage. A plastic ammo box runs about $6 and will hold quite a bit. I used one years ago and it served well until I got more specialized tools and had to keep them more organized. 2 Quote
Super User Tennessee Boy Posted March 12, 2024 Super User Posted March 12, 2024 If I can find mine, I’ll let you know how they’re stored. 😆 1 2 Quote
Super User Bankc Posted March 12, 2024 Super User Posted March 12, 2024 I don't have specialized reel tools. I just use my normal tools, so they're stored in the garage with the other normal tools. I keep my reel parts in an old, hard plastic, Plano tackle box I had when I was a kid in the garage with all of my other fishing gear. The only "tools" I carry with me on the lake are a pocketknife and needle nose pliers. If a reel breaks on the water, I'll mess with it when I get home. There are way too many small parts to be messing around with the inside of a reel in a boat or on the bank. I don't even like removing the side plate to adjust the centrifugal brakes. Quote
cadman Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 I keep all of my tool in a Plano 3700 box and use the dividers to keep things from sliding around. 6 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said: I have quite a bit of tools. Out of curiosity how big is your mat and where did you get it from? Quote
redmeansdistortion Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 45 minutes ago, cadman said: I keep all of my tool in a Plano 3700 box and use the dividers to keep things from sliding around. Out of curiosity how big is your mat and where did you get it from? It's a cheap Amazon mat. I haven't fully built out the shop area yet. At my old house I was using cafeteria trays lined with a towel. I actually prefer that setup over the mat because it contains small parts a lot better and I can work on more than one reel at a time. Using the trays I can do 2 or 3 at a time. 2 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted March 12, 2024 Super User Posted March 12, 2024 Cafeteria trays, huh? That's a good idea. I've been breaking them down and putting subassemblies into a muffin pan. Seems the try might contain things better until they end up in the muffin pan. Btw, if you have to stop mid stream, plastic wrap the muffin pan and parts can't jump out. 1 Quote
redmeansdistortion Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 8 minutes ago, J Francho said: Cafeteria trays, huh? That's a good idea. I've been breaking them down and putting subassemblies into a muffin pan. Seems the try might contain things better until they end up in the muffin pan. Btw, if you have to stop mid stream, plastic wrap the muffin pan and parts can't jump out. I use dental tool trays for parts, they work very well and at the time I bought them they ran about $2 each. No idea what they cost now as this was about 5 years ago. 1 Quote
Super User Scott F Posted March 12, 2024 Super User Posted March 12, 2024 I use these plastic drawer storage containers for tools, spare parts and other accessories. Quote
JediAmoeba Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 All I know is I need to start charging people. I have done about 75 reels this winter that weren't mine. 3 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted March 12, 2024 Super User Posted March 12, 2024 Start that up and you'll get even more people sending you reels. Ask me how I know, lol. 2 Quote
redmeansdistortion Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 47 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said: All I know is I need to start charging people. I have done about 75 reels this winter that weren't mine. You really should. You will want to price on the lower end and gradually increase as your reputation builds. It also plays to your benefit giving discounts on bulk jobs. I give a discount when a customer sends me 5 or more reels. I also discount my own in-house die-cut laminated drag washers when a customer has a number of reels in for service. Give them incentive to want your services. Reel service is such a niche thing that there is never any shortage of work. I do a lot of conventional reels like the Shimano Tekota, Okuma Convector, Okuma Coldwater, Daiwa Sealine, and various Penn models. These are the reels most charter services run here in the Great Lakes, especially the Okuma models because they are cheap and can take the abuse. My business is probably 75% charters and 25% recreational fishermen. As I type this, I have 14 Okuma Convectors, 8 Okuma Coldwaters, 11 Daiwa Sealines, and 9 Penn GTIs that were delivered between Thursday and yesterday. It's crunch time as the charters scramble to prepare their outfits for the season. Between the months of October and March when the charters are closed up for the season, I often get so many in that I have a friend help. Charters are the most consistent business you'll get. They want their stuff in tip top shape and will send annually for routine maintenance. My charter customers are all over the Great Lakes region with most on Erie, Huron, and Michigan. 1 Quote
ike8120 Posted March 12, 2024 Posted March 12, 2024 Mine are stored in a inexpensive tool box from Harbor Freight Quote
Super User Bankc Posted March 12, 2024 Super User Posted March 12, 2024 3 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said: It's a cheap Amazon mat. I haven't fully built out the shop area yet. At my old house I was using cafeteria trays lined with a towel. I actually prefer that setup over the mat because it contains small parts a lot better and I can work on more than one reel at a time. Using the trays I can do 2 or 3 at a time. Yeah, I used to have some small parts tray I would stack the parts into as I disassemble the reel to keep the parts in order. That worked. But eventually I switched to just using a large, white towel and lining them all up, from left to right, at the far end of the towel. The knap of the towel keeps them from rolling around and does a good job at catching things that accidentally fall out. And white makes it easy to see. It's not a perfect system, but it works well enough and is quick to set up and tear down. So long as I'm only working on one reel at a time, it's fine. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.