Fly reel case

[brisma]

New to leatherworking and am intrigued by fly reel cases.  What is strange is I do not fly fish but would love to learn how to make a reel case.  Where would one find a template and instructions?  I have piddled around with a project here and there but am the type that needs instructions.  Thanx in advance if one can point me in the right direction.

[Currahee]

I have had a request from someone myself to do a rod holder and reel case. I also haven't found any patterns this is what i decided on doing.

 

ROD CASE

For the rod I am going to take a piece of PVC pipe and cap the end.

Step 1 Skive and tool the leather 

Step 2 Place glue on the pvc

Step 3 place the leather on the case then hand stitch it at the seams

Reel Case

Step 1 Cut a 2 piece of polymer or plastic 1/2 inch wider in diameter than the reel

Step 2 cut a rectangular piece of polymer or plastic 1/4 thicker than the reel

Step 3 Use epoxy from the auto parts store that is used to put rear view mirrors in to glue the plastic bottom and sides of the case together

Step 4 line the inside with lightweight suede

Step 5 Cover the bottom of the case and the side with leather

Step 6 Cover the top of the reel case with leather and attache to the  bottom with a small hinge or a zipper.

 

This is the project layout i came up with I haven't done it yet so it is just a theory you're welcome to use it and modify it as you like.. Please let me know any Ideas you have on it and good luck my friend. If you're like me I like doing things I haven't tried before. And I hope this helps

[Squilchuck]

Check out the Stohlman case making books. Invaluable books for making all kinds cases.  Vol 1 shows how to make a rod case and round cases to adapt for a fly reel. You can buy them from Tandy. Get the whole set - they are worth the small cost. --John

[supercub]

I agree that the Stohlman case making books are a very good guide.  A number of years ago I had a request for several fly reel cases for high end fly reels.  I had only a vague idea of how to build one, so I tried to copy a design that Stohlman had for a camera lens case in' Making Leather Cases - Vol One'.  They turned out okay, but they were an awful lot of effort.  I sure didn't make any money off them.  At least I was able to practice lots of corner stitching.  Later, I made a rod case with leather covered PVC tube.  I used the baseball stitch since I hadn't tried that before.  Next time I might do something a little different.

[brisma]

Thanx for the information.  I will look at the Stohlman books.  Very nice work supercub I hope my turn out half as good as yours.

 

[kiwican]

very nice supercub

[Hermit]

I have some Ross Reels' that are retired. The most delicate one is a 3 wt San Miguel. I think one day I will make a case, but I would line it with shearling.

 

I'm really curious how you'll proceed. I want to make a leather cover for mine. (Mine are Thomas and Thomas Vector and retired LPS rods.) All the T&Ts come in a thick aluminum case.

 

[supercub]

1 hour ago, Hermit said:

I have some Ross Reels' that are retired. The most delicate one is a 3 wt San Miguel. I think one day I will make a case, but I would line it with shearling.

 

I'm really curious how you'll proceed. I want to make a leather cover for mine. (Mine are Thomas and Thomas Vector and retired LPS rods.) All the T&Ts come in a thick aluminum case.

 

Its been 20+ years since I made those cases and my memory isn't what it used to be.  As I recall, most of the smaller cases are for Ross reels and the interior of the cases are inletted to fit each reel.  The owners did not want shearling lining to avoid trapping moisture against the stored reel.  The larger case was lined with shearling per that customer's request.  As for building them, I made a wooden "plug" to approximate the exterior dimensions of the reel.  I then cut out a cardboard pattern and fit it to the plug.  Once I had the pattern perfected (lots of cutting and scotch tape) I cut out the leather pieces and started stitching.  I looked for a box stitching attachment for my harness stitchers, but the ones I found just didn't work very well.  The old fashioned awl and harness needle method seemed to work best.

If I ever do them again, I'll spend more time on a 45 degree mitre for all the corners.  These corners are all butt jointed.

The rod case end caps are sewed with a similar corner stitch - though mitred.  I had originally planned to sew the long seam with a curved awl and needles with a "hidden stitch", but I wasn't satisfied with the quality of my stitching and ended up with the baseball  stitch.  If you plan to do one of these, you'll certainly get lots of stitching practice.

 

[MADMAX22]

Ive done a few purses with those mitered joints, that takes a little (lot) practice to get that cut just right on both pieces.  Very sharp awl is a upmost requirement IMHO and a good glued joint before ya start. 

[Mike Wise]

Just a little tip, for mitre joins, and especially on straight cuts, a picture frame mat cutter is very useful. It helps to keep your 45 degree angle constant. I hope this helps.

All the best, Mike.

[supercub]

11 hours ago, Mike Wise said:

Just a little tip, for mitre joins, and especially on straight cuts, a picture frame mat cutter is very useful. It helps to keep your 45 degree angle constant. I hope this helps.

All the best, Mike.

Yep, the mat cutter does a great job (if you keep the blade sharp).  I started using one a few years ago - wish I had thought of it when I made these reel cases.  Minor correction re: the reels.  The small cases were for Billy Pate reels and the large one was for a Bogdan saltwater.

[Hermit]

On 2/6/2017 at 10:19 AM, supercub said:

As I recall, most of the smaller cases are for Ross reels and the interior of the cases are inletted to fit each reel.  The owners did not want shearling lining to avoid trapping moisture against the stored reel.  The larger case was lined with shearling per that customer's request. 

I had not thought about that, though the reels are fine soaking wet, and if you have cork breaks its no issue at all. All mine are cork, I am not a fan of listening to mechanical brakes whine.