Cork handle & winch fitting clamp

Howdy folks, been a little while since my last post, been keeping busy with rod building and quite a few refurb's and the usual smattering of reels to service !

I had a few handle conversions all come in at once, like buses, so as I made a start on them, placing an order for some winch fittings that I'd run out of, I thought I'd be clever and get ahead of myself by having everything ready and to hand for once !

Didn't quite pan out  . . . . .  as I rummaged around the outside shed where I'd stored all sorts a couple of months ago having a big tidy up - I clapped eyes on the end of my handle clamp, only to realise it was buried under a load of brollys that had fallen over ( I also repair brollys!) and unfortunately, my clamp was twisted and bent beyond repair :(

So part of this afternoon was spent making a new one, quick trip to toolstation in Trafford Park for some m6 threaded bolt, and for the princely sum of about £3.00 with my wing nuts and washers, a new clamp was born !

A quick test with a Drennan IM8 Super feeder that's in for a handle conversion from plastic rings to Fuji DPS/HPS reels seat and the job was a good 'un !

 

As I don't have a rod to hand that's recently been converted I'm a bit short on before and after pic's, but this is the Fuji DPS/HPS fitting below that replaces the old style rings with a really decent fitting that keeps the reel solid and brings an end to reels dropping off mid battle !

These look really great on the rod, I'll post a few 'after' shots of some of them that I'm doing when my order arrives and I get cracking with them, and for those wondering about cost, generally they end up between £25 and £30 as an average price, that's finished and everything included.