3D Printed Fly Reel - the original!

thingiverse

This is it, the original, completely 3D printed fly fishing reel developed by me (aka The Eclectic Angler) and featured in <a href=https://youtu.be/UdDskTQPK_s><i>Field & Stream Magazine's Hook Shots</i> video</a> by Joe Cermele (watch the video!) This reel was also recognized by the American Fly Fishing Museum as the first 3D printed (and functional) fly reel and the lightest 4wt fly reel. It was featured in their quarterly <a href=http://amff.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2015-Vol41-No3web.pdf> <i>The American Fly Fisher</i> journal</a> in 2015. I started designing the reel in 2012 and, after a year, it was ready to fish. I continued to refine the design over four years to this version 6 design - learning from feedback from several thousand anglers who have downloaded and printed one and from the nearly five hundred reels I've printed myself. It is the best yet. I have always made the STLs available on my website (for free) at <a href=http://www.eclecticangler.com/3d-printed-fly-reels>The Eclectic Angler</a> (there is more info, history, and photos there too). But today, I am making the files open source under the Creative Commons - BY-SA license for all to learn from, modify and enjoy. These reels are a challenging print project but I've designed the parts to be "tolerance tolerant" - meaning that even if your 3D printer is not calibrated perfectly or you don't have mad slicing skills, the parts will still assemble into a smoothly functioning reel! Advanced 3D printers and designers may learn a few tricks to improve their skills too. The detailed Instructions PDF includes lots of tips for slicing and assembling the reel. Please read it, I've found that every question I'm asked has already been answered in the document! You might learn a thing or two about slicing too. Even if you don't fly fish, the reel is a great stress reliever and showpiece. It makes a satisfying clicking sound that is calming. So print one and post your photos! <b>About the FIles</b> Firstly, read the detailed instructions, they explain everything! I've included files for several different aesthetic and functional options. In a nutshell, these are: <b>Aesthetic Options</b> The back plate has 2 options: ported or plain unported The spool plates each have 2 options: ported or plain unported You can mix and match these to create different looking reels. <b>Mechanical Options</b> There are three options for the click check: <ul> <li>left-hand retrieve</li> <li>right-hand retrieve</li> <li>symmetrical</li> </ul> And there are several parts with different size options of parts to help you get a perfect fit: <ul> <li>three foot sizes</li> <li>three click spindle sizes</li> </ul>