• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

Mitchell Match 440A

H

Howard Cooke

Senior Member
OMG! I was clearing out the shed and found the above in a bag. Thought I had lost it years ago. Such a pretty little thing. Anyway, I think it may need a bit of a refurb and well, basically, I am utterly useless at such things. I would like to get it restored to its former glory (only for sentimental reasons) and wondered if any of you knew of anyone who provides this sort of service.

Many thanks.
 
I've just dug this out...perfect knick, lovely reels aren't they!

DE89164C-F223-4888-A265-AEF30C2CF75D-2717-0000022F1F3A8440_zps653aa0be.jpg
 
Ah I longed for one of those when I was younger, my Intrepid Boyo just didn't do it for me !! I did manage to get an old one and had it serviced by Mitchell themselves.

The Mitchell service place used to be in Shirley , Southampton , not sure if its still there though ??

Hope you can find someone to bring it back to its former glory :)
 
I know of a bloke who blueprints them, he starts by stripping them and cleaning all the bits, he then inspects every tooth on all the gears and removes all the burrs and high spots and polishes every tooth. When he is completely satisfied he reassembles them taking extra care with the shims and finally gives them a light oiling.
When he is finished they are the reel that Mitchell should have made.

And you don't have that coffee grinder sound.

This is a labour of love, each one taking a couple of days to complete, he does sell them at tackle fairs but I doubt he covers his costs let alone his time.
 
Adrian Williams said:
I know of a bloke who blueprints them, he starts by stripping them and cleaning all the bits, he then inspects every tooth on all the gears and removes all the burrs and high spots and polishes every tooth. When he is completely satisfied he reassembles them taking extra care with the shims and finally gives them a light oiling.
When he is finished they are the reel that Mitchell should have made.

And you don't have that coffee grinder sound.

This is a labour of love, each one taking a couple of days to complete, he does sell them at tackle fairs but I doubt he covers his costs let alone his time.
Click to expand...

Thanks Adrian. Would you be happy to PM me his details as he sounds ideal.
 
Adrian Williams said:
I know of a bloke who blueprints them, he starts by stripping them and cleaning all the bits, he then inspects every tooth on all the gears and removes all the burrs and high spots and polishes every tooth. When he is completely satisfied he reassembles them taking extra care with the shims and finally gives them a light oiling.
When he is finished they are the reel that Mitchell should have made.

And you don't have that coffee grinder sound.

This is a labour of love, each one taking a couple of days to complete, he does sell them at tackle fairs but I doubt he covers his costs let alone his time.
Click to expand...

He sounds like a guy who needs to get out a lot more to me...................
 
I managed to pick a nearly brand new one up a couple of years ago with no scratches on it at all complete spare spool and case for £10 i ran off his drive quicker than a bolt of lightening. Dont think he knew what it was lol
 
Howard . Go on the '' Mitchell mates '' website . Chap on their called Roy Allett . He services Mitchells and sells extensively on E bay . His work is excellent , and he is highly regarded in the world of Mitchell tarts . You couldn't meet a more accommodating bloke .
 
Last edited:
To me the hardest thing about all these refurbs is the paint job. It's great to do all that cleaning, polishing adjusting and so on.....that certainly can make a world of difference. But...if the paint job is naff, it still LOOKS like just another tatty old reel.

Anyone know where you can get a decent paint job done without taking out a mortgage :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
I got 2 reels one black one and a blue one which were imported from France and if memory serves me right , They were cheaper than the UK model .
At the time Mitchell put out a statement saying any one buying the French reel in the UK they would not honour the guarantee and would refuse to repair them if there was a fault with the reel .
Brilliant reels for trotting a float :)
 
Joe Fletcher said:
I got 2 reels one black one and a blue one which were imported from France and if memory serves me right , They were cheaper than the UK model .
At the time Mitchell put out a statement saying any one buying the French reel in the UK they would not honour the guarantee and would refuse to repair them if there was a fault with the reel .
Brilliant reels for trotting a float :)
Click to expand...

It was all to do with the 'Rip off Britain' thing that was more prevalent back then Joe. Because virtually every manufacturer in the world had automatically charged more for anything the moment it was shipped to Britain, they tried to discourage us going across the channel to buy things at the proper price. Much the same with cars.

Cheers, Dave.
 
I always have had problems with this reel when trotting,when i hooked a fish and then engaged bailarm i think a slight bump occures which has lost me fish.
 
David Hickman said:
I always have had problems with this reel when trotting,when i hooked a fish and then engaged bailarm i think a slight bump occures which has lost me fish.
Click to expand...

You are right David, it was a recognised problem way back when they were new. It frustrated me when I had one of them many years back. There are some good things about such reels, but most of the ooohing and aaahing is misty eyed, 'those were the days', seen through rose tinted glasses nonsense.

Cheers, Dave.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top