Friday, November 11, 2011

Ross F1 Fly Reel - Start To Finish

Before Geoff Samples made the move from Colorado to Minnesota to continue his work with 3M-Ross/S.A., he snapped a stack of photographs on his iPhone on the making of a Ross F1 fly reel to share with the T.F.M. readership. Enjoy.


Geoff wrote... "Welcome to the Ross factory in Montrose, Colorado!  We are a stones throw away from the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River, the perfect place to field test new Ross products."


"The Ross casting pond. Shouldn't all REAL fishing companies have one! (Yes there are fish in there!)"


"This is our machine floor.  As I like to say... "This is where the magic happens!"


"Today we are going to show you how a Ross F1 fly reel is made.  All reels start as a puck of 6061 T6 barstock aluminum.  In the first milling operation a large amount of metal is removed to create the first look of a reel frame."


"Here is a puck and a "first op" Ross F1 spool.  Notice the intense machining in one operation. (Yes we recycle the scraps and in one year we recycle over 50 thousand pounds worth!)"


"One the machining is complete, all parts are tumbled in our tumblers filled with plastic media to create our silky smooth finishes.  Pictured is a completed Ross F1 reel frame."


"Dylan from our assembly department is completing the assembly of an F1 fly reel.  There are over thirty parts with ten O rings to create a perfect sealed drag system.  Carbon fiber and stainless steel are used to put together a drag that will stop a Mack truck!  An F1 takes about an hour to assemble."


"Here is the team of F1's in Nickel Silver, Black and Guide Finish.  All reels are type two anodized to create the perfect combination of hardness and color."


"Thanks for joining us for today's tour. We hope you enjoyed it!  Check out our Facebook and Twitter pages for up to date info and fun contests.  Also check the Ross website for product info.  Thanks for your support!"

4 comments:

cofisher said...

Very good post. I loved it.

GC said...

Nice pics but my experience of reel is not good-rusted around handle base and spool jammed on solid. At this price very very poor indeed. Form over substance.

Cameron Mortenson said...

Howard...thanks.

GC...that does sound like a concern. Did you reach out to Ross Reels customer service for a fix or replacement?

GC said...

Cameron-not as yet-reel is in NZ and i am in Europe-will pack it up and send it back next month. To be honest i think very few reels that are sold as SW safe really are-unless they are specifically designed for SW-and that narrows the field a bit-i was hoping to save some cash with the F1 but its back to the Hatch plus 7 from now on-i would like a refund rather than a new F1-its just not up to the job of serious SW fishing.....