Tuna Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 Recently purchased a Cardiff 200A for deep cranking or 2 oz. swim baits. Like any new reel I buy I do a complete service and tune. I didn't like the short handle and wanted to mount one of my 120mm carbon fiber swept handles. The issues; flat star drag and my handles were for 8mm x 5mm shaft. Mod #1 - To put a bend into the star drag I first cut a piece of garden 3/4" long. It slipped tightly over the cup section of star drag. Then I wrapped the garden hose with masking tape until it fit snug inside a 1 1/8" 12pt socket. Next I cut a 1 1/2" hole in a small piece of 1/4" handi-panel and clamped it to the workbench. After centering the star drag over the 1 1/2" hole I struck it a few times with a dead blow mallet. Bent it down about 3/16". Perfect and still plenty of space to adjust spool tension knob. Mod #2 - The shaft on this reel is 7mm x 4mm. I tried to shim shaft with a strip of .45mm stainless banding. Could not get tight. Spent an hour calling reel service businesses and part suppliers with no good options. Then I went to a commonly used online porthole to search Asian options if any. Holy cow! Found exactly what I needed. A shim to convert a 7x4 to a 8x5 shaft. Cost $5 for three of them plus eleven days to receive. The fit was very snug, fit the shaft perfectly and the 8x5 handle fit snug to the shim. Actually much closer in tolerance than a normal handle. Now happy with a custom cranking reel. Can't wait to try (photo attached) on the 7'8" MH telescopic rod I built in January. Hoping to hook a major melon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretcher66 Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 thats a great mod, i own a cardiff that i use for swimbaits and also for shallow water saltwater fishing. i may try this. it would be better reeling in a nice lingcod with the longer handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
