This post was just brought to my attention. Scotto and Trout bum, thanks for the kind words. Maybe not as nice as the previous posted inserts but a bit of oil or your favorite finish makes them a bit more attractive
I needed two but since I was setting up decided I may as well make a couple. Top to bottom in the picture. Quilted maple, cherry, curly maple, , claro Walnut, Osage orange, and curly Ash. Thanks newmin.
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A couple I turned a while back and just finished recently. Spalted alder and some nicely figured desert ironwood.

Very nice indeed!

Some Ray Lee reel seats. Can‘t decide which one is more beautiful.

The reason I bought 4 instead of 2

Gorgeous reel seats

i agree, beautiful reel seats.

Maybe not the prettiest reelseats ever, but I am more than delighted to have these four: two cocobola, one walnut and one maple.

I also had a zebra wood but I used that one...



They are NOS original Winston (with the logo) nickle silver downlocking reelseats with all of the necessary hardware (not pictured).

Since I HATE uplocking reelseats and had a good relationship with the company, I bought five from the Winston Repair Shop back in 2007 when I smelled the writing on the wall regarding reelseat choices.

I purchased them as an insurance policy in the event I found a Winston rod I wanted to buy that happened to have an uplocking seat (that's what happened to the zebra wood version), or for a future repair if an existing reelseat got damaged or couldn't be saved and no downlocking reelseats were available.

I paid $50 each and that includes future installation. I have a letter from Winston to that effect as I assumed despite using one seat about 14 years ago with no problems...

I would probably get an argument in the future.

Catching up on these last couple of pages. Really fine work and photographs showing these beautiful seats. Tiptop and Duff excellent as usual. The Liederman work is also great. Bamboozle, excellent idea of ordering the downlinking seats from Winston as those are my favorite configuration of locking seats that they offered.