I get lots of questions about how to remove the pin from the spool shaft of Shimano reels. This also applies to some recent Daiwa reels, too.

I made two tools to do the job. The first is a pair of pliers to push the pin without bend or scarring it. Thanks to BuzzT for the idea. These started life as a pair of Craftsman precision duckbill pliers - about $10 at Sears. Here are a couple of pictures.

The pin is placed into the 3/32" hole in the near jaw and the other end of the pin is placed in the shallow dimple in the opposite jaw. The dimple keeps the pin from moving and prevents scarring or bending. Squeeze gently and the pin will be driven almost flush with the shaft. The open the jaws slightly, move the pin to the flat part of the jaw next to the hole, and squeeze until pin is completely flush with the shaft. The 3/32" hole is slightly larger than the pin to allow the pin to rotate slightly so it can be pushed completely flush.

 You'll notice the word "OUT" on the near jaw in the upper picture and below. That side is used to remove the pin. There is a 2nd set of holes in the opposite jaw (marked "IN") that is used to reinstall the pin. This happened by accident when I drilled the first dimple too deep. It occurred to me that if I drilled the dimple at precisely the correct depth, I could just push the pin in until the jaws touched the spool shaft and it would be centered. It took some trial and error on my drill press, but it works like a charm. 

The 2nd tool is a drift punch I made from an old nail set. I simply chucked it into my drill press and attacked it with my trusty Dremel tool. I turned it down until it was slightly smaller than the diameter of the pin. This, along with a small hammer, is used to GENTLY drive the pin the rest of the way out of the shaft. I rest the shaft on my mill vise while driving it out.

Here's a close-up of the pliers in use removing the pin from a Curado  spool. Note that the pin is inserted into the upper jaw until the spool shaft is flush with the jaw.