Langley R810 Spinlite

[Midway Tommy]

John (Brewcrafter), had an issue with a non-working anti-reverse on a Langley SpinFlo 822GC. I had a bunch of Langley spinning reels which had been stored away in a tote for about fifteen years that I had never gotten to, or serviced, so I dug in and opened up an 822GB to refresh my memory about how their anti-reverse mechanism is set up and how to fix them. I went ahead and serviced that reel while I had it apart, and then figured that while the process was fresh in my mind I might as well service all those Langley made spinning reels I had stored away. There ended up being sixteen of them that I serviced.

All of those reels had similar anti-reverse and internal mechanical designs except one, and the reel's mechanical design was quite unique and really stuck out. That reel was the Langley R810 Spinlite. It was, IMO, a real sleeper. Here is a short history on Langley and that reel.   

The Langley Corporation of San Diego, CA started in business manufacturing medical surgical instruments in the late 1930s. During WW II, like most US manufacturing companies, the Langley Corporation had been engaged in the war effort, producing aircraft parts. They clearly wasted no time in getting back into civilian manufacturing because just 19 days after the surrender of Japan ended World War II in 1945 they introduced the Streamlite casting reel. Langley produced varying models of casting reels over the next eight years, and in 1953 they offered their first spinning reel to the public, the original model R810 Spinlite. It was the first in a successful and evolving line of Langley open face spinning reels. The R810 was priced at $24.75 according to various magazine advertisements. Selling points were its solid construction and self-centering bail. The bail would be positioned (centered) at the same place for every cast if the handle was rotated backwards to a stop. The earliest R810s had a brake, or drag system, that allowed the angler to change spools without removing the brake nut, which would preserve the brake setting. That feature was soon abandoned, more than likely due to eight washers and springs that ended up falling out when the drag nut was removed for cleaning. The manual was quite adamant about being sure to reassemble those parts in the correct order for proper operation. Langley quickly came out with a new spool and brake arrangement whereby the washers and springs were enclosed in the spool hub recess. A conversion kit, the SP 190, with the new spool, reciprocating shaft and brake nut was offered for $3.00. The R810 Spinlites with the new brake system were designated R810A on Langley parts lists. The R810 Spinlite was only produced for a year or two, but came in multiple color variations. Black R810s with crinkle paint housings are the most common, some even came with a smooth painted finish. I have also seen a blue R810. Most original R810 Spinlites are fairly common, ones in mint or excellent condition, especially with the box and papers are quite collectable and hard to find.  All Model R810 advertising and box paper material that I have see mentions the 660 Second Avenue, San Diego, CA address. Langley moved from there to 330 Euclid Avenue, San Diego in 1954. In early 1954 Langley introduced an ultralite open-face spinning reel, the Spinette model 850. This specific "Spinette" model name is somewhat scarce and was very short lived. It was renamed the Model 850 Spinlite De Luxe. By early 1954, the R810 gave way to two other Spinlite series open face reels, the models 850 and 851 Spinlite Deluxe and the models 852 and 853 Spinlite Special. All were, and are still, considered ultra lights.

This specific reel is in really nice shape and wasn't terribly dirty, but it obviously hadn't been cleaned in awhile. Imagine my surprise when I removed the side of the body and opened it up. I studied it in amazement for a little while before removing the main shaft and taking this photo. It's one of the more interesting open face spinning reel internal mechanical designs I have ever come across. The worm gear drive is not necessarily a big surprise, but the way in which they accomplished it is kind of fascinating.
 

After disassembly I continued on with my usual process of soaking all the unpainted metal parts in my lacquer thinner jar and did my normal Original White Goop scrub & warm water Dawn wash on all the painted and plastic parts. After a couple of days soaking, good cleaning and wire bushing/burnishing all the parts were ready to reassemble. I didn't document disassembly, but it is, more or less, just the opposite of this assembly process.


Before my fingers got greasy I started with the spool, notice the spool is actually aluminum, and installed the click spring. It's a simple spring metal band that wraps around a couple of studs and is held in place by a screw and washer. I added a little grease in the screw hole for easier removal prior to adding the screw. When done I set the spool aside for later installation.



 
Next, while my hands are still clean, I'll work on the rotor. First, I install the anti-reverse dog and spring. It's held in place by a screw and washer, just like the click spring. There is also a rubber cushioning bushing that slips over the stop stud where the dawg moves back and forth. I add a dab of grease to the screw hole here, too. The dawg is lubricated under the washer with a drop of synthetic oil.
   

The bail trip is external so there is no bail trip lever to install. The bail trip stud is on the outside on the bottom of the body. The bail trips when the extension on the bail arm hits the external stud, so now I'll install the bail spring and bail arm. If you notice, Langley bail arms have three holes so the bail spring tension can be adjusted. I use ArmorAll as a lubricant in these locations because it stays slick and doesn't collect dirt & grime. It's easy to add a little at anytime if needed. The opposite side of the bail has a chrome plated piece that incorporates a lead counterbalance. I add a small dab of grease to every screw hole from here on out so that they hopefully will not corrode and will remove easier in the future.

 
After the bail and bail arm are installed I'll check the bail for perfect alignment and bend, or adjust it where necessary, for free movement before installing the line guide. The line guide/roller on this, and all other Langley reels I've worked on, rolls and is made of hardened stainless steel. Once everything is in perfect alignment I'll tighten the off side screws and install the line roller.


Now that the bail and anti-reverse dawg are installed I'll set the rotor aside for later installation. 

The next step is to install the worm and transfer gear devise. This is an interesting setup. The worm gear is pressed onto one end of a tube. A transfer gear that will rotate the pinion and rotor attaches to the front end of that fitting. A pin that rotates in an oilite bushing in the body towards the rear and another oilite bushing in the face of the body goes through the center of the tube. The mechanism is held together and in place by an R style cotter pin. They're lubed with Super Lube and a couple of drops of synthetic oil are added prior to assembly and installation.


Once the worm and transfer gear mechanism is installed the next step is to install the main gear. I lube it and the mechanism with Super Lube and add a little synthetic oil here, too.


The next step will be to add the rotor. Here you can see the main bearing. I was surprised to see it actually had an encased ball bearing. I prefer grease lubricated ball bearings on spinning reels even though they may seem a little slower, so I always lubricate them with Super Lube and then add a little synthetic oil to thin the grease. You can see the front oilite bushing that supports the worm and transfer gear mechanism pin. You can also see the notch, next to the bearing, that catches the anti-reverse dawg when the handle is turned backwards.


There are matching flat spots on the rotor tube and pinion gear so that they mesh together and spin the rotor. The pinion gear goes in between the face of the body and the supporting block. The rotor tube is inserted and secured by an e-clip behind the pinion gear and in front of the block.


Now that the rotor and pinion gear are secured in place it's time to install the crosswind block and main shaft. These parts are kind of unique and interesting because the stud on the main gear has a top flange that fits into a T style rabbet in the bottom of the crosswind block. That T rabbet helps to prevent the block from lifting up and popping off. The top of the block has a flat sided and bottomed groove that holds the main shaft. The end of the main shaft is threaded. There is an eared washer and nut that holds the main shaft in place on the crosswind block. Also, notice that the outer portion of the main shaft has threading. The spool will screw onto it there.
     

Here you can see where, and how, the anti-reverse dawg will lock into that notch on the body housing next to the bearing when the handle is rotated backwards.


With the rotor and main shaft installed, and everything lubed properly, it's time to install the side plate and handle.


The final step is to install the spool and drag components. The spool threads onto main shaft drag washer cavity/cup. The drag components are laying in the order they install into the cavity. The coil spring goes in first, next a flat metal washer, then a fiber washer, next an eared metal washer, then another fiber washer, then another metal washer, then a nylon washer, and finally, the drag knob.   


It's all back together now. This reel had obviously seen little, if any, use. It cleaned up well and looks, and works, like new! It's truly a sleeper with regards to it's mechanical quality, especially when compared to the mechanical designs of most other Langley made open face spinning reels.


 

[swede 53]

Nice reel and very interesting design,it couldn't have been a cheap reel to build. Thanks for the breakdown and appreciate the Langley history lesson.

[Bryan Young]

Wow, those inner gear driven systems are awesome.

[Reeltyme]

Thanks Tom. Nice article for sure. I am impressed with how "stout" the drive gears are for achieving cup rotation yet the shaft oscillation sleeve is quite small looking in comparison as well as the actual shaft. Very interesting design. Haven't seen one like that before.

[Brewcrafter]

That is beautiful, thanks for sharing.  100% more complex and intricate than the Spinflo, the insides of the Spinlite are incredible.  Wonder if they had an old watchmaker on their design team at the time? - john

[Paul Roberts]

Great thread. Nicely done! I always thought they were a strange looking little reel. But even weirder inside! How does it feel when cranked?

[mark Hill]

Well Tommy, I guess I need one of these in my collection, and a Spin Delux. Thanks for showing the pics...well built and looks like a fun reel!

[Midway Tommy]

Great thread. Nicely done! I always thought they were a strange looking little reel. But even weirder inside! How does it feel when cranked?

Smooth & solid but a little loose sounding. I think it has more to do with the light weight drag cavity material and spool than anything else. When that reel came out braided nylon spinning line was what nearly everyone used. If the spool was full of braided nylon I doubt it would sound quite so hollow.   

[Paul Roberts]