Just curious to see if this item might be available or if I need to find a replacement or donor reel.
Thanks for looking
Uncle Grizzly - Which Spinflo 820G model do you have? I will defer to Midway Tommy on details, and you will find a LOT of information here: https://alantani.com/index.php/topic,37543.0.html where I detail restoration (with Tommy and Fred's help and knowledge) of a Spinflo 820GC. I also have an 820GB. Reason I ask (and as Tommy mentions in that thread) in my case, the 820GC has a metal main gear and a nylon/plastic pinion gear, while the 820GB is the exact opposite - nylon/plastic main gear, and metal pinion gear. Purely theoretical (and I am not going to start Frankenrodding old Langley's ;D ) I suppose you might be able to play "mix and match" to create a Spinflo with all metal (or all plastic) gears, but only in an effort to get a broken reel (such as yours) functional again - given the drag capability of these fun little reels going to an "all metal" set if possible really wouldn't serve to provide any meaningful gain. I am guessing a donor reel is going to be your final answer. - john
The reel in question has no other suffix other than Model 820G. The only other info on the cover says patent applied for. Upon closer inspection it is indeed a nylon pinion. Even with the pinion removed the rotor is still on the verge of being seized up. I don't see how to remove the rotor.
Stan "Buster" Cowton
BTW, as much as I would like to provide pictures here, I have not been able to download any pictures to my laptop since it was visited by an "uninvited guest" 2 weeks ago >:( >:(
Quote from: Uncle Grizzly on January 28, 2026, 10:31:33 PMThe reel in question has no other suffix other than Model 820G. Upon closer inspection it is indeed a nylon pinion. Even with the pinion removed the rotor is still on the verge of being seized up. I don't see how to remove the rotor.
Stan "Buster" Cowton
If the main gear and main shaft have been removed there's a C clip that holds the pinion gear on the rotor tube/shaft. Once you remove the C clip and pinion gear from that tube/shaft the rotor should pull straight out of the front of the body.
I am able to remove the main shaft, C clip and pinion gear, however there is another support bracket for the shaft that has a nylom bushing mounted into it. This bushing seems to be restricting rotation of the rotor.
I moved this into the "General Spinning Reel" thread to hopefully get more eyes on it than a "Sale" topic for possibly more member input. I have my "B" model exploded on the workbench, and as Tommy has mentioned, once you pull the "hairclip/cotterpin" in the shaft the entire spool/shaft assembly should come out. After that you have the pinion/rotor assembly, and directly behind the pinion there should be a (circlip, C-Clip, E-clip - call it what you want to) that when popped off that shaft will allow the rotor to be removed (and the pinion gear to be free). - john
Thanks for the move, I wasn't sure where to start this thread. The pinion gear was split into 2 pieces and easily removed without removing any of the rest of the mechanism. I spent about 20 minutes exploring my PC to see if I could figure out how to get pictures from my phone without success. I will have to see if my IT person (daughter) can lend a hand. I completely tore it down and cleaned it. The brass head of the rotor shaft sits in a nylon bushing above the location of the pinion. It seems to be much snugger than it should be. The reel itself was used hard and minimally maintained, then stored for 40 years. It is an easy reel to work on; I'm a fish biologist not a mechanic; there can't be more than 20 removable parts
Don't feel bad about photos; I struggle with that at times as well. And having a fish biologist in the Forum is cool; there are plenty of mechanical folks here that can help. So to the challenge at hand (fixing your reel) I will summarize some of what can be gleaned from some very sharp minds here: On something that is a friction surface like where the rotor goes through the frame bearing, or the oscillation shaft itself, a good technique is to cleanup/lightly burnish with fine (0000) steel wool. As far as the solid bearing/bushing itself (in my "B" model it is metal) a light cleanup with a very mild polish should be enough to improve that "snugness". Myself I would use my Dremel with a cotton tip, but by all means the same can be accomplished by hand with patience, Q-tips, and toothpaste. As with anything - go slow and easy. As far as the broken part itself - likely the only solution is to keep scouting for a donor reel. Under the heading of "This reel is so simple it can't hurt to try" would be to possibly try and carefully mend the two halves of the pinion with an adhesive (JB Weld, Cyanoacrylic, etc?) and see if it holds up - after all the reel is only capable of minimal drag pressures anyway. Worst thing that happens is the gear splits apart again. Or (getting into technology that I have no firsthand experience with) I would suppose a new gear could be made through 3D printing, but now we are getting into potentially throwing a $$ solution at a $ challenge. - john
It seems those reel are difficult to come by in Europe and shipping from the U.S. is expensive.
I'm a fan of Langley but the Spinflo was not one of their best ideas.
Have a crate of these —- G, GC, and other letters, plus another crate of the Zebco's, after they bought out Langley.
Here is a 820G, looks like all metal gears. Reel operates very well.
If it would help, the entire reel N/C, just shipping cost.
Best, Fred
OK, Stan —-
In the mail on Monday.
Best, Fred
The AT Ohana, - john