A couple of interesting Japanese Spin Reels

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Midway Tommy D
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A couple of interesting Japanese Spin Reels

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I've had this little Strength Spin Mitey for a few years and finally got around to cleaning it up. I did some research before I tore it apart and there wasn't much info here, or anywhere else for that matter, other than a few comments & some basic photos. Once I got into it I found it had some interesting attributes and surprising quality for an early '60s Japanese copy. I remembered I also had a larger similar type reel called a Red Ram that I had picked up in the cheap lot with that Spin Mitey. I wondered if it had some of the same characteristics so I dug it out and took it apart for a good cleaning and servicing, too. It's pretty obvious they were both made by the same company.

I'm not sure which early Japanese maker made them but they do have some decent quality and share similarities to many names such as Columbian, Airex 365, Frank Hacking, Johnny Walker Tiny Mite and a host of others. Ben lists the Spin Mitey along with those distributed by Taico. The Red Ram is categorized by itself. The Spin Mitey is a Cargem 33 copy and the Red Ram is an Alcedo 2CS copy. The more research I do the more I suspect they were made by Olympic, but I haven't quite been able to pin it down yet since Japanese manufacturers were so obscured by the distributors. Anyway, I thought they were interesting enough to post some photos, comments and descriptions for future reference.

I didn't keep any tear down pictures of the Spin Mitey but here's a couple of the Red Ram. He was kind of a pig:


These two reels have more pieces than any spinning reel I have ever disassembled. The Spin Mitey has 56 individual parts, which does not include the 26 balls in the two ball bearings, and the Red Ram has a prodigious 69 parts :shock: , not including the 30 balls in its two ball bearings:


Both reels have steel worm gear/main shaft tubes with two ball bearings, one in the body and one between the body and rotor cup. Both reels also have the same recessed/cupped washers used as bearing races to house the balls. The worm gear tubes have reverse threads, which is also the case many Italian reels. The Spin Mitey has 13 balls in each bearing, the Red Ram has 15 balls in each bearing. The balls are kept in place by the washer/races and retained in their correct position with a retaining nut. The rotor cup is also threaded to screw onto the main shaft tube, with another nut then securing the entire combination. Here's a photo of the worm gear/races and a couple with the balls in place:


Another element I found quite interesting, and have never seen used in this application before, was the anti-reverse mechanism. Both reels have an identical composition with interchangeable parts, including the exterior lever. The A/R is a standard ratchet gear design, but rather than using a typical wound wire spring for tension the dog is held in the appropriate position by the use of a detent ball & spring. An interesting setup:


The Spin Mitey has a steel main gear and the Red Ram's is brass. Both reels also utilize line rollers on the bails and you can see in the earlier parts photos that the opposite side bail end has a brass ball installed for smoother bail snap:


While the handles and knobs are different, both reels have the same main gear shaft retaining nut with set screws and knurled collapsing handle nuts. The A/R levers are also the same. The Spin Mitey has a removable push button spool consistent with the Cargem 33 while the Red Ram does not. Notice, though, in the photo above, that the Red Ram drag knob has detent pins to provide tension against the indented spool plate:


Here's a photo of the other side, including a side-by-side size comparison. The Spin Mitey weighs 6.99 oz & the Red Ram weighs 15.62 oz:


The bearings have a little play in their spacing, so they do rattle just a little, but the reels appear to be pretty decent quality, all things considered. :)
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jimbofish
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Re: A couple of interesting Japanese Spin Reels

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I'd never have thought a Japan-made reel from that era would have such good quality in design and parts. That worm gear shaft looks to be especially well made.

Excellent job with the photos BTW!
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Paul M
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Re: A couple of interesting Japanese Spin Reels

Post by Paul M »

Great photo essay! Nice job Tom.
arley
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Re: A couple of interesting Japanese Spin Reels

Post by arley »

My take is that Olympic made some pretty high quality ( for the times) reels.a bit heavy but still well made.
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Wayne B.
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Re: A couple of interesting Japanese Spin Reels

Post by Wayne B. »

Tom...I wish I had had you as my technical writer in my engineering department! Very nice article and presentation. Almost makes me want to take a spinning reel apart to see how many little parts I can lose before I reassemble it. :oops: :x :bash:
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Midway Tommy D
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Re: A couple of interesting Japanese Spin Reels

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Almost makes me want to take a spinning reel apart to see how many little parts I can lose before I reassemble it.
Yeah, those loose little balls in the bearings tend to be a booger. I've learned, by experience :bash: , to open them with care until I know whether or not they have encased bearings. I've got a pointed needle file that's magnetized and I take them out and plop them into a jar of lacquer thinner one-by-one and leave them there until it's time to reinstall them, one-by-one again, into the in-place and greased so they don't fall out, races. :roll: I've got a 65# magnet that finds them pretty good in the carpet, though. :lol: Other than that, lots of pics while tearing them down since a lot of the screws aren't the same but look similar. It really isn't too bad with good strategically taken photos.
Last edited by Midway Tommy D on Fri Apr 22, 2016 11:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
Teal
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Re: A couple of interesting Japanese Spin Reels

Post by Teal »

This is a tremendous article. Very well done, Tom!
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