aquiring spring steel stock for mainspring
- Thread starter dakotamar
- Start date
What kind of mainspring do you want to make? Flat or Coil?
I remember watching this video a few years ago and it was pretty cool...
https://www.americangunsmith.com/app/products/view/55/Making-Coil--Flat-Springs
[youtube]VFx-LCvAevM#t=24[/youtube]
I remember watching this video a few years ago and it was pretty cool...
https://www.americangunsmith.com/app/products/view/55/Making-Coil--Flat-Springs
[youtube]VFx-LCvAevM#t=24[/youtube]
- Location
- Iroquois Falls ON
I assume that you are looking for flat spring stock as coil springs of most sizes are easy to get. Have you checked with a small engine shop to see if starter recoil springs are available in the size you need?
I may have do that too. did you have to anneal it first then harden it?
The new stock steel is fully annealed.
Salvaged stock will need to be annealed.
Heat treating a new spring isn't that difficult, but too hard, and it will snap, too soft and it will take a set.
I have made springs from rotary mower blades, snowmobile ski springs.
Salvaged stock will need to be annealed.
Heat treating a new spring isn't that difficult, but too hard, and it will snap, too soft and it will take a set.
I have made springs from rotary mower blades, snowmobile ski springs.
thanks,
if I can't get any new stock I am going to try from salvaged. Can't lose, the gun if from 1850 and I won't be able to buy a 'new' one. so I will just play around until I find the right way.
A flat spring can be cut from pretty much any flat spring that is larger. Usually the stock is a bit miserable to work with, with files and a hacksaw, but not impossible. Nothing magic about the material, it's simple carbon steel mostly. Heat treat makes it a spring. Or wrecks it.
If you are dealing with a doubled back spring like a Flintlock mainspring, there are a bunch of sources for finished and part finished springs available.
The short and fast way to find one is to take the remains of the old one to a gun show and paw through a bunch of bins of junk until you find one that can be adapted.
And if it is possible, you could look at a coil spring conversion too.
All sorta depends on what the gun is, and the spring type. Kinda like pullin frikken teeth around here to get enough info to be able to give a decent answer to a question. Make and model? Put up that, and you never know, someone may shoot ya a PM sayin they have one for ya!
Oh yeah. Any model airplane hobby shop will have spring wire, and any tool place that can order from Starrett can get you flat stock in various thicknesses. Check out KBC Tools online.
Cheers
Trev
If you are dealing with a doubled back spring like a Flintlock mainspring, there are a bunch of sources for finished and part finished springs available.
The short and fast way to find one is to take the remains of the old one to a gun show and paw through a bunch of bins of junk until you find one that can be adapted.
And if it is possible, you could look at a coil spring conversion too.
All sorta depends on what the gun is, and the spring type. Kinda like pullin frikken teeth around here to get enough info to be able to give a decent answer to a question. Make and model? Put up that, and you never know, someone may shoot ya a PM sayin they have one for ya!
Oh yeah. Any model airplane hobby shop will have spring wire, and any tool place that can order from Starrett can get you flat stock in various thicknesses. Check out KBC Tools online.
Cheers
Trev
I have made a lot of flat springs and use drill rod. It comes in drill guage sizes and for a mainspring I use 3/8 drill rod. I heat the rod red hot and forge it to approximate dimension then reheat and anneal in a bucket of wood ash. I give the flattened portion a light grinding to remove the scale (less damage to my files) then file and grind the material to dimension and bend it hot to shape etc. I heat the spring red hot and quench in water followed by currently drawing the temper in my lead pot (uniform heating of the spring). I use a high temp thermometer and draw to 720 - 740 F. and keep the spring soaking for 2 - 3 minutes at that temperature. I have used automotive leaf spring material but could not draw the temper sufficiently and would not recommend using it. The time and aggravation saved in making a second and third try with an unknown metal more than justifies the cost of buying a piece of drill rod and getting very replicable results.
In the past I have drawn the temper using burning oil but in recent years new oil seems much more difficult to get to burn sustainably. In the absence of a thermometer, you can float a thin piece of bright steel on top of the lead as the lead is melting and heating up. When the colour changes from dark blue to grey, pull the plug and finish drawing the temper of the spring. If you preheat the spring by keeping it in the pot while the pot is heating up, you do not get a temperature drop that results from putting a cold spring in the molten lead.
In spite of advising against salvage material, I would mention that shovel blades are usually a high carbon steel and should be good enough for small springs
cheers mooncoon
In the past I have drawn the temper using burning oil but in recent years new oil seems much more difficult to get to burn sustainably. In the absence of a thermometer, you can float a thin piece of bright steel on top of the lead as the lead is melting and heating up. When the colour changes from dark blue to grey, pull the plug and finish drawing the temper of the spring. If you preheat the spring by keeping it in the pot while the pot is heating up, you do not get a temperature drop that results from putting a cold spring in the molten lead.
In spite of advising against salvage material, I would mention that shovel blades are usually a high carbon steel and should be good enough for small springs
cheers mooncoon
