Titan ReloadingLoad DataLee PrecisionRotoMetals2
WidenersReloading EverythingInline FabricationMidSouth Shooters Supply
Repackbox
Results 1 to 16 of 16

Thread: spring stock - ideas please

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    116

    spring stock - ideas please

    I've noticed there are some resourceful folks here. Its gonna be rainy for a while so I thought I would fix up an old tang sight. I need a small (1/4 x 1 in) piece of 0.030 flat spring stock and nothing comes to mind. I never throw anything away and I bought an old farmsted well stocked with "treasures," so I am sure there is something somewhere. Ideas?
    People sometimes tell me they dont own guns because guns are too expensive. I tell them guns dont cost anything. They are essentially another form of currency.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    rtracy2001's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Blackfoot, ID
    Posts
    527
    Binder clips? I have not measured thickness, but they may be somewhere close to that.

    RT

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Mount Royal NJ
    Posts
    112
    Try steel strapping. Some of them, especially the blue ones are spring treated. Might bee too thick though.

  4. #4
    In Remembrance

    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Nct, Ohio
    Posts
    1,097
    I had an older gunsmithing book around here that the guy used a hacksaw blade for a mag follower in a bolt gun. It showed the whole process an removing the teeth and how to heat it to make the desired bends but I am unsure of the thickness of the blades.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Mount Royal NJ
    Posts
    112
    More:

    Reeds from a old 2 cycle outboard.
    Reeds from a air compressor
    Old metal vacuum cleaner steel hoses. The spring inside the tube with a button on it. These are used in a LOT of different things

    Hope it helps

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy jbunny's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    central bc, canada
    Posts
    360
    outboard motor rope rewind spring
    jb

  7. #7
    Banned

    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    The Great Land
    Posts
    998
    Quote Originally Posted by jbunny View Post
    outboard motor rope rewind spring
    jb
    ANY lawn mower (small engine) rewind spring.

  8. #8
    In Remebrance


    Bret4207's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    St Lawrence Valley, NY
    Posts
    12,924
    Chainsaw rewind spring.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy jbunny's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    central bc, canada
    Posts
    360
    original question was for .030 thick. the old outboard rewindspring were
    about .030. the smal engines rewinds are conciderbly thinner.

    on second thought, why not use a .030 feeler gauge leaf. they are heat treated and redily availible
    and not expensive. good industrial supply houses sell individul feeler gauge leafs.
    jb
    Last edited by jbunny; 10-22-2009 at 10:42 AM. Reason: second thought

  10. #10
    Boolit Master peter nap's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    599
    Quote Originally Posted by jbunny View Post
    original question was for .030 thick. the old outboard rewindspring were
    about .030. the smal engines rewinds are conciderbly thinner.

    on second thought, why not use a .030 feeler gauge leaf. they are heat treated and redily availible
    and not expensive. good industrial supply houses sell individul feeler gauge leafs.
    jb
    Last night I bought a "MINI FEELER GAUGE ET" at Autozone. Needed shim for a an H&R barrel I was fitting. $2.95

    They are about the right size to start.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master Cap'n Morgan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Denmark
    Posts
    1,458
    You could try a hacksaw blade, but many of the modern blades will need re-hardening as only the teeth are hardened.

    A good, but little known source for quality spring steel are the bundled torsion spring leaves from a car e.g. a VW Beetle.
    Cap'n Morgan

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master

    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Bloomfield, Nebraska
    Posts
    6,073
    I'll throw in what the fellow who taught me would have done. I would have had to hammer and file a blank from a chunk of rake tooth and harden it to suit. Luckily I quit doing that and now I buy a pack of spring stock blanks asst sizes from Brownell's for $12.

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    116
    Hey you guys are good.

    Tried feeler gauge first. I use them to shim up tools on the lathe. But it was too hard and could not be worked. I was surprised since some are rather soft.

    tried hacksaw blade next. It is a bit thin at .025, but could be worked. Broke it while installing the rivet. I have some rewind springs at the farm, on the other side of 2 miles of mud. I imagine they would work best.

    Might try some little jig saw blades. They are the right size. Not sure how workable they are.
    People sometimes tell me they dont own guns because guns are too expensive. I tell them guns dont cost anything. They are essentially another form of currency.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master peter nap's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    599
    I forgot two of my favorite spring sources. Plumbers snake (or wire pulling snake) and old windshield wiper blades.

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    116
    Binder clips turned out to be the winner. The biggest clip was a bit thin, but was workable and made of excellent spring material. Not quite as strong as the original, but it works.
    People sometimes tell me they dont own guns because guns are too expensive. I tell them guns dont cost anything. They are essentially another form of currency.

  16. #16
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    State of Jefferson
    Posts
    13
    If you have or a friend has a bandsaw the worn out or broken blades make great spring stock. Anneals,hardens and tempers very well. Also for thicker stock the "sawzall" blades are available in many lengths and thicknesses, very good material in the Millwakee brand.
    Onward thru the Fog, cuz Liberty is NOT an option, It is a MUST.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check