question on spring making

[nekshot]

I could not find any thing here to answer my question so I ask. I need a small flat spring. Can I use the metal of a saw zaw blade and how do I make it work? My one book says use a piece of cast iron to heat up then lay spring on till correct color, another advocates using steel banding from frieght loads which I don't have. Is there a how to show a DUMMY how to make a spring thread possible for guys like me?

[johnson1942]

norm johnson, at high plains, turtle lake n.dak. make springs. call him and he should give you the info you need.

[country gent]

Steel banding makes good springs as is if you can find the correct thickness. I keep a supply of diffrent sizes on hand here. ( brought lengths home from work occasionally) saw blades will work but the teeth can be a pain to work with or around. Some blades are pretty soft except for the teeth. Harding and tempering a spring depends on the composition of the steel used. Most shop supply stores (msc, grainger, ) have spring stock pre hardened in various thicknesses and tempered for sale also.

[Mooseman]

Most good gunsmiths have flat and round spring stock material, my assortment came from Brownells years ago. Its somewhat of an art to grind, heat to temp and form it , then quench in used motor oil and in some cases draw temper it to have a spring that will hold up and not break or bend.
Rich

[Wolfer]

Nekshot
Most sawzall blades are bi-metal.
I have the Brownells assorted pack of spring stock. Turner Kirkland had a section in Dixie gun works on tempering by color.
Thinking about coming down that way to check my bees today. I could drop it off if you like.

[MaLar]

What spring are you making? I have used Tape measure springs for trigger springs.
Brownell's used to have a good set of instructions on spring making.
Plus they sell stock. Springs are not hard to make, some times it takes two tries.
I made a Colt lightning spring it took two tries. It is a complicated spring.

Lindsey publishing had a small booklet on spring making if you can find one.

LaMar

[nekshot]

[QUOTE=Lindsey publishing had a small booklet on spring making if you can find one.

LaMar[/QUOTE]
Thanks, I will try find that booklet

Wolfer, your welcome here anytime. I want to use a little piece of flat metal to hold a fireing pin in its place for my pivot action rifle I am making.

[FrankG]

I scrounge any and all spring stock I come across. Recoil starters from lawnmowers , windup clocks, bandsaw blades shock overload springs , any high carbon material . Even high quality hacksaw and power hacksaw blades will work most times.

Heat material to a nonmagnetic state and shove deep in wood ashes till cool to anneal.

Now do your work and polish all lengthways of spring with no scores across the spring . Do all shaping needed while still soft.

Keep cool if grinding by quenching often in water.
Hold with needle nose pliers or a piece of mechanics/tie wire to heat again to even non magnetic state and plunge in about a quart of motor oil and swirl till cool.

Now don't bend it as its brittle .

Use a small can that will hold just enough motor oil to cover the spring when can is tilted and supported like with a couple bricks or rocks.

Use a propane torch to warm the oil while keeping flame moving and being careful to not concentrate on spring itself .
Heat can gently playing flame all around ,don't hurry, moving back to the oil then back out side to can, and so forth until oil stays lit . You may have to put up wind brake to keep wind from blowing flame out.

Oh.....did I mention its best done out doors............it stinks !

Keep an eye on it until oil burns away. It will be a gooey mess with a tar like goo on it but cleans easy with WD40 .

You now have a spring or not , depending on material you chose.

Ive had really good luck doing this method making small springs for patchboxes, set trigger springs, frizzen springs , lock main springs .

Lots easier than it sounds.

Many thanks to 'Bookie' from 'Toad Hall ' for sharing this with me !

[Hooker53]

For larger boogie whip springs that don't flex much I have used auto leaf springs in a pinch. Just soft enough you can file them after you slow grind them to shape. Them polish. Them blue. Some leafs work well and some don't.

[halfslow]

Any of you who happen to have a lead pot and a casting thermometer can do the second part of FrankG's procedure by dunking the spring in the lead when the temp is correct and quickly transferring it to the oil bath.
One thing I have learned is the color/temp charts work ok for carbon steel.
These new air hardening alloys and other wonder steels require the manufacturers data.

[MBTcustom]

I have made quite a few springs over the years. The way I do it, is to select a good spring material to start with.
See here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_steel
http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-steel-sheets/=tn4100

Please resist the urge to rummage through a pile of junk and use some janky steel that feels "springy". It doesn't pan out well.

With a standard carbon steel, you must first heat the steel to the right temperature. The magnet trick gives you a good referance, but I was taught to heat treat by eye by the American Bladsmith Society. The problem with the magnet is that it will cool the steel when it is touched to it, as will anything you plan on holding your shaped spring with. You have to leave extra length that you can hold onto and watch your color. I heat to a bright cherry red in subdued light.
Have a can of ATF DEXIII at the ready, and be sure to make it warm to the touch by throwing a hot piece of steel in there first. You want your quench medium to be about 100 degrees F.
Once you have the part heated to the correct austenitic temperature (non magnetic, cherry red, however you do it) plunge it into the oil and agitate in a figure 8 pattern.
Once the part is cooled, use sandpaper to scour the surface bright again. You want bare metal all over the part, and you want it clean.
Now, heat your lead pot to a temperature of 800 degrees (this for 1095 spring steel) and let it float in there for 2 hours (some people recommend doing this twice. You might as well cast some pure lead boolits for your black powder guns while you are at it.)
Once you retrieve the spring, it should have the classic spring steel blue on it indicating that it was drawn back correctly.
Test the spring by moving it through it's range of motion + 10%-20%
I think you will be pleased with the results.