Gallery, Projects and General > How do I??

Where could I salvage some spring steel?

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John Hill:
Chris, I second the measuring tape, everytime I bust one or find a broken one in the someone's junk I salvage the spring steel!

Although it may be too heavy for your application ladie's corsets usually contain springy stainless steel strips, it is probably best to take the lady out of the corset before extract the stays.

raynerd:
I knew it would be well worth asking on here - my brain just doesn`t work quick enough - I use to be mad into watches and clocks (and again embaressingly that is what my first project was going to be when I got my Unimat3 a few years ago - a clock!) I have quite a few old smith clock main-springs....

I`ll investigate over the next few days - I`ve got a feeling that I have described this stuff a little too light - I have a feeling that main-spring may be a little thin but I bet a tape measure is more inline with what I am after! I`ll let you know...

If all that fails I`ll move onto Johns link and buy new at those prices.

Chris

bogstandard:
Chris,

What I have shown isn't exactly spring steel, but I have used it many times before for jobs like yours and it does do the job admirably.

So if clock and tape springs don't work, you could always try it.

John

websterz:

--- Quote from: craynerd on May 16, 2009, 03:16:24 AM ---I knew it would be well worth asking on here - my brain just doesn`t work quick enough - I use to be mad into watches and clocks (and again embaressingly that is what my first project was going to be when I got my Unimat3 a few years ago - a clock!) I have quite a few old smith clock main-springs....

I`ll investigate over the next few days - I`ve got a feeling that I have described this stuff a little too light - I have a feeling that main-spring may be a little thin but I bet a tape measure is more inline with what I am after! I`ll let you know...

If all that fails I`ll move onto Johns link and buy new at those prices.

Chris

--- End quote ---

The bit you are after isn't the tape itself but the spring that rewinds the tape. Pull all the measury bit out and unhook it from the spring, then let the spring zoom back into the case and release all that springyness so it's safe to take apart.  :dremel:

Alan Haisley:
You may want to anneal it before machining & bending  and reharden & temper it after. That will probably take some experimentation to get just right.

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