Source of small quantities of spring steel

[iconParticipant @icon]

Hi

I need a tiny amount of 0.020" spring steel for the number punch holder of Thomas/Hemingway's universal pillar tool – 0.2" x a couple of inches. I don't really want to buy several lifetimes worth.

There must be some common household or workshop object I can rob something suitable from? My imagination has failed me and I can't think of any.

Cheers

John

[iconParticipant @icon]

Where can I ‘repurpose’ it from?

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

John,

I used hammered brass for mine. I bashed a piece of brass rod flat – the consequent work hardening makes it quite springy enough for this job.

Happy Christmas

Rod

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Old clock spring from jumble sale / flea market ?

Norman

[Michael Cox 1Participant @michaelcox1]

I used a different approach and employed a magnet to retain the punch in the holder, see

**LINK**

Mike

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Th recoil starter on any mower or weed trimmer engine has several feet of top quality spring steel strip. You can probably get a used one with a broken end free from a mower or small engine shop. There will likely be hundreds of scrap engines at a metal scrap yard, you can get one there for very little money.

JD

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Retracting Tape Measure

MichaelG.

[Chris SheltonParticipant @chrisshelton11794]

Could use feeler gauge.

[Billy MillsParticipant @billymills]

"Piano wire" from model shop bent into a thin U shape, could go through hole to press onto stamp.

Lenth of vac form plastic from the margins of packaging ( full thickness) or plasticard.

Old relay contact or switch contact.

Mike Cox's method is very neat too!

Billy.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Reeves and several of the other suppliers sell it in 12 or 24" strips

**LINK**

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

Hi John,
If you could manage with 0.1" wide by 0.03" thick then the stainless steel strips that are used to stiffen windscreen wiper blades may do the job.

Les.

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

Posted by NJH on 24/12/2012 14:10:04:

Old clock spring from jumble sale / flea market ?

Norman

or a charity shop where I managed to get several old alarm clocks for around 50p each.

Seasons greetings,

Terry

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Look at M-Machine catalogue, you can get about 12" for a £1!!

[BertyParticipant @berty]

John,

Look inside an old VHS type video cassette. Turn cassette over on bench, remove five crosshead screws, separate top and bottom halves of cassette. Flat spring is in top half of cassette, carefully prise off. It is there to hold the tape reels down so that they don't ride up and lift off of the turntables below. Might be useful.

regards

Derek

[iconParticipant @icon]

What a resourceful lot you all are! Some great ideas here. Why I didn't at least think of clock spring, I don't know. Bleedin' obvious, really.

Merry Yuletide to all

John

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

Hi KWIL,

But they charge a minimum of £4.50p for postage which makes it less of a bargain,

Seasons greetings,

Terry

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

John [icon] Seaspns greetings, message me and I will send you some, have plenty of suitable material in my "stores"

Cheers John

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Terry,

Season's Greetings to you of course. I know they charge postage but there is always something else you want, I must give them an order to collect when I go to Harrogate in May.

K

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

I don't know where you live but it might be worth seeing if there are any local clock repairers, pop round and ask politely,you never know your luck!

Happy Christmas.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Thanks Jeff,

I've had a coil of blue spring steel ona spool in my workshop for years. You've just made me remmebr where I got it from – recoil starter off an old genny!

Neil

[D.A.GodleyParticipant @d-a-godley]

Posted by Stub Mandrel on 27/12/2012 13:11:42:

Thanks Jeff,

I've had a coil of blue spring steel ona spool in my workshop for years. You've just made me remmebr where I got it from – recoil starter off an old genny!

Neil

Your post did it for me Stub, brought memories of an old Jenny flooding back, Ah the delights of Nairobi 1969. Now that was Model engineering!!!

[robjon44Participant @robjon44]

Hi all, if anyone still consults with this thread, a prime source of blue spring steel is the humble bicycle clip, no not the plastic ones! has saved the day for me on a number of model aircraft & other modelling occasions. Can also be used for the spring finger used on your crossbow to prevent the bolt rising during the initial acceleration phase, dont ask how I know that, suffice it to say that youll be glad when you see an elfin safety bloke on an attack run. robjon44

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