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You tell ‘me Wick!
If it's that bad, do you have another suggestion?W
Worst piece of trash Kit ever published.
I can give you temps to heat treat one, but I can't give you much as to dimensions and such. Seeing the lower leaf up against the upper at half cock in that one photo would worry me. As Rich said, it looks like a poor design to start with. I believe there is way too much spread in the V, which will cause excessive stress, going by the other photos. Even properly heat treated, a spring will only give so much in a bend.If it's that bad, do you have another suggestion?
Made and modified a few springs but not heaps.
I was taught that to make the spring thinner is the best as it means the spring is under less stress when worked.
Things to watch are that the thickness can be tapered but there should be no hills or valleys. Think of a longbow. Nice gentle taper.
Polish the length of the spring. This reduces stress points.
A molten lead bath works for tempering springs with the shift between martensite and pearlite happening at as low as 250 C. but it is not an instant thing at low temps. It happens slowly. Just need to soak it longer to get more temper.
Also percussions do not need the spring strength of a flintlock.
Good luck
Please accept my apology for using the wrong structure names.Pearlite is not in the picture
Good illustration! That's what I'm looking for!There seems to be some interchanging of terms spring thickness and width and potential confusion, at least in my opinion. On flat V type springs I would always narrow or thin the width, with the width being 90° to the V, or the direction of the red arrows in the photograph. View attachment 40860
Mr.M. Burning off was and is still a common method of tempering old spring steel. I use it frequently if I dont know the origin of the steel ,but my prefered method is colour by eye,but here cleanliness is next to Godliness. Slightest hint of contamination -even a finger print will Kill the Colour and you need an eye for colour.. This Blue is indescribable and is best learn by sitting next to Nelly.( Old BRUMMY expression for watching a Master who used a cuffed ear as sign of dissaproval at the Wrong colour ) .. My ears only rung Twice. Old Bony,the itinerate Black Smith ( who appeared as if by magic at the farm after a nod in the Bar ).. had hands as hard as the Horse shoes he made. O.D.I used to anneal all spring stock worked into V or Flat springs with my heat treating furnace but once read of a black smith method of tempering that evolved a mixing a 50/50 solution of 30 wt. clean motor oil and Kerosene. The spring (V or Flat) was place in a flat bottom container on it's side and the part covered with the solution and lit on fire and let burn out by it self out of the wind. It takes a good 20-30 minutes usually. It seemed pretty unscientific to me but ever curious I tried it a few times and it worked perfectly. I've never had a spring weaken or break from this temper draw method and I"ve made quite a few over the last 40 plus years of gun work. I have no idea as to the actual heat involved but have come to trust it and use the method exclusively.
Odd how these old fellows came up with methods that worked so well discovered by simple trial and error.
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