Mainspring Vise

[Zonie]

While I think the needle nose vice grips work fine for sear springs and frizzen springs, I don't think they work worth a damn for mainsprings.

The advantage of the mainspring vise is it applies its force to both ends of the lower leaf at the same time.

This keeps the spring evenly compressed (or compresses the spring) without applying all of the force at just one spot.

Course, some will disagree with me and that's fine.

 

[M. De Land]

That's what the leather is for to pad the jaws so the spring doesn't care were it gets compressed.
With a bit of powdered rosin applied you can even compress them on the down slope and they won't slide.
This comes in handy for some tight applications like box locks and some pistol frames.
I've yet to damage a spring with them or find one they won't work on.
But, each to his own.

 

[Dane]

Just like any other job or hobby..... You need to use the right tool for the job. Sure, you may get away with a vise grip, or hammer, or whatever else for a while, but eventually, you'll pay for it.
Buy a good mainspring vise if you're going to work on locks.

 

[Tinker2]

I have three good main spring vices and still use a vice grip a lot of the time.

I use what works for me.
That might be one of my mainspring vices or a vice grip or something else.

Use what works best for you or what you think works best.




William Alexander

 

[M. De Land]

Roger that! :wink:

 

[Pete G]

Just like any other job or hobby..... You need to use the right tool for the job. Sure, you may get away with a vise grip, or hammer, or whatever else for a while, but eventually, you'll pay for it.
Buy a good mainspring vise if you're going to work on locks.

What he said :metoo:

 

[Darkhorse]

I use the TOW mainspring vice that sells for $15 or so dollars. I assume this is the regular vice. I bought this many years ago and it works so well I don't feel the need for the deluxe model.
I beg to differ concerning LH locks. I just visited T. Curran's site because I wanted to see what a RH vise looked like. It looks like any other vise which all work on LH locks. You just turn the vise over and it fits a LH lock.

 

[Don Steele]

I used Vise grips until I saw the one designed by Mr. Curran and sold by Jim chambers.
Not the least expensive choice, but it works perfectly for both the mainspring and frizzen spring on a very wide variety of locks of various sizes.
On the "LH vs RH" question...I asked Jim Chambers about that at Friendship a couple weeks ago. He assured me there isn't a "special LH version" out there. (I'm using mine on both RH and LH locks with no issues)