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Yes they do Mike. Very small gamble with clock springs, they are nearly always 1095 steel. Or used to be.
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making a spring from hacksaw blade
- Thread starter Donny
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While we are talking good steel, bad steel and mystery steel. Has anyone used the steel
Out of a windshield wiper for small spring??? I heard they are made of spring steel.
I want to replace lost spring on an old english shot pouch head.
Out of a windshield wiper for small spring??? I heard they are made of spring steel.
I want to replace lost spring on an old english shot pouch head.
Although windshield wiper arms are made from a "spring steel", it is a "stainless steel spring steel".
The hardenable stainless steels are unique and although they can be annealed and hardened and tempered they each require different temperatures and some of them are very fussy about these being right.
That gets us back to the problem of knowing exactly what kind of steel your working with.
If you do try using the stainless steel arms, good luck to you.
The hardenable stainless steels are unique and although they can be annealed and hardened and tempered they each require different temperatures and some of them are very fussy about these being right.
That gets us back to the problem of knowing exactly what kind of steel your working with.
If you do try using the stainless steel arms, good luck to you.
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Hi Jerry. Most, if not all of those recoil springs also used to be 1095. Probably still are.
Not surprising, the first attempt ...fail. However it was bent to the breaking point.
BTW..the spring is for a DB fore end, that I have no idea where to place the spring or how deep so it has been a work in progress. It is a good friend's late father's gun I am restocking because of rot, the forend was missing.
BTW..the spring is for a DB fore end, that I have no idea where to place the spring or how deep so it has been a work in progress. It is a good friend's late father's gun I am restocking because of rot, the forend was missing.
Pete G
76 Cal.
Wick Ellerbe said:
That is pretty much how ALL of the old guns were made. :hmm:
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Well, not to be personally critical, but that statement is not really historically correct for most of the historic period.
Though the major reason most American Gunsmiths used imported locks prior to the AWI was the large shops that specialized in making just locks in England and Europe could make them so much cheaper, it was also because GOOD steel was so expensive and especially for springs. This does not mean GOOD steel was not available, it was just very expensive and original accounts show the type of steel preferred for springs came from Sweden, Norway and to a lesser extent Germany and Switzerland. Even English gunsmiths bought their spring steel from those countries with a strong preference for Swedish and Norwegian steels.
Now, I have not been able to document AWI and Post AWI sources for spring steel, as to when U.S. production of high quality spring steel became readily available. As much as I have studied State and U.S. Armories from Rappahannock Forge through the U.S. Armories at Springfield and Harpers Ferry and large civilian contractors, the subject of steel and especially higher quality spring steel is very rare to almost non existent.
However, rest assured that gunsmiths and gunmakers did not waste their time and money on questionable steels for springs and frizzens and later on other parts, except in the most unusual circumstances.
Gus
Though the major reason most American Gunsmiths used imported locks prior to the AWI was the large shops that specialized in making just locks in England and Europe could make them so much cheaper, it was also because GOOD steel was so expensive and especially for springs. This does not mean GOOD steel was not available, it was just very expensive and original accounts show the type of steel preferred for springs came from Sweden, Norway and to a lesser extent Germany and Switzerland. Even English gunsmiths bought their spring steel from those countries with a strong preference for Swedish and Norwegian steels.
Now, I have not been able to document AWI and Post AWI sources for spring steel, as to when U.S. production of high quality spring steel became readily available. As much as I have studied State and U.S. Armories from Rappahannock Forge through the U.S. Armories at Springfield and Harpers Ferry and large civilian contractors, the subject of steel and especially higher quality spring steel is very rare to almost non existent.
However, rest assured that gunsmiths and gunmakers did not waste their time and money on questionable steels for springs and frizzens and later on other parts, except in the most unusual circumstances.
Gus
Pete G
76 Cal.
Thanks, Gus.
Perhaps my expression of all rifles is a little slanted. I was sort of thinking about the backwoods type of gunsmith, who would identify steel as being from a hay rake or a wagon wheel and that was the extent of the identification. Seems that a lot of rifle barrels were made from a wagon tire and a lot of springs were made from a hay rake tine.
Perhaps my expression of all rifles is a little slanted. I was sort of thinking about the backwoods type of gunsmith, who would identify steel as being from a hay rake or a wagon wheel and that was the extent of the identification. Seems that a lot of rifle barrels were made from a wagon tire and a lot of springs were made from a hay rake tine.
I think like you do, Eggwelder. I've been building rifles, knives and such things since the 1970's with scrap iron and steel. It's an enjoyable challenge for me, personally. I guess it's not for everybody though. I used to post some of my projects on this forum, years ago but I caused too many arguments, mainly due to my choice of materials. Now I just check in every so often to see what everyone else is doing.
