DIY mainspring vise

I'd like to make my own mainspring vise. I have access to the necessary tools. Can someone direct me to a site with dimensions that I can use?
I would like to make one as universal as possible, and possibly one for frizzen springs as well. Thanks.

pdf file of mainspring vise with dimensions. You don't need to make the bottom jaw of the vise swivel, it can be fixed.
Should look something like this when done -
You can make it with hand tools if that's what you have to work with but a nice drill press or a small bench mill will do fine.

You can also just cut a notch in aluminum or steel plate to match the spring at half cock like this -

put it at 1/2 cock and release the pressure on the spring & it's captured in the notch.

Mike

Which one, as there are several vises out there that people use for mainsprings, some more correct than the others...

Here's an actual mainspring vise with a scale..



Here is a frizzen spring vise...,


Here is a very fancy cast, main spring vise....



Here is a gunsmith's hand vise...I use one of these and one like the first one a lot...,


LD

"put it at 1/2 cock and release the pressure on the spring & it's captured in the notch."

An open end wrench will work the same way and the nipple wrench of the 1855 Springfield tool can be used to hold a mainspring compressed.

BTW Wear safety glasses! I had a mainspring fly out of a vise and I'm glad I wasn't in line with it. It snapped into 2 pieces when it came out with one part flying almost 15 feet to hit a concrete wall. I had one of those fancy vises like illustrated above with a swiveling lower jaw and while it was laying on the bench with the spring in it I noticed that the spring was slowly opening up. I backed the vise off immediately because the screw on the lower jaw that goes through the vise was bending. I saved the spring but the screw and nut fell on the bench and so did the jaw, completely broken off.

Personally, I like the sliding/adjustable lower jaw on the mainspring vise I use.
I had one that didn't have that feature and then ran into a mainspring that had a very short upper leg and a very long lower leg.

The fixed lower leg vise jaw didn't come close to applying any force out toward the end that was pushing on the tumbler spur and about the time it started relieving the pressure on the spur, the mainspring (which was bent considerably back by the vise jaw) snapped.

After buying a new mainspring and a new mainspring vise with an adjustable lower jaw, I could slide that jaw towards the tumbler spur and easily compress the spring to assemble the lock.

Track of The Wolf has them. only $15.99

As Zonie stated, the mainspring vise with the adjustable lower jaw will apply to more applications than a fixed lower jaw.

The closest to a universal vise is the fancy one shown by Loyalist Dave. It is the Curran vise offered by Jim Chambers. https://www.flintlocks.com/new/parts.htm

I do think you will be better served by using two vises. One for lock mainsprings and one designed for frizzen springs.

Best mainspring vice I've ever used....... long nose vice grips.
Half cock then grip the spring and release, voila

EZFEED said:

Best mainspring vice I've ever used....... long nose vice grips.
Half cock then grip the spring and release, voila

Click to expand...

.. or even a pair of pliers with a long bolt or length of drill rod across the handles!

Years ago I noted an odd item someone carried in their shooting bag. "Why are you carrying a glass-cutter? He said it was his mainspring vice and he also used it to "nibble" flints with the carbide cutter wheel.

Son-of-a-gun if it didn't work! An old-fashioned style glass cutter. But if you have the right spacing on your spring it holds the mainspring or frizzen spring compressed.

Wish someone would make a mainspring vise for miquelet locks.

Rick

BTW. A mainspring should never be left compressed in the vise. That is a good way to snap one. It should be released while,the work is done, and then compressed to install it.

The mainspring vise needs to be able to compress a relaxed spring out of the lock. Some of the devices recommended will not do that at all or not well.

just a heads up but some of them like the one that track sells, doesnt fit a traditions or cva lock worth a hoot. Always have to resort back to a pair of channel locks.