• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Your spring making technique?

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

TNHillbilly

45 Cal.
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
521
Reaction score
0
Made 2 springs for newly made wheellock. The cock spring-a fairly heavy spring turned out o.k. The main spring, not so good-it has bent enough to affect the wheel's spin, this is my second attempt. I guess, because of its strange configuration, it hasn't held-differnt temper right. Usually, I use a 1/8th piece of steel on the kitchen stove and watch the color change-usually works well. I read somewhere about using a 'lead bath'. Do you have technique for big mainsprings?
 
Hi,

I've made a few using the info from the Toad Hall site. It works pretty good and is easy. Basically heat, quench, burn in oil.
Link
 
You drew it back too far. I don't know what kind of steel you are using or the color you are watching for but stop at the color before the last one you did. You can also anneal your existing spring, get it back into shape, and re-harden and re-temper assuming it is still intact.
:thumbsup:
 
I am using spring stock from either Dixie, or Brownell, had this stuff a long time. I was-this time going for purple. The cock spring I went for light blue and it works fine. Indeed, I have reshaped and retempered this mainspring. I guess I'll try for 'brown' and see what happens. The spring has a narrower portion which holds the chain. I guess this is,partly, what makes it difficult to get a uniform heat. I will check Toad's site-he did build a 'working' wheelie!
 
Jerry Huddleston's method uses lead and works well.

As said previously, heat to red and quench in transmission fluid.
Soot up spring with lamp black (hold over candle or oil lamp) This will keep the lead from sticking to it.

Heat up lead pot to melting point and stir. Pure Lead melts @ 625deg. Put the spring in,and let the spring sit for 5 mins,(use your ladle to hold it submerged) remove and the spring is ready to use.

Works great.
 
Thinking the answer to spring making is: it depends! Depends on the steel, construction, shape, temperature, and the moon. I tried the 'burn in oil' technique, turned out too soft. I reheated, quenched in oil, and went back to the kitchen stove. This time, I put a piece of steel bar over the narrow or 'notched' section to draw some heat away. When the narrower portion hit purple, the thickest part was light brown. Stopped it there. Spring now works fine! It's kind of rainbow colored, but pretty. Actually, I wanted to sacrifice a virgin before starting, but my wife was opposed. Would have tried the lead bath but didn't have enough lead. Bottom line, I think, is there's a range of temps that produces a spring that's fairly large!
 
Back
Top