Make your own springs in seconds

Step 3 Compression springs

Compression springs are ones that squish, like the spring in a ballpoint click pen.

Making these is almost as easy.  Start the same way and make a few turns of an expansion spring (wire touching itself).  Then wrestle the spacer (keystock) in between the last turn and rest of the still straight wire.  Spin a bunch of turns with the spacer and then finish it with a few more expansion turns.  Slide it off the arbor, clip the ends and you are done.

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Comments

[bof2b]

what about tempering the steel so that it remains springy?

[dave spencer]

There is no problem with my springs not remaining springy.  As I said above.  I have a spring in my backyard gate that has been used almost every day for 3 years with no discernible wear.

[Tweeks_tx]

The point here is Dave that you have not actually created real springs.. but just showed a cool way of bending steel in the first stage of making a spring.  To be able to have a real spring you must temper the steel.  This is especially true with springs that are going to have any reasonable about of force applied to them.

Anyone who knows how many pounds or newtons of force they need for their application should plug their numbers into Hooke's Law to calculate the parameters needed to create their spring (BEFORE bending some random piece of steel wire).  More info on this is here.
 
But for a pretty good article on tempering, see here.  It touches on both oil and sand bath tempering.

Tweeks

[dconnolley]

I'm glad someone brought up this point. all he's done is coiled a piece of wire.
in quite a dangerous way.

I've done similar to this when making chain maille links. but I use an arbor in like a spit roast design between two wooden blocks and hand crank slowly, carefully and deliberatly.
Juggling with power tools is all fun an games untill someone gets the nick name Ace.

[dave spencer]

If your mom won't let you use power tools, that is fine, use a hand crank. Even then you need proper safety gear because if you let go halfway the end of the wire could whip around because it would be a torsion spring at that point.

I wish people would stop telling me I have "only coiled a piece of wire". Prove me wrong by making one yourself. My stainless springs have functioned for years with no sign of wear. how do you think they make springs for use in the food industry?

[dconnolley]

to a small degree it would behave similar to a torsion spring.

I dont need to prove you wrong. I am merely trying to educate you.
when making chain maille links this is the quickest way to coil the wire for uniformed links I would then stretch it out before cutting links. It would appear similar to the way you've coiled your wire. Both in aluminum and steel.

the reason myself and tweeks brought this up was because from a metallurgical stand point its just not sprung. Therefore It would be wrong to call it a spring. If you compressed it from its original length to its minimal length you would notice it would have lost length in just 1 compression. possibly with some parts buckling more than others.

I know how they make springs for the food industry since I've worked on many projects outfitting factorys and belt systems. Same ways they make all springs as mentioned by tweeks heat the metal up to a calculated temperature and quench it in oil

PS: A word of advice when using rotating machinery such as a hand/pillar drill DO NOT Use Gloves. Same goes for using any abrasive wheels... thats shop safety 101
do you want to look like seamus from family guy?

[dave spencer]

Well if I ever need something more springy than what I get now, I will consider tempering.  I am quite adamant though that these work excellent as they are.  They take considerable force to change their shape and they return afterwards.  I call that a real spring.

Make one out of stainless and show me that it does not work.

[sniperHunted]

will this work with an aluminum or brass rod?

[dave spencer]

If you mean as an arbor, sure. The only problem you will have is it will wear and deform quicker. steel is nice and hard and will last longer.

If you mean using aluminum as a spring, you can coil it into shapes this way but it will not really become a spring. If you compressed or stretched it it would not return back to its original size. You need a "springy" material. spring steel works best and stainless is pretty good. aluminum and brass are just too soft.

[usmarine24]

Great instructable dude

[kube60]

You don't do any heat treating afterward?

[Spokehedz]

 Usually just bending the wire 'works' the steel enough to make the spring stay in shape by itself.

[dave spencer]

With the stainless I use, I do not temper afterwards and the springs work fine.  The oldest and most worked spring I have made is for the gate to my backyard.  It is 3 years old and gets used almost every day.  I have not noticed any difference in the performance since day one.

[chrispix]

When you're doing a compression spring, are you moving the spacer up the arbor as it turns, or does the spring wire push it up the arbor for you?

[jamwaffles]

I would imagine the spring wire pushes the spacer up the spring

James

[dave spencer]

James is right, the spacer is pushed by the wire.  Because the wire is tightly wound around the arbor at this point it can push on the spacer with some force.