Your TMA Officers and Board of Directors
Support the TMA! ~ Traditional Muzzleloaders ~ The TMA is here for YOU!
*** JOIN in on the TMA 2024 POSTAL MATCH *** it's FREE for ALL !

For TMA related products, please check out the new TMA Store !

The Flintlock Paper

*** Folk Firearms Collective Videos ***



Author Topic: Making a Main Spring for your lock  (Read 1409 times)

Offline Ohio Joe

  • TMA BoD
  • ****
  • Posts: 7660
  • TMA Founder / Charter Member# 8
  • TMA Member: Founder
  • Location: Nebraska
Chadron Fur Trade Days Rendezvous / "Ol' Candle Snuffer"
"Museum of the Fur Trade" Chadron, Nebraska

Online rollingb

  • TMA BoD
  • ****
  • Posts: 6957
  • TMA Founder
  • TMA: Founder
  • TMA Member: TMA Charter Member#6
  • Location: Northwest KS
Re: Making a Main Spring for your lock
« Reply #1 on: January 01, 2019, 12:42:13 AM »
That's a great video Joe,.... thanks! :hairy :hairy
"An honest man is worth his weight in gold"
For only $1.25 per-month, you too can help preserve our traditional muzzleloading heritage.
TMA Founder
TMA Charter Member #6

Offline LRB

  • TMA Forum Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 137
Re: Making a Main Spring for your lock
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2019, 02:05:28 PM »
  Lets start with the steel. All saws are not the same steel. Better to buy or obtain true spring steel so you know what you have. 1070, 1075, 1080, 1084. You can also use 1095, but it is a finicky steel to work with. Once forged and formed the spring should be annealed, then heat cycled from about 1600°, then 1500°, then just above non-magnetic. These 3 cycles consist of bringing to the temp, holding a few seconds, then air cooling until you can handle it bare handed. The cycling is what controls and reduces grain size, giving more strength. Then you can harden it. You never take steel to a yellow heat unless you are forging or forge welding. Yellow heat will produce a grain size so large as to see the individual grains. In hardening, no hotter than red-orange, and no less either. Quench in warmed canola oil, and have enough of it to cool fast. Not a tiny container like shown in that video. Springs need a temper heat of 725° to 750°. Don't ask why his spring worked, because there are too many unknowns and variables to give a proper answer, but I can tell you, that is no way to heat treat a spring. The guy knows how to shape one, but it all ends right there. Ok. I went back and he is using Celsius not Fahrenheit, so that is about 630/633° F in his temper, and that is too low for common spring steel. May work for a while, but risky if you got full hardness in quench, which I doubt he did considering the small amount of oil used and quenching at a yellow heat. That is one those variables I mentioned. A final word. When properly heat treated, a springs power is dependent on thickness and not temper. Temper controls it's breaking or set bending, while thickness controls power.
« Last Edit: January 02, 2019, 02:34:57 PM by LRB »

Online rollingb

  • TMA BoD
  • ****
  • Posts: 6957
  • TMA Founder
  • TMA: Founder
  • TMA Member: TMA Charter Member#6
  • Location: Northwest KS
Re: Making a Main Spring for your lock
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2019, 03:12:40 PM »
Thank you LRB,.... that is very good/useful information.  :hairy :bow
"An honest man is worth his weight in gold"
For only $1.25 per-month, you too can help preserve our traditional muzzleloading heritage.
TMA Founder
TMA Charter Member #6

Offline Ohio Joe

  • TMA BoD
  • ****
  • Posts: 7660
  • TMA Founder / Charter Member# 8
  • TMA Member: Founder
  • Location: Nebraska
Re: Making a Main Spring for your lock
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2019, 04:53:48 PM »
Good info LRB!  :bl th up

I'm not a metal smith, but I did wonder about the use of the saw blade... I was hoping someone with knowledge in this area would come along and either confirm or set us straight on this.  :toast
Chadron Fur Trade Days Rendezvous / "Ol' Candle Snuffer"
"Museum of the Fur Trade" Chadron, Nebraska

Offline Uncle Russ

  • TMA Contributing Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 7338
  • TMA Founder. Walk softly & carry a big Smoothbore!
  • TMA Member: Founder / Charter Member #004
  • Location: Columbia Basin, Washington State
Re: Making a Main Spring for your lock
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2019, 05:52:13 PM »
Thank you LRB,.... that is very good/useful information.  :hairy :bow

Unfortunately, I may never have the opportunity to use this information, but it sure as heck made for some good reading.
Thanks a bunch for sharing it. There are those among us that will get a world of good from that post, and even put it to use.

Thank you LRB!  :bow

Russ...
It's the many things we don't do that totally sets us apart.
TMA Co-Founder / Charter Member# 4

Offline LRB

  • TMA Forum Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 137
Re: Making a Main Spring for your lock
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2019, 07:10:25 AM »
  There are some saw blades that might make a good spring, but it is very disappointing to put a lot of time and effort into a project, then have it fail from a poor choice of material, or lack of knowledge of it's particular requirements. Whenever possible, it is best to know what steel or material you have, and what it takes to bring the best out of it.

Online rollingb

  • TMA BoD
  • ****
  • Posts: 6957
  • TMA Founder
  • TMA: Founder
  • TMA Member: TMA Charter Member#6
  • Location: Northwest KS
Re: Making a Main Spring for your lock
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2019, 11:39:03 AM »
Question for you LRB,.... where's a good place to order some 1070, 1075, 1080, 1084 spring steel for making springs?
"An honest man is worth his weight in gold"
For only $1.25 per-month, you too can help preserve our traditional muzzleloading heritage.
TMA Founder
TMA Charter Member #6

Offline LRB

  • TMA Forum Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 137
Re: Making a Main Spring for your lock
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2019, 03:11:55 PM »
Brownell's Inc. is good, and http://newjerseysteelbaron.com/    knife making suppliers, steel suppliers , ect. The  NJ Steel Baron is quality steel, and good service, and will help with questions on heat treating his steels.

Online rollingb

  • TMA BoD
  • ****
  • Posts: 6957
  • TMA Founder
  • TMA: Founder
  • TMA Member: TMA Charter Member#6
  • Location: Northwest KS
Re: Making a Main Spring for your lock
« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2019, 03:34:58 PM »
Brownell's Inc. is good, and http://newjerseysteelbaron.com/    knife making suppliers, steel suppliers , ect. The  NJ Steel Baron is quality steel, and good service, and will help with questions on heat treating his steels.

Thanks LRB,... I bookmarked your link.  :hairy
"An honest man is worth his weight in gold"
For only $1.25 per-month, you too can help preserve our traditional muzzleloading heritage.
TMA Founder
TMA Charter Member #6