I have lots of spinning reels that have weak springs that are not available any longer. Used a YouTube video and repaired one reel with a safety pin hack. Today I found the thread here on making you own springs here but my question is what size wire is most common. 0.021 seems like a good place to start but what other size is common to reel repair? I can pick up a few packs of different music wire on Amazon cheap so I want to order a couple different sizes. Fresh water use but will go with SS whenever I can. Thanks and tight lines.
Chris, I think the size wire you need is going to depend on the application, and you'll need to guesstimate the replacement size based on the size of the wire used to make the original spring.
Here's a tip that might help make some of your "too stiff " springs softer. Use a small propane or butane flame and heat a small part starting in the middle of the spring just until you see some color. Stop and air cool and test. Go slow and retest adding more heat if desired. This will soften stainless steel and titanium and now you can be creative. Good luck 🍀
Quote from: gstours on December 03, 2018, 05:27:17 PM
Here's a tip that might help make some of your "too stiff " springs softer. Use a small propane or butane flame and heat a small part starting in the middle of the spring just until you see some color. Stop and air cool and test. Go slow and retest adding more heat if desired. This will soften stainless steel and titanium and now you can be creative. Good luck 🍀
Man you know your stuff. I might urge a new nickname "Gary the Torch." :D Dominick
Just a thought from personal experience......I don't mind a little extra stiffness on new bail springs, or even A/R springs, as they generally will weaken over time. That slight additional tension doesn't bother me at all.
I have a variety of wire diameter. Those plastic tubes with 5 or 10 wires per tube are not very expensive. I just pull out the appropriate diameter.
Tommy, where did you get your wire?
The music wire (piano wire) has a lot of stiffness and spring, but it is also brittle and will often break instead of bend when you shape a tight turn. It will also rust quickly.
Stainless steel wire has less spring, but it is easy to shape and doesn't rust. Your local tackle shop will have an assortment of SS sizes. Go up a size if you need more strength.
A pair of pliers with two round tapered jaws makes forming loops much easier. I sprung (pun intended) for a pair of these and will never go back but something similar can be had for less than ten bucks.
https://www.riogrande.com/product/swanstrom-large-round-nose-pliers/111027 (https://www.riogrande.com/product/swanstrom-large-round-nose-pliers/111027)
-steve
Quote from: Christopher M Songer on December 03, 2018, 08:15:27 PM
Tommy, where did you get your wire?
I get mine t the hardware store. Ace in this area. Some carry metal tubing, wire, brass, aluminum, etc., & some don't.
Thanks everyone, great info! Just what I was looking for.
Pick up an old mike for a few bucks, and you can not only measure your wire precisely, but the tool has innumerable other uses.