I have never made a bail spring or to be more specific a bail trip spring maybe in the near future.
Where to get spring stock,does ACE have anything usable.Any tips on bending or
Diameter of stock bail spring vs. bail trip spring appears smaller?
Here might be a good place to start:
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=13530.0
Many of the Ohana have had to custom up some springs in a pinch, so I am sure lots of helpful tips will follow shortly. I am pretty confident your local Ace/True Value etc. will have suitable material, and as far as winding find a tool of suitable diameter (dowel, pencil, screwdriver, socket, socket extension, the list goes on and on). - john
What reel/reels do you need bail springs for, James?
Best, Fred
Quote from: jgp12000 on February 14, 2026, 09:25:56 PMWhere to get spring stock,does ACE have anything usable.Any tips on bending or
Diameter of stock bail spring vs. bail trip spring appears smaller?
We have a local tackle shop that caters to the offshore trolling guys. They have stainless wire with a wide range of diameters. I bought an assortment. It comes in handy for springs and a myriad of other uses.
A pair of jeweler pliers with tapered round jaws comes in handy for springs.
John's link has some really good info. If you use the tap method make sure the tap you use is smaller diameter than the spring you need, as the coil will expand a little after it's been wound. I've made a few using that method and it works fine if you can't find an appropriate bail spring that fits your reel. Just make sure the bends are in the correct locations around the coil.
Fred/Tommy,
no reel in particular,but I was looking at some trip levers on ebay missing the spring.John,I will look at the link you provided.I have some SS safety wire left over from my C130 days,good bail spring size,but too large diameter for trip spring I suppose.I have spare bail springs for most all my vintage spinners.
See this link is what got me going down this rabbit hole:
https://alantani.com/index.php/topic,40799.0.html