[SEL] More springs

[Curt]

Dave, J.B.,
This is pure speculation but is it possible these barrel shaped springs 
are not would on a mandrel at all?

Being in the copper rod casting business I have the opportunity to go to 
the annual wire show on occasion. There are all kinds of equipment there 
designed to process wire the thickness of a hair to as heavy as 2" in 
diameter.

One of the machines I am most enamored with is used to make thinks like 
coat hangers and other wire product shapes. Wire on large spools is fed 
into the machine via strong  feed rolls. The wire is fed out of a 
central iris. Around this iris are rollers, blocks and other forming 
tools. Imagine this wire being fed out and there is a tool on one side 
slightly in the path of the wire which is trying to go straight. The 
wire will hit this tool and will be pushed to the side. Now the wire 
will no longer travel straight out of the iris. In fact, depending on 
the amount of interference the wire will curl and for a perfect circle 
that will wrap back on itself. Now if you move this tool off of 
centerline a little you will still form a circle, but it will not wrap 
back on itself but rather it will form a helix. Keep pushing the wire 
out for a dozen rounds and voila' you have a spring formed without the 
use of a mandrel.

Now if you can make an adjustment to how far the tool is moved in and 
out, in otherwords control the amount the tool is pushing on the wire, 
then you should be able to vary the radius of the curve being formed. 
Push the tool in to form a tight radius, pull it out to form a larger 
radius, and then back in again to make the tight radius again. Now you 
have made a barrel spring.

Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.
Curt Holland
Gastonia, NC

Dave Rotigel wrote:

> At 08:54 PM 12/6/2005, you wrote:
>
>> Another spring question. An engine I'm restoring uses a barrel shaped 
>> spring, looks like this, () or a handle on a chipping hammer. Anyone 
>> have an idea on how to wind one? If you wind it on a barrel shaped 
>> form you can't get it off after it's wound. The best idea I have so 
>> far is to stack disc on a bolt and shape them, wind the spring and 
>> remove the disc between the coils.
>> J.B. Castagnos
>
>
> Hi J.B.,
>         How long does it take to wind a spring? If not too long then 
> wind it around ice and then sit back and have a beer. If it takes a 
> bit longer wind it around wax and then melt the wax. Or you could wind 
> it around a piece of soft wood and then burn the wood out (balsa comes 
> to mind.) The derivations seem endless, but hell, I've never wound a 
> spring!
>         Dave
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