Need some help cutting spring tempered steel!

[Barry Kirsten]

The Deardorff store on eBay has back springs and shackles, plus other Deardorff spares. Worth a look.

[Mat5121]

I was consulting Colin Graham's awesome 'Darkshop' blog extensively until it was, sadly, taken down a few days ago. I seem to remember him mentioning those Deardorff springs at some point, and that they were "a joke". I did order a tripod adapter from the ebay store and that was just fine. Anyway, I need odd sized springs because my camera backs aren't traditionally sized: one is 8x8 and the other 10x16. Maybe I should look at other spring options...ideas anyone?

[Bob Salomon]

I was consulting Colin Graham's awesome 'Darkshop' blog extensively until it was, sadly, taken down a few days ago. I seem to remember him mentioning those Deardorff springs at some point, and that they were "a joke". I did order a tripod adapter from the ebay store and that was just fine. Anyway, I need odd sized springs because my camera backs aren't traditionally sized: one is 8x8 and the other 10x16. Maybe I should look at other spring options...ideas anyone?

Visit a local machine shop and have them fabricate what you need.

[Carsten Wolff]

Bamboo is an amazing spring material.

[LabRat]

Or talk to a gunsmith... They make springs all the time...

Steve K

[Drew Wiley]

Table saw??!!!!?? Find a local sheet metal shop that has the correct kind of shears or nibbler. Or just order in cut strips as noted in the previous post. McMaster is
a good source for these.

[Mat5121]

Thanks everyone, and just to follow up here's what happened with the springs: I took Bob's advice and had the steel chopped up at a local fabricator for a small sum. Unfortunately the temper was ruined throughout. I didn't want to reorder from McMaster as it's a PITA for Canadians so I built a small charcoal forge to harden the steel and then tried to temper them on the BBQ, hah! That didn't work out very well so I ended up re-hardening the springs inch by painstaking inch over a butane/propane camping stove and then tempered them by placing on a small sheet of steel suspended over the stove and watching for what I hoped was the correct temper colour. This was sort of a desperate move but it actually worked. Much sanding and polishing later I have some half decent looking, functional leaf springs. Interesting process but "next time" I'll probably start with pre-tempered strips. Carsten's bamboo suggestion could be interesting, although I'd be worried about it splitting.

Regards from British Columbia,
Matt

[Leszek Vogt]

Matt, not sure of what the config is on this item, but I thought that small grinder (4") could accomplish such cutting. The spring has to be in a vice or good sturdy clamp. Sure, one can use a table saw and a metal-cutoff blade (no teeth), but that's convoluting the process, IMO.

Les

[Jim C.]

...... had the steel chopped up at a local fabricator for a small sum. .

Matt5121, I'm at a loss as to how you lost temper if they were cut on a guillotine shear ?

Unless the fabrication shop saw cut them again which would have put you right back where you started.

[Drew Wiley]

Ferrous abrasive metal cutoff blade in a table saw? Someone comes in this store asking to do that, they leave with nothing. Voids the warranty on every table saw I can think of. Not like cutting aluminum (non-ferrous). Nor do I want someone returning with an ambulance-chaser lawyer after they lose an eye or some fingers. I do have German rail saws that accept ferrous carbide, but require a complete anti-static vac line and spark trap system to do it safely. I saw three examples of mini-Chernobyls last year alone where someone tried a shortcut and their containment system melted down into a blob of plastic. Lucky the whole shop didn't burn
down.