torsion spring (or other fix) for pop-up hood?

[Kinografx]

Hi!

I'm cleaning up a neat little Newton New-Vue, and the pop-up hood had both torsion springs broken, so it just flops. I'm looking for any ideas of where to find a replacement spring that small, or maybe an alternative way to hold the hood open for viewing?
Thx!

[Jac@stafford.net]

What you need is called a torsion spring with a 120º angle. (A 90º angle will sag)
So go here (https://www.mcmaster.com/springs) and follow links to Torsion Springs.

or stop by Ace Hardware

[Kinografx]

Thanks- I'll check with Ace, but how have I gone this long in life without McMaster Carr? You could build an entire camera just from that site.

[Jim Jones]

Making a proper torsion spring may be easier than finding a ready-made one. Start with a tension spring made of wire about the diameter of the New-Vue spring's, with about the same inner diameter of the coils. These dimensions should not be very critical. Bend the eyelet in one end of the tension spring to one side. Insert a nail through the coils of the tension spring. Clamp that nail in a vise with the bent eyelet closest to the vise. Grab the bent eyelet with a Vise-Grip or similar tool and pull at right angles to the nail. The spring wire will uncoil. When you've uncoiled enough, cut it off and straighten it out. Repeat the operation at the other end of the tension spring, stopping the uncoiling when the angle between the two uncoiled sections is right. It's easier to do all of this than it is to read my instructions.

If you'd rather, I can try to locate the New-Vue I retired decades ago and piece it out. The bellows is terribly stiff and the front standard casting is cracked. I also have home-made extension rails for it that worked perfectly for longer than normal lenses.

[Kinografx]

Hi- Thanks for the offer and the tip! I do have some small tension springs that may work, I'll give it a shot-