springs for home made 5x7

[mark anderson]

i have allmost completed my home made 5x7, and have hit a sumbling block. i need springs for the ground glass fram-camera back. I have found some "straitened steel music wire" at small parts.

my question her is if anybody knows what diamiter i should get to get the prper amount of tension on the frame.

http://www.smallparts.com/products/descriptions/smw.cfm

[Eric Woodbury]

Mark, I can't answer that question directly, but when I built my first 4x5 I got to the same place. I took the back from an old Speed. Then when I did the 8x10, I bought replacement springs for a Calumet camera and used those.

[Geert]

hard welding rod does a good job.

G

[Terence McDonagh]

Hacksaw blade (or section of band saw blade) with the teeth ground off using an angle grinder. Very cheap, very good steel.

[eric mac]

The instructions for my Aletta 4x5 camera recommends using the spring metal from old windshield wiper blades. Although I ended up using a Grafloc back, I did start the back with the spring steel and it seemed like it would work. You could probably beg an old set form the corner service station. Or finally have an excuse (like yours truly) to finally replace the old set on your car.

Eric

[John Layton]

You can buy a roll of spring steel from a hardware or plumbers supply store. It might be called "fish tape" - I don't remember. I purchased a 30 ft. roll of this years ago for prototyping, and I think it cost all of 12.00. At any rate, it does take some care to work with. Any significant bending of this material may require that you heat it over a flame - but only enough to accomplish the bend, or it will begin to weaken considerably and lose its springiness. For drilling holes through this material, use high quality carbide or solid cobalt high speed drills, preferably with a drill press with some cutting fluid. You can also "adjust" the net amount of spring of this material by either giving the entire working length a slight bend, or by holding it for brief intervals (so it doesn't overheat) against a running belt sander.

[mark anderson]

Thanks for those ideas I need wipers on my truck anyway, i don't know why it's only got 270k on the odomiter, so i will check that material out. and i never thought of a plumbers snake either. the good news is that a member here has offered me some scraps of material he uses for his in a private e-amil (thank you thank you)