According to experts, it is possible to produce a spring with high performance and in compliance with all the necessary parameters only on special factory equipment. However, the process itself is not difficult.
The question of how to make a spring at home is quite relevant. This is due to the fact that there are situations when a home master may not have a spring of the required diameter at hand. In this case, you have to make it yourself. How to make a spring with your own hands? What tools will be needed for this? You will find information on how to make a spring at home in this article.
What do you need for work?
Before you make a spring, you need to get the following consumables and equipment:
- Steel wire.
- Mechanical vise.
- Conventional gas burner.
- The mandrel on which the wire will be wound.
- Thermal or household oven.
About wire
Preferably hardened high carbon steel. You can use special carbon and alloyed or non-ferrous alloys: 60HFA, 70S3A, 65G, 60S2A, etc. Judging by the reviews, many home craftsmen remake old unnecessary springs. This method is considered the most optimal, since such a product usually uses wire with excellent technical characteristics.
About diameter
How to make a spring? What wire diameter to choose? Experts recommend using consumables with a diameter of no more than 0.2 cm. Due to the fact that such a wire is easily bent, it does not require pre-heat treatment. Before winding on the mandrel, it is unbent and carefully aligned. When choosing a diameter for the mandrel, one should proceed from the dimensions of the future spring. In other words, the internal cross section of the product must be taken into account. Many craftsmen compensate for the elastic deformations of the wire by choosing mandrels of obviously smaller diameter. When working with wire thicker than 0.2 cm, it is often difficult to wind it around the mandrel. In this case, it will have to be pre-annealed.
Where to start?
Experts recommend using wire from some old spring, the diameter of which does not suit the owner. The master will havejust align it and wind it on a mandrel with a section of the desired size. To do this, the wire must be absolutely flat. It will be much more plastic if it is processed in a special furnace. In the absence of one, any other device that can be melted with firewood will do. According to experienced craftsmen, birch gives enough heat for firing. After kindling the stove, you need to wait for the firewood to burn out in it. Only coals should remain. They should put the old spring in them. If the product is hot enough, it will turn red. Now the spring can be pushed aside so that it cools in the air. After this procedure, the metal will become plastic and will be easy to work with.
How to make a spring?
After waiting for the old product to cool down enough, they begin to unwind it. An absolutely even wire should be wound on the mandrel. For those who do not know how to make a spring, experts recommend placing the coils close. At this stage, the master will have to make a physical effort. The mandrel is clamped in a bench vise.
Work will be much easier if you use pliers. Judging by the reviews of experienced craftsmen, very often beginners have difficulties in choosing the size of the mandrel. It is possible that you will have to work not with one mandrel, but with several with different sections. The diameter for a homemade spring in this case is selected empirically.
Product hardening
For those who are interested in how to make a spring yourself, experiencedmasters are also advised to pay attention to its hardening. This procedure consists in heat treatment of the product in order to give it the required elasticity.
A hardened spring becomes much harder and stronger than its original state. Heat treatment is carried out in special furnaces at a temperature of 830 to 870 degrees. You can also cope with this work at home using a conventional gas burner. Since there are usually no temperature sensors in such devices, the home craftsman will have to visually control the process. As a guide, you can use the color of the heated product. The metal, when heated to 800 degrees, becomes cherry red. This means that it is too early to take the product out of the oven. If the spring is hot enough (870 degrees), it will turn light red. Now it should be cooled down. For this purpose, transformer or spindle oil is suitable. In special factory thermal furnaces, metals are heated up to 1050 degrees. Products under this temperature regime acquire orange hues.
Final stage
After the hardening procedure, the spring should be compressed and left in this position for two days. Then, using a grinding machine, its ends are processed. This will give the handicraft the desired size. After completing all the above steps, the spring is considered ready for operation. According to experts, handicraft home-made products cannot be compared with similar factory-made products.production.
Nevertheless, non-standard springs are widely used in various mechanisms. If they are used sparingly, the springs will last long enough.
