Spring making tutorial, Toughbeard way

Count the number of "Full" coils on the original plastic part. in this case there were 4 plus the end parts. mark the coil places on a suitable item u will wrap the wire on. In this case I used a toothpick whick was the right dimension.

Leaving about 2 cms (about an inch) This is to make sure you can handle and bend the spring easier. Bend the wire (copper here) over the toothpick (or whatever you decide to use) Make sure to put half a turn more. this makes it easier to gauge the length and the number of coils. if long you can always trim to right size but if its short you have to remake the spring.

http://www.toughbeard.com/jpg/tutorials/spring/sprg_mkng1.jpg

here you can see the marks on the toothpick I used as a guide...

http://www.toughbeard.com/jpg/tutorials/spring/sprg_mkng2.jpg

Once carefully pulled out of the toothpick ( I MEAN carefully) you trim the two ends to the right length..

http://www.toughbeard.com/jpg/tutorials/spring/sprg_mkng3.jpg

Now place the spring back on the toothpick and shape the ends of the springs.

http://www.toughbeard.com/jpg/tutorials/spring/sprg_mkng4.jpg

Basically, you close the spring by touching the end of the spring to the coils. then you remove the spring again carefully and sand the ends of the springs with a flat file. just be paitient and let the file do the job. Dont force the file or you will just ruin all the work you have done. when you look at the spring from the top (you will see it as a circle) it should look shiny and flat. The end of the wire can be sanded hair thin where it touches the coil. Once you are sure, place the spring on the toothpick again and check for misalignment of the coils, the length, fix everything.

http://www.toughbeard.com/jpg/tutorials/spring/sprg_mkng5.jpg


Remove the spring and you are done...

http://www.toughbeard.com/jpg/tutorials/spring/sprg_mkng6.jpg

whats the size of the copper wire?

i only just figured this one out for myself a couple of months ago!

works awesome!

Solder works good too.

Winding the wire around a small bolt or screw instead of a toothpick will give consistant, uniform spacing between the coils too.