The spring that sprung!

[Frenchy]

Like many people, I like to open my toys and look inside them. Every once in a while I see a spring then later hear tick... no spring!

If you’re like me, you know exactly where you stand then. And no amount of cussing will help find that spring. It has sprung!

Fortunately for me, I like to take many things apart. And many things have springs in them! For example, that mean little spring in a Ruger .22 mark II that holds the percussion pin forward can be found in most convenience store if not in your pocket.
If you find one of these to be worn out, and or broken/rusted, you can easily contact Ruger or your gunsmith, and they will tell you this mean little spring costs around $15 after shipping, naturally you can lower the cost by ordering a few hundred of them.

If you open up a Bic lighter, you will find a spring that holds the gas button up, and a spring that pushes the flint up, the flint spring is the one you’re looking for here. .99 cents will buy you a brand new Bic lighter; most of your friends will give them to you if you just ask them. Cut the spring to length, and you have an instant replacement spring, it’s even tapered at one end like the original! Just push the blade from the old spring into the new one, and your done!
The spring that pushes the button up is much longer but the same as the spring you will find under the sear of a Remington 597 .22 rifle.

When ever you take apart small things like clock or radio, video... and don’t intend to put them back together, just want to look inside, keep the little screws and the springs, you never know where you might need one!
Have other screws and springs you have found usefull in your gun hobby, post them here.

[LittleRedToyota]

haha...i feel your pain.

i don't have any cool spring replacement ideas like yours, but i have taken to taking things with springs/small parts inside of them apart inside of a box.

that way, if the spring springs or the small parts fall out, they are usually contained by the box and, thus, easy to find.

(i use a box with a lid and only open the lid as much as necessary to put my hands and the part in the box and be able to see what i am doing.)

[jdlv4_0]

3 words: Craftsman Magnetic Mat

The other night I got called out in a hurry for work and had to leave 3 1911s apart on the table, I come home 7 hours later and I have a pile of springs and extractors, etc. etc. on the floor courtisey of my cats...never again.