Source for Very Small Springs??

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I am trying to find some metal springs to the following spec, or as close as possible:

Compression spring, approx. 6 coils in the spring

Wire: .35mm diameter

Spring Diameter: 4.0 to 4.5mm [critical]

Length: at least 4mm, [longer can be cut to length]

Anyone know of a source?

Thank you

Tanked

2

I am not 100% sure but I think WWW.MICROMARK.COM sells a kit that has a assortment of super small springs of differant sizes.

Mike

3

Mike

Did you mean Item # 81774 - “101 Assorted Springs”??
I got that but most are between 1" & 3" long & way wider than I need - outside the ‘super small’ range - did I pick the wrong item??
Thanks
Tanked

4

http://www.springsfast.com/springs-products.htm

[?]

5

I didn’t go through the metric to english dimension exercise, but I will say that my local TruValue hardware store had a selection of very small springs. They were in the area where they have a lot of drawers with all the different size nuts, bolts, washers, cotter pins, et cetra. It was a small box that had a selection of various types of very small springs. The large screen door springs were hanging somewhere else.

6

Check Northwest Short Line. They have an assortment of springs that may suit your needs. For example, they offer springs to fit steam locomotive driver suspensions.

7

For HO I can find NWSL 53-14004 &14014 ‘wimpy’ & ‘light’ Loco Driver springs on the Net but I haven’t a clue what they do or look like.

Anyone purchased any of these & can describe them, or their dimensions??

Also, I think NWSL was sold a while back- are they still in MT or gone somewhere else??

Thanks

Tanked

8

I don’t really know anything about these folks, but you might give them a call: http://www.motiondc.com/micro_springs.htm

You might also try: http://www.mrspring.com/

9

Thanks for leads - They both look likely, however I just stumbled on what I think will do the trick at Small Parts. Inc

Searching Google for .18" OD & .014" thick wire spring I hit this one:

http://small-parts-inc.amazonwebstore.com/B000FODCTC/M/B000FODCTC.htm

I think with a bit of shortening it will suffice.

Had I searched in Imperial rather than Metric initially I may have cirumvented the need for these posts. However, I have mentioned the above source in case other people are looking for small springs.

Tanked

10

Those NWSL driver springs are just very small coil springs. roughly 2mm in diameter x 2.5 - 3mm tall. All the springs I have are currently installed in my loco’s so the height measurement is an estimate. The “light” and “whimpy” designate the spring rate.

John.

11

Check the index in your Walthers catalog under–are you ready for this?–SPRINGS and see if there’s something there you might use.

12

NWSL was originally in Seattle, but was purchased last year by a Montana --based new owner. They are now in Montana (see www.nwsl.com) and there they will be for the foreseeable future.

13

Are you ready for this?? - I don’t have a Walthers catalog.

I shall go & find one.

Thanks

Tanked

14

You don’t have to buy one. Just go to the Walthers site, www.walthers.com, and put “spring” in the search box. Unfortunately, you won’t in most cases see what the springs look like, but I’m not sure that the paper catalog will have any better descriptive information than what you’ll get on-line.

15

I had a look. Searched ‘springs’ & got about 13 pages - anything with ‘spring’ anywhere in the title or description.

The problem with the Rivarossi springs I have been looking for is that for their functionality they are pretty specific as to diameter & wire thickness. They go over a bolt & fit inside a ‘tube’, so diameter is critical.

Whilst in the Walther’s catalog I looked up Rivarossi & noted not a lot of items & many of those were showing as ‘Discontinue once sold out’

Are Walthers still the main Rivarossi distributor in USA or has that been sold off to someone else?? - for a main distributor I thought stocking levels were low.

Tanked