0.160" x 0.014" spring steel

[DFMiller]

My neighbor is looking for a small piece of spring steel to fix the Jack in his "new" 1970 Lotus Elan Plus 2 jack. Any ideas where I might find some in Canada. If I recall Brownells probably wont ship this to Canada.

I have suggested either a slightly larger piece of music wire or a 0.014" feeler gauge.
Or I can buy a 50 foot roll of 0.015" spring steel stock at KBC :-(
Any suggestions appreciated.


Thanks
Dave

[darryl]

Now and then when I'm out walking, I see these steel strips laying at the side of the road. I've brought several home. They are very springy, and are 1/8 wide by .030 thick. Someone here once said they are bristles from a street sweeper. Not quite the dimensions you asked for, but they do make good flat springs.

[Westline]

My neighbor is looking for a small piece of spring steel to fix the Jack in his "new" 1970 Lotus Elan Plus 2 jack. Any ideas where I might find some in Canada. If I recall Brownells probably wont ship this to Canada.

I have suggested either a slightly larger piece of music wire or a 0.014" feeler gauge.
Or I can buy a 50 foot roll of 0.015" spring steel stock at KBC :-(
Any suggestions appreciated.


Thanks
Dave

Most putty knives have spring steel blades.
I made a reed valve plate for my Devillbiss out of one of those.
The thickess you can get is a bit limited but just get a knife with a long enough blade and cut it with a grinder to size.

Kobus

[Uncle O]

Westlines idea is a very good one. Go look at the selection at the Hardware store....if they are too thick, perhaps you, or someone you know close by has a surface grinder ?

[RussZHC]

Westline's thought will be a shorter route but screen door handles with push knobs can have a bit in them as can those door stops that you kick down to hold a door open (have no clue as to the dimensions).

Some of the coil rewind mechanisms on small motors can as well but quite a variation so not sure which would be first suggestion...

[boslab]

last time i needed some similar stock i bought a cheap wind up alarm clock, loads of it in there![careful mine attacked me!]
mark

[gwilson]

You can get tubes of flattened spring steel wire from places like Brownell's gunsmith supplies(I think),MSC,or McMaster Carr. They are assorted sizes of flattened wire with round edges.

[Evan]

Steel banding for strapping goods for shipment is a good source.

[DFMiller]

Evan,
That's a good place to look.
GW just checked Brownells, there stuff is too thick.
Thanks
Dave

[Rustybolt]

Steel banding for strapping goods for shipment is a good source.

Not really very springy.

Seat belt retractor, or a lawn mower pull start. or a tape measure retractor.

[gwilson]

He'll have to buy some 1095 sheet,and shear off the width he needs,I suppose.

[metalmagpie]

If you take a used windshield wiper blade apart you will find two little strips of spring steel that can be very useful in the shop. A slightly larger sized piece can be had from an oil dipstick from a junkyard.

[EddyCurr]

Edit - Oops, I see Evan already posted the following suggestion.

Steel strapping, as used by shippers for securing palletized loads, has been
a source of flat spring material for me.

In my area, the conventional strapping (dark finish) is described as 0.020"
thick. You can find this material pretty much anywhere commercial goods
are handled - the used remainders from incoming shipments ought to be free
for the asking, I imagine that a foot or two of new material would be, too.

If 0.020" is too heavy, there is also a light gauge stainless sold for strapping
which is described as 0.014". I can't suggest what common application
this might be used for or where you would find short pieces of it, however.

Steel Strapping in a catalog

.

[EddyCurr]

If you take a used windshield wiper blade apart you will find two little
strips of spring steel that can be very useful in the shop.

Thanks, this is a good observation.

.

[gwilson]

I wonder if strapping material is high carbon enough to make a strong enough spring. After all,you can bend it down flat easily,and with a good spring,that would snap it.