Need Help With Broken Fibre Needle Cutter SOLVED

[audiophile102]

I use my L&H fibre needle cutter almost every day. Today the spring inside the device broke. I'm pretty sure it lasted passed any manufacturer's warrantee so I will need to repair it myself. My question is where to I procure the material to replace the spring? I have a lot of broken Edison spring from my A250, but it's pretty tough to cut and almost impossible to bend. Can I use a hack saw blade or a blade from a sawsall? I have a lot of time these days to figure it out, but I could use some advise.

Broken Spring.JPG (57.34 KiB) Viewed 1657 times

[wjw]

If you heat the spring steel to red-hot and let it cool slowly you can easily bend, cut and drill it. To temper it again you first have to harden it by heating to red-hot and dunking it in water right away. Clean the scaling off and then you evenly heat it to a blue-purple color (500 degrees if you can measure it) and let it cool slowly.

[Inigo]

It must be very strong, I also use one L&H cutter, although lately I'm using the HMV type, which makes a stronger thicker point, that I've found works better.
I cannot figure out how to repair that, except trying to cut out the spring from a sweet steel sheet, then trying to temper it. Also trying to find out there another device that uses a similar spring, one of those blue steel elastic strips, and try to adapt it to the cutter. Maybe a any kitchen device as a can opener, or from a tool, as a stapler or whatever... Be imaginative and look around...

[mick_vt]

It must be very strong, I also use one L&H cutter, although lately I'm using the HMV type, which makes a stronger thicker point, that I've found works better.
I cannot figure out how to repair that, except trying to cut out the spring from a sweet steel sheet, then trying to temper it. Also trying to find out there another device that uses a similar spring, one of those blue steel elastic strips, and try to adapt it to the cutter. Maybe a any kitchen device as a can opener, or from a tool, as a stapler or whatever... Be imaginative and look around...

Use spring steel tape and punch holes - dont try to add temper

[mick_vt]

the taper is likely not all that necessary.

I would use a scrap of spring steel like you suggest, but would punch the holes. For cutting I would use a dremel

[Curt A]

You can probably locate a clock spring which is close to the same width....

[barnettrp21122]

The above suggestions are fine if originality is important.
Or you can do what I did when this happened to me:
Take a small strong coil spring and place it as pictured below.
Close up the cutter and you're good to go!
Hope this helps!
Bob

[Detrbear]

This looks like a piano trap spring.

You can find them on Amazon by searching for "piano trap spring" or maybe a piano supply company would be cheaper, though they may have a minimum order.

The thicker the steel, the stronger the spring.

Hope this is helpful!

[audiophile102]

The solution I went with was the one posted by Bob Barnett. I did consider buying the spring from a piano parts manufacturer, but Bob's was simple and easy. I drilled out the rivets holding the broken spring out so I could buy the spring if I wanted later. Many thanks to all who chimed in with advise especially Bob.

The view is from the back into the cutter and you can see the spring.

IMG_0582.JPG (81.06 KiB) Viewed 1435 times

[barnettrp21122]

Yay! Glad it worked!
Bob