Broken spring help

[anto44]

I was given 2 of these Reelcraft retractable extension leads by a mate. He said one wasn't retracting, I've opened it up and found the end broken off the spring.
This is what I've found.

The end of the spring should hook onto the step on the silver piece.
Here's the broken off piece showing how it should sit.

It's a simple shape to bend into the end of the spring if it's possible. Does anyone know how to go about heating spring steel so it can be bent into shape. If I heated the end red hot and bent it to shape what effect would this have on the steel.

 

[Cobbler]

I've done this with clock springs, I used to repair them as a bit of a hobby years ago. I just heated the end to take the temper out & redriiled or reshaped the end. I never retempered it after, you may well find the end was never tempered to start with.

 

[Bladevane]

Heating it to red then allowing to slow cool would soften it to allow bending into the correct shape. The spring must then be hardened and tempered. Have a look here http://springsteelstock.co.uk/hardening-and-tempering/

 

[anto44]

I'll give it a try without retempering it and see how it goes. My back up plan if I can't repair the spring is to just remove it altogether and fit a knob on the reel so it can be rewound manually. The construction of it is really impressive, the rotating contacts are nice and heavy duty and it's fitted with good quality cable.

 

[pedrobedro]

If you heat it to red with a blow lamp to bend it then let it cool heat it back up to red and quench in oil then when cool dip it in oil and heat it till the oil burns off. I read it somewhere and it's worked for me a couple of times.

 

[Jlg]

I'll give it a try without retempering it and see how it goes. My back up plan if I can't repair the spring is to just remove it altogether and fit a knob on the reel so it can be rewound manually. The construction of it is really impressive, the rotating contacts are nice and heavy duty and it's fitted with good quality cable.
View attachment 162964

Just heat it to red and bend it I've done it hundreds of times with pull start springs for my rc cars and I've never had them brake unless I do something wrong

 

[angellonewolf]

done quite a few on lawn mower engines i started heating and tryed them but they broke stright away

i found just leave on top of a radiator for a day bend and install work quite a few times if fact i think im still useing a hedge trimmer i did it to 2 years ago

 

[Kent]

I was given 2 of these Reelcraft retractable extension leads by a mate. He said one wasn't retracting, I've opened it up and found the end broken off the spring.
This is what I've found.
View attachment 162959
The end of the spring should hook onto the step on the silver piece.
Here's the broken off piece showing how it should sit.
View attachment 162960
It's a simple shape to bend into the end of the spring if it's possible. Does anyone know how to go about heating spring steel so it can be bent into shape. If I heated the end red hot and bent it to shape what effect would this have on the steel.

Oh my mate has one on his hose reel After a few rewraps you get used to it

You can aneal a spring in the std heat n sliw cool in vermiculite or do a fair job in dry sand heated
You must however do more with it or it will just be too bendy Harden by heating to dull red and quench in oil then temper to blue (on thin like his you will have to flame off rather than temper to oxide colour.. Tbis is done by coating the hardened spring with a thick flamable grease and heating with flame till the grease is all but burned away

In reality - too much effort over buying a new spring but yeah it can be done but rather you than me and i can make springs and do

 

[whm_fab]

for something un-critical as that, i dont think you would have to do any of that to be honest, just heat it glowing red and bend, let it cool slowly.
it will still be more than strong enough after that id say, very little pressure on that

 

[chris pruteanu]

Exactly what whm fab said, get it bent into shape and see how long it lasts, chances it will be suitable for the job without any more tempering...

 

[Screwdriver]

Wondering if you could make a thin collar that slips over the spindle and engages in the existing mounting, then just tack/spot/plug weld, pin or even glue the broken end to that.

 

[Kent]

for something un-critical as that, i dont think you would have to do any of that to be honest, just heat it glowing red and bend, let it cool slowly.
it will still be more than strong enough after that id say, very little pressure on that

You mean normalise the spring steel. It could work to grip but then it will be under a lot of forces in use
Frankly yes its not worth it get another i was trying to. Point that out via how the true fix wasn't worthwhile in terms of money, time and effort
Having re wound one twice (two man job) i wouldn't bother again, if i was on the clock rather than lending a hand to a friend and neighbour who always reciprocates it would have cost double the new unit price

 

[Migmac]

I’ve bent them cold. Last as long as the ones i’ve heated.

 

[Kent]

I’ve bent them cold. Last as long as the ones i’ve heated.

If you get lucky and they dont break During or in use its not a bad thing to try on time / economy

 

[Screwdriver]

Just out of interest, am I right in thinking those parts are not "displayed" in the correct orientation?

I am assuming the broken tang fell out and has been put back in place "upside down".

I mention this because at first glance the retaining part appears to be a slot when now I look at it, I'd say it was just a triangular wedge cutout. if so, all you need is a small cube of steel (or a triangle wedge) which you can spot weld onto the end of the spring.

Once you start bending or heating and bending a large, high power spiral torsion spring, you're never going to get the critical area back to the correct temper unless you ruin the entire piece, sorry I mean heat treat the entire piece.

 

[whm_fab]

You mean normalise the spring steel. It could work to grip but then it will be under a lot of forces in use
Frankly yes its not worth it get another i was trying to. Point that out via how the true fix wasn't worthwhile in terms of money, time and effort
Having re wound one twice (two man job) i wouldn't bother again, if i was on the clock rather than lending a hand to a friend and neighbour who always reciprocates it would have cost double the new unit price

yep i know what you mean

admittedly ive never done one of them, but ive done the same job on countless broken pull starts on 2 and 4 stroke engines, bar the odd few, they all lasted very well with hard use after a cherry red heat and slow cool

 

[Migmac]

Just out of interest, am I right in thinking those parts are not "displayed" in the correct orientation?

I am assuming the broken tang fell out and has been put back in place "upside down".

I mention this because at first glance the retaining part appears to be a slot when now I look at it, I'd say it was just a triangular wedge cutout. if so, all you need is a small cube of steel (or a triangle wedge) which you can spot weld onto the end of the spring.

Once you start bending or heating and bending a large, high power spiral torsion spring, you're never going to get the critical area back to the correct temper unless you ruin the entire piece, sorry I mean heat treat the entire piece.

If you placed to two ends of the spring together it would look normal

 

[Screwdriver]

If you placed to two ends of the spring together it would look normal

Not in the orientation as shown.

 

[Migmac]

Looks to me like it is, looks like it’s sitting in a recess for the goose neck. Then again it maybe a shadow

 

[anto44]

I'll try get some better pictures tonight. The spring hooks onto the cut out in the hub, it's not attached to the hub as such, it just catches hold of it when you pull the cord out.
I've contacted the company in Ireland that sells these reels and they can get me a new spring in the new year, they're not expensive but there is a long lead time on them. I'm going to try bending it first and see how it goes, if it doesn't work I'll order a new one.