springs

I have a Pearl that is being restored and I need to replace the springs that tension the saddle arms that hold the rollers. I sent one original to Fritz at NA Graphics but it was lost en route, the only whole spring I had. Fritz has a guy that can make them but I need the specs, so he suggested I post here to see if anyone has already been through this so we wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel.
The are not magnetic but rather look to be a brass/bronze alloy, does any one know?
Thanks
Bill

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Sounds like phosphor bronze spring wire. It’s easier to work with and less prone to corrosion than spring steel. To wind a new one you’ll need to know the gauge (diameter) of the wire, the diameter of the coil, the number of turns, and what the ends look like.

Alex
Sorry to take so long to respond, I assumed replies would be indicated by email, but I guess not.
I will pass this along to both Fritz at NA Graphics and a friend of mine who is an accomplished machinist. Any idea where one would find phosphor bronze spring wire?
Many thanks
Bill

Alex
Sorry to take so long to respond, I assumed replies would be indicated by email, but I guess not.
I will pass this along to both Fritz at NA Graphics and a friend of mine who is an accomplished machinist. Any idea where one would find phosphor bronze spring wire?
Many thanks
Bill

I’m in the UK and I buy it in small quantities from a model engineering supplier called Reeves 2000. I believe they will ship overseas, though you can probably find a supplier in your own country and avoid the hassle and cost of international shipping. Winding springs by hand is pretty easy with phosphor bronze, I like working with it.

Perhaps try contacting this company? They would be able to make the finished springs too if you can find somebody else with the same press and a set of callipers who can measure an original spring for you.
http://www.peninsulaspring.com/products/materials/beryllium-copper/phosp...

Great I was at my friends last night he is a serious machinist but just didn’t have a source for the wire, this solves that problem many thanks to you.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Regards
Bill

Rubicon327, many thanks for your contribution. I had a machinist friend make up some springs out of steel wire to the dimensions of the original but the tension created was way too strong compared to the bronze springs that were on the Pearl. I’ll have to order some bronze wire and have them made from that since he has the jig already made for this lathe.

Alex I contacted Peninsula Spring (California) and they were really eager to help.Unfortunately they do not stock the phosphor bronze spring wire and I’d have to order the minimum stock @ about $400.00 US! The engineer I spoke with suggested to make the springs out of a thinner gauge steel wire that would replicate the tension of the original bronze. He would keep the dimensions of the original just the wire would be slighter.
I had a machinist make me a set of steel springs of the same gauge wire as the bronze springs, same size etc. and they were really hard to compress, so hard in fact that when I tested them the strength of the compressed springs as they traveled over the ink plate snapped the cast neck that holds the ink plate! I heard a dull thud and saw that the roller hook had deformed but when I didn’t see the ink plate ratcheting forward I saw the neck was broken……. two steps backward for me. Anyone have a spare early Pearl 3 neck for the inking plate?
I will contact the UK store that you use Alex, perhaps they have the bronze wire in stock?

For anyone else looking for this material it appears to be available at the shop in the UK, here is the direct link
http://www.ajreeves.com/phosphor-bronze-176-c.asp
Thanks Alex!