Flat spring steel for repairing antique door locksets

Description: I've been trying to get old Victorian-vintage exterior and interior locksets working again. The biggest problem has been that the springs inside the lockset are often broken or missing. No one seems to have these, nor the original flat spring steel to make them from. After considerable searching I found a source for flat spring steel, and am offering lengths of it here. It is thinner than the old springs usually are, but stronger and of better steel so they won't break. Note that the 1/4" width is perfect for some springs, but not for others. Typically if the spring is not above or below another part it will fit; if it is you'll need to get a narrower spring or grind down the width of these ones in the areas where there is interference. Pick 1/8" wide if you need a narrower size. Also, in most locks the width isn't at all critical; if it fits, it will probably work fine. There are two thicknesses available for 1/8" wide springs, thicknesses are 0.020" (quite flexible) and 0.028" (quite stiff). The best thickness for locksets is 0.028" I think. In a 1/4" width is one thickness, 0.025". I've also added 3/8" wide, 0.025" thick springs. I needed to buy this for another purpose, and figured I'd add it to my listings. It's too wide for most locks but might fit some very large ones. I think people are buying my spring steel strips for things other than locks, and this item is mostly for such people. This item consists of two 7" lengths of this flat spring steel, which is enough to fix several locksets. You need to cut it to length and bend it to fit. Bending is easy with a couple of pairs of pliers. Cutting not so much, as normal diagonal cutters won't work on hard spring steel. I found that "compound diagonal cutters" cut this stuff easily, and I highly recommend buying a pair -- they're about $15 on Amazon, good Irwin ones (which I have and recommend) are about $35. The 3/8" width is hard to cut even with compound diagonal cutters, but it can be done. It's also possible to cut it part way through then snap it apart. Be careful when cutting any spring steel as it can fly off with considerable force. Wear eye protection and be away. You can also try cutting the spring steel with an angle grinder or a Dremel tool with a cut-off wheel. I've had buyers report success using this method (and I thank them for their suggestions). The last picture shows a spring installed in a lockset (you don't get the lockset). The left spring is an original; the right spring was made from the 1/4" x 0.025" flat spring steel offered here.When bending the stuff remember that you want a spring. Bend it to a shape that will fit where the old spring went, but will require considerable pressure to install. Getting all the bends exactly right usually doesn't matter. Note that there may be an occasional small spot of surface rust on this spring steel. It does not affect performance, and can be easily cleaned off with steel wool. A note about stock quantity: I package these up 6 or 8 at a time, and try to replenish stock when the available quantity gets below 2. If you want more than I have available, just ask, and I'll make what you need. If you want to buy these in bulk, let me know and I'll give you some good options...In yet another listing I'm selling brass bushings to tighten up doorknob shafts that rattle. The cams that the square shafts go into get worn, and you can't get replacements. It takes a little work to fit new bushings, but the results are spectacular. You can find a detailed article about both of these fixes by searching the internet for "exeye" (my eBay username) and "lockset repair". Track Page Views With Auctiva's FREE Counter

Price: 5.88 USD

Location: Haverstraw, New York

End Time: 2024-01-13T17:16:35.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD