Looking for windup springs

[dbb-the-bruce]

I've been searching for a good source for the kind of springs you find in clocks and wind-up toys, There seems to be surprisingly few out there.

So far I've only found these on McMaster-Carr, they are expensive and not a lot of choices:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

I also found really nice looking spring motor assemblies from a manufacturer but they are clearly going to be expensive and probably not sold individually.

I guess I could probably learn to wind my own but that's a whole other direction when all I really want to work on is making wind-up mechanicals.

I have bought about 20 cheap wind up toys from china from Amazon, and was planing on cannibalizing them. However the springs are small with not a lot of run time. I know I'm going to want better.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[RJSakowski]

Take a look at replacement springs for recoil starters. Engines come in all sizes from weed whackers to double digit hp engines. You should find some to fit your needs.

 

[RJSakowski]

Another source would be old tape rules.

 

[middle.road]

I've been searching for a good source for the kind of springs you find in clocks and wind-up toys, There seems to be surprisingly few out there.

So far I've only found these on McMaster-Carr, they are expensive and not a lot of choices:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

I also found really nice looking spring motor assemblies from a manufacturer but they are clearly going to be expensive and probably not sold individually.

I guess I could probably learn to wind my own but that's a whole other direction when all I really want to work on is making wind-up mechanicals.

I have bought about 20 cheap wind up toys from china from Amazon, and was planing on cannibalizing them. However the springs are small with not a lot of run time. I know I'm going to want better.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

I have a ton of clock springs in a box from an estate sale where the gent was into clocks, (horologist?).
Let's see if I can remember to dig out the box and take some picts tomorrow.
I didn't have the guts to trash them when I was sorting them out, perhaps this is why...
...
..
.

 

[addertooth]

You really didn't specify the type of movement you are trying to operate. If you are planning something mid sized, wound steel banding strips, which have been heat treated to a "spring temper" is a good mid-sized option.

 

[francist]

Welcome to TimeSavers | Worldwide distributor of clock parts and repair material

TimeSavers is a worldwide distributor of clock repair parts and repair material. We've been in business since 1975. We inventory 1000's of keys, pendulums, dials, hands, bezels & dial pans, clock weights, chime rods, bells & gongs, Bushing material and tools, clock chain & cable, cuckoo parts...

timesavers.com

Primarily clock springs but also some for musical movements.

 

[C-Bag]

Welcome to TimeSavers | Worldwide distributor of clock parts and repair material

TimeSavers is a worldwide distributor of clock repair parts and repair material. We've been in business since 1975. We inventory 1000's of keys, pendulums, dials, hands, bezels & dial pans, clock weights, chime rods, bells & gongs, Bushing material and tools, clock chain & cable, cuckoo parts...

timesavers.com

Primarily clock springs but also some for musical movements.

Wow! That is crazy, how could you even figure out which main spring you need? Did you see that list....100’s of them all by some kind of spec. Can’t remember why I was looking for one of those spring motors that like the old toys used and nobody uses those anymore. It’s probably cheaper to use electric.

 

[francist]

Yup, kinda have to know what you’re doing a little, eh? Probably why I always ended up buying a range of 6 or 8 different suspension springs in order to find the one I would ultimately use....

 

[dbb-the-bruce]

I have a ton of clock springs in a box from an estate sale where the gent was into clocks, (horologist?).
Let's see if I can remember to dig out the box and take some picts tomorrow.
I didn't have the guts to trash them when I was sorting them out, perhaps this is why...
...
..
.

Thanks! that would be awesome.

 

[dbb-the-bruce]

@francist - TimeSavers is just what I was looking for, thanks! I'll probably buy a couple of mainspring assemblies to mess around with.

Other responses/comments:

Spring motors are really cool, I found this series of vids on rebuilding a victrola motor:

It's a bit much to watch all 4 end-to-end but will give you a really clear idea of how a two spring motor works.

The stuff I'm thinking of is on a smallish scale - windup toys and clocks scale. I did find a few "other use" springs - drill press quill return (etc) that could be made to work but really aren't quite right. A pull cord recoil spring falls into this category.

Not sure about a tape measure spring, but I think that works backwards. McMaster-Carr has a large assortment of constant force springs (you can find these all over the place from other sources). These springs provide a linear motion as they wind back up - like a tape measure. Could be fun to work into a mechanical oddity as a linear motive force instead of rotary.

Thanks for all the help!
-Dave