The concept that I call “The Floundering Fulcrum” starts at the beginning of every stroke. It continues to grow if not controlled, and robs your machine of speed and efficiency. Check it out!

A coil’s magnetic field is created in under 1 millisecond (.001 seconds), only to collapse as the circuit is broken with the contact screw (forgetting about the capacitor for the moment.) The magnetic field exists for as long as the contact is closed, right? In a typical machine the coils ignite much longer than they need to. So what? Excess energy creates heat. Heat is not only worrisome, it’s annoying! We’ve all had to put a machine down at one time or another because it gets too hot. So what part of the machine is responsible for moving the electrical terminals (contact screw and contact point) into and out of contact in proper alignment? The rear spring.

Aside from the obvious, (holding the top end together,) the rear spring serves two functions. First, it returns, or pulls, the armature bar/front spring back into contact (besides the obvious holding of the top end together.) Second, it restrains the downward movement of the armature bar so it hits the front coil in proper alignment

Picture your arms as the rear spring, the armature bar a piece of 2 x 4, the front coil a tent stake. If the 2 x 4 noses over at contact, the stake moves toward you. Strike it while it is firmly mounted (like the front coil to the frame.) What happens if your slap is off center? It burns your hands and starts a wave of pain that moves through your whole body (frame.) Yet when struck properly square, all power is transferred from the 2 x 4 to the tent stake. Let’s put it this way: driving finishing nails with the back-end of a ball peen hammer is a bad idea.

On a more anchored note, a lowered (about .030 inch) and angled (about 3 degrees) spring saddle would allow the rear spring to bend downward and still strike the front coil flush, without ever putting a bend on the spring. A better idea is not to bend the rear spring at all. Better to roll the spring gently upward, using the spring clamp as your fulcrum. This method helps avoid stress fractures at any one spot. Remember: no matter how much you spend on spring material, the material is not 100% perfect. Microscopic fractures already exist. If your springs last 6 months, they’ll probably outlast you.

Rockwell is the term used to specify spring materials e.g.: 60, 90. The higher the number, the harder and more dense the stock, keeping in mind, that harder (at least in this case) is not always better. Hard means brittle. Brittle springs are more likely to develop fractures. Harder springs also require more current to pull down compared to softer springs of equal width. More current…more heat…more heat…more problems, yada, yada, yada… Cutting this heavy rock is hell on shears. Be prepared to buy new snips for every 10 pair you make, ‘cause the duller the shears, the more sanding is required…more sanding… more heat…well this is getting about as dull as the shears. But, make sure that you sand the sheared edges you cut with the grain of the material. Electric current flows along the straight edge more rapidly then across the magnified saw blade edge. Look closely…”Emery paper please!” Sandpaper is glass. Hand working this step will keep the heat in check. That was painful, time for an Advil, better yet, an anvil.

Back to the fulcrum. As the armature bar makes contact with the front coil, even and accurately, the force can lift the rear end of the armature bar slightly. Wait, wait, wait! The leading front edge of the saddle is the downward fulcrum and should be slightly rolled to avoid scoring the underside of the rear spring. Almost as important is the upper spring clamp or stopping device.

The spring clamp is the upward fulcrum and puts the nix on any notion of rear spring side-to-side butterfly action. Without the spring clamp, the spring’s upward actions will set off an uncontrolled secondary wave of nervous vibration and spring distortion. More heat, more vibes, more pain, more carpal tunnel and slower working habits which means less money per hour. Of course none of this matters unless you’re in it for the long haul. Most of you are, so it matters. Sorry, subtle details, at least to me, are as obscurely obvious as right-handed threads. Stay tuned.