How the heck am I to strighten this thing?

[lukebailey]

Ive hit it with a hammer. Ive tried bending it. Now this is the current strategy:

I am starting to think the junkyard gave the leaf springs from an armoured personell carrier. I would like to turn it into a sword, the steel is amazing. However, I simply cant find a way to bend it. And something tells me that a few hundred pounds of prolonged force on something used to holding up a car isnt going to do the trick. Has anyone else ever straightnened out one of these before? It has proven more resilient than anything ive seen.

[matt87]

This may be stating the obvious, but... you tried getting it hot first?

[lukebailey]

Originally Posted by matt87

This may be stating the obvious, but... you tried getting it hot first?

Lol I should have mentioned I dont plan to use the forge. The purpose of getting spring steel was to already have good temper, and not have to re-create it.

[JerryCarroll]

I read the same stuff about straightening auto springs by parking a tractor or heavy vehicle on the reverse side of it bending it backwards---no luck!! My buddy Scott sez "why do you think they call them springs dude??" Anyway I bought some flat stock and am leaving the heavy straightening to the fellows with the tools to do it without risking damage to my parts or whatever is parked on the spring.

[Mlmartin15]

when you cut and shape the steel your more than likely to loose the temper any way, if you cut it with a torch then the temper is gone, use a plasma the temper is gone, cut it with a cutting wheel and it will heat up, unless you cut really really slow, then yo would have to grind the edge, and unless you ground really slow you would loose the temper, and since you said that you have already been beating it with a hammer there is probably micro fractures in the steel,(most springs don't like hard impact) springs do make great knives , but not at a spring temper(blue), they have to be re temped to a straw color at the edge

[blubrick]

Well, if you really want to do it cold, perhaps something like this thing might help. If that guy uses it to arch his leaf springs to match a specific curve, you could probably use the same tool to straighten an already arched leaf.

Be patient though - it might take a while

[Paragon]

No way you are going to bend that without a multi-ton press. It is made to hold a car, it is a spring, and would probably snap before you are able to get it straight.

Re: that bender.. would be easier paying for a straight piece the dimensions you need.

[JWBIRONWORKS]

Somethings just aren't worth the fight, throw it in the forge.

John

[ThomasPowers]

There is a website out there that advocates cold straightening leaf springs for a sword. DON'T DO IT! It's pretty much guarenteed to up the likelyhood of catastrophic failure by orders of magnatude. (Read this as in "I just killed someone by being dumb")

The swords made that way tend to weigh several times what a real medieval europen sword did as the lack of fullers, appropriate distal tapers, etc.

If you want to cold work a piece of leaf spring for a sword; go to a leaf spring company and have them make you a straight one. OTOH if it's a Mom&Pop business talk with them about buying a straight piece un tempered and then having them heat treat it when you are done. *Lots* easier to do the work right on a softer piece of steel.

For pretty much the same viewpoint reiterated by lots more people check over at the swordforum.com bladesmithscafe forum and do a search on the topic.

[tecnovist]

I have straighten a lot of leaf springs some 60mm wide by 6 or 8 mm by useing a BIG hammer 13 pound and a real large Block of hard wool 700mm high 600mm wide--- have some cord / rope to stop the spring from going onto orbit. if you hit it worng or it brakes in 2 ---
--I then sharpen about 6 inches of the side of the spring steel tool that is 600mm long to make a hammer slasher for cutting cars up ---I hit them with a 4 pound hammer to cut panal steel and the like ---I tip water from a plastic coke Bottle onto the hot part to stop up setting the temper..as i sharpen them with a 7 inch grinder.. I have the gringer in one hand and the water Bottle in the other.... I have a Roveing Vice on one 44 gallon drum and another 44 gall drum to put the grinder on.. I have Holes slashed in the top of the drums , some were for the water to go stops me getting wet--

--to add ,,Make shore eveyone has a hard hat on ---