leaf spring straightening

[iron766]

Hi guys i am endeavouring to make my version of the rusty/dusty/krusty power hammer and i am asking you how do i straighten the leaf spring? the sprig is in 5 separate sections at the moment due to cleaning off all the scale rust. their clean and ready to be straightened. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

[Blackbeard]

Heat up to red and hit with hammer! If you have a forge you can heat a small section at a time, then put it on a flat hard surface and hit with the hammer, if it loses colour return to forge.
Bb

[iron766]

thanks for that. i wasn't sure whether the heating of it would reduce the "spring" in the steel. thanks again.

[Paragon]

You could also use a fork design to straighten it some after heating of course. I would think.. but if you dont have a fork. hammering should work.

[ApprenticeMan]

heating would mess up the reason of using a spring. some guys park a truck or tractor on top of the spring and leave it for a few days, get's em straight. Could just leave it curved?

http://frogvalley.com/blacksmithimag...hammer%201.jpg

[skunkriv]

Left the curve in mine.

[Finnr]

Getting the spring isn't all that hard . The tough part is getting it re hardened and re tempered. That is best left to a spring shop. When i was checking into it I found that buying a new spring would be cheaper than having an old one reworked. If I buils a spring helve hammer I'll just leave the curve in the spring.
Finnr

[Ted T]

If I was the one building the hammer, I would not mess with any heat treating solution due to bending the spring.
That is because I am not qualified to apply or discuss heat treatment of any sort with leaf springs for purposes of restoring the original spring properties that it was designed for.
So, if it was me making the decision to heat, bend, and heat treat, I would avoid the heat treating issue completely just by leaving the spring in its natural shape.
Then I would adjust the springs installation orientation (angle of incidence) in such a manner that would maximize its use as it is presently shaped.
It may even give the hammer a more streamlined appearance!
Be safe!
Old Rusty Ted

[Paragon]

It will make it look like it is going fast when it is not even on.

[iron766]

thank you all very much for your suggestions. i think the best way to tackle this situation is to just leave it as is, without the neccessity of hardening and tempering.