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Jayd
Tinkerer
Username: Jayd
Post Number: 18
Registered: 06-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 03:32 pm: | 
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Being a rookie repair person well have done a little over a long time but still no pro, I seem to have a problem with springs getting away usually during disassembly or assembly!
I have a soft rubber work surface so things don’t bounce but springs can Fly!
Anyone have a tip ? work in a barrel with magnetic sides ?
I just lost the spring out of the syncro gear of my Kodak Retina IIa and am unlikely to find it.
Thanks for any help
Jay |
Nickon51
Tinkerer
Username: Nickon51
Post Number: 12
Registered: 05-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 07:29 pm: |
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There's no easy answer to that one. If they just fall on the floor, a strong light is the best aid to finding them. The "flyaways" rarely turn up until you are doing a major room shift.
Over time I have developed a habit of trying to place a spare digit over part of the spring.
A gun enthusiast told me he used to work with a white sheet over his head. I don't think it was a leg pull because it sounds feasable. A sheet in front of your work angled inwards would work, or one of those white boxes made for photgraphing small objects would also work. Have a look in the flash accessories section of eBay.
I have also been known to sort through the vacuum cleaner bag, unpleasant but I did find the spring.
Good luck
Greg |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 619
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 09:35 pm: |
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If possible, work in a room with a very clean, hard (linoleum or vinyl) floor. If you drop a screw or spring on the floor, turn out all the lights and get a good flashlight.... lay the light on the floor so that the light skims across the floor surface. A small object like a spring or screw will cast a long shadow and become more visible. Of course, specks of dirt cast long shadows too, hence the "very clean" part. |
Dragunov
Tinkerer
Username: Dragunov
Post Number: 82
Registered: 10-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 11:08 pm: |
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another bugger is those tiny 0.5mm ball bearings used for click stops... lost one somewhere near my compy. and the irony is that I almost got it... |
Scanogram
Tinkerer
Username: Scanogram
Post Number: 13
Registered: 04-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2008 - 05:50 am: |
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Also on hard floors, use an old speaker magnet to skim the floor for the part. |
Jayd
Tinkerer
Username: Jayd
Post Number: 24
Registered: 06-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2008 - 03:45 pm: |
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Thanks for all the suggestions I have used the sweeping acrossed the floor with a bright flash light and it really works! Makes things look a lot bigger. I'm building a work area with electro magnets in the walls so parts will stick when they flyaway, seriously I think getting a better hold or multiple holds on these things is the real solution, I've tried working in a magnetic parts holder tray but that was not so good it magnetizes everything! And I can't find my degasser to demagnetize tweezers now. I would like to come up with some sort of enclosure for these high risk parts like this spring that are so small that even under the best circumstances they are very difficult to find let alone in a cluttered basement where I'm working. |
Don
Tinkerer
Username: Don
Post Number: 34
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2008 - 05:21 pm: |
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Try covering part of the spring w/a piece of masking tape before removing it. |
August
Tinkerer
Username: August
Post Number: 17
Registered: 06-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2008 - 06:24 pm: |
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I have a thing I bought at a hardware store which is a strong magnet about half an inch in diameter attached to the end of a telescoping rod that is like an old radio or walkie-talkie antenna. It's used for picking up screws and things that have fallen into hard-to-reach places, but can also be skimmed across a floor or carpet and will pick up whatever is on/in there. |
Ethostech
Tinkerer
Username: Ethostech
Post Number: 97
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 07:36 am: |
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Flying Springs ? We've all been there at some time.
I eventually had to find a solution which involves techniques to ensure that the DON'T fly. But - as a belt and braces you can't beat a magnet from a redundant 10 inch loudspeaker. Pop it in a transparent plastic bag., tie on a length of cord and drag it around the workshop floor. It won't find the spring which popped into the casserole on the cooktop - but if its on the floor - you will absolutely find it.
Hope this helps. |
Seanmckinney
Tinkerer
Username: Seanmckinney
Post Number: 5
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 28, 2008 - 11:52 am: |
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A glove box perhaps. I wear an apron which is caught to the underside of the table. |
