Hi Bob,
Sorry I didn’t get back on and thank you for your advice before now.
I had heard of what you described as a fix in the past (by watching some kind of blacksmith documentary I imagine ). … Not springs, but other metal work - Samurai Swords comes to mind too!
Anyway, I was going to give it a go but first I wanted to chase up an email attempt that I’d made to someone 2 weeks previously that I had been surprised that I’d had no answer. … There had been a phone number on the guy’s website so I thought “let’s give the guy a phone”.
Long story short, a woman answers the phone and tells me the man I’m looking for passed away last April. … Explains why I got no email reply!
I imagine a lot of people on here knew this man; “Jim Perkins”. … I chatted with his wife for quite a while and she actually put me in touch with “MEAD Plant” who had a spring in stock - yeehaa!
It was going to take about a week to arrive so I was still going to have a go at fixing the original spring using your method, but a couple of days ago when I got down to it, I noticed that both “pigtails” of the spring were actually broken off. … Broken off, but each one was still there, wrapped around it’s locating point. … Damn! … The week was almost up so I just decided to wait a day or two more for the new spring.
It arrived the following day (yesterday), now fitted, and she started first kick last night and performed well.
I took the adjuster nuts off the rack extension and notice that with it all back together in the original adjuster position that the spring is not at rest or with the slightest of tension on it but actually stretched out by a good few mill (See pic). … How should this spring be at rest? … I imagine with no tension, or the slightest of tension as it holds the rack extension against the “stopper” of the governor rod arm.
I’ve attached a few pics - well, I’ll edit this post and add them in.
Thanks again for your help. … Was looking forward to trying your method but it wasn’t to be!
Regards,
David.