First off I would like to credit and thank Tshock for giving me the basic idea and for ToolyMcgee posting a photo of his plugspinner. Between the two postings this is what I came up with. It’s quick to build and works great.
TOOLS YOU WILL NEED:
Vice grips - smaller size.
Needle nose pliers
Bench Grinder and/or a flat file.
Dremel tool w/ cutoff wheel (could use grinder or hacksaw)
Drill press (might get by with a hand drill, but a drill press really helps).
MATERIAL LIST:
(01) 3/8 Stainless Steel rod (.124 diameter X 6.5 inches)
(01) 1/4 Wooden dowel (2 -4 inches)
(01) Mouse trap (mouse optional)
(01) Heat shrink (optional)
Step #1
Remove the spring from the mouse trap.
Cut the rod to approximately 6.5 inches in length using cutoff wheel, hacksaw or grinder.
Step #2
Make a mark the steel rod at approximately 4 inches from either end. File or grind a small flat spot in the rod. Don’t remove more then 1/3 of the rod thickness, or the rod will become too weak (see below photo).
After making the flat spot on the steel rod, drill a small hole through the rod (This is where the drill press is handy). Use the smallest drill bit possible that allows the spring wire to pass through. This can be a little tricky, but don’t worry if the hole is not perfectly centered, as long as there is metal left on both sides of the hole.
Note:
Here is a little trick I learned about using small drill bits when drilling metal. If you “short chuck†the drill bit it will help keep the drill bit from wondering around while starting the hole.
Step #3
You now need to shape the mouse trap spring, and mount it to the rod. As you can see in the Step #1 photo, one side of the spring is slightly shorter. This is the side you need to shape. Look at the following two photographs to get an idea how to bend and mount the spring. The main thing is that you get the spring wire through the hole.
Note: Make sure the spring is positioned on the longer side of the rod that’s divided by the spring hole.
Step #4
The next step is purely for looks, and can be skipped if you like. After getting the spring mounted on the steel rod, bend the tag end sticking through the hole 90° so it lays along the steel rod. Like drilling the hole, this can be a little tricky because the spring tag is so short. You must be careful not to bend the rod while bending the spring wire. If the rod does bend, don’t worry lust bend it back.
Once you have the spring bent over, don’t forget to dress up the end of the spring wire with a bench grinder or flat file.
I like to add a small piece of heat shrink to cover up the spring wire and hole. The heat shrink is only to clean up the looks (High speed - low drag).
Step #4
Now bend the handle, making sure the bend is on the opposite side of the spring. Make the handle about 1 inch in length, and make sure you line-up the bend with the long spring tag (this will allow the tool to lay flat for storage).
Step #5
Shape the end of the rod like a small slot-headed screwdriver. This will alow you to place the tool into the plug keyway. This will also allow you to turn plugs that are too stiff to turn with a tention wrench.
Step #7
Cut the wooden doweling to make the handle. Cut the length between 2-4 inches. You will need to drill a hole in one end with the same size drill bit used to drill the spring hole in the rod. The hole will need to be at least 1 inch deep.
Note:
Using pliers straiten the spring wire out, so you can slide the handle into place.
Step #8 (Optional)
Cover both the handles using heat shrink tubing for a more finished look.
The finished DIY Plugspinner ready for use.
Here are a couple of my new plugspinners. After making the first one, I can make them in less than 30 minutes now. The bottom spinner took a little longer, and took heat to bend the handle.
With the removable handle the plugspinner will easily fit in a small pick case.
Hope you found this useful, if you have any questions let me know.
Mike
