by raimundo » 7 Feb 2008 10:34
to make a snapper like I make, I use the wide and long type of wiper insert, lay the piece across the palm of your hand from one end and put a 90 degree twist in the metal, use about a half inch between the two pliers so there is room to twist the wide stock without tearing it off. Use locking pliers if possible, but try not to leave scars and tool marks,
from the 90 degree twist, on the long end of your piece of metal, make the spring loop, by winding the metal around a small mandrel, smaller than the intended spring loop because it will spring open to the dimension intended, from the long end of the twist. the spring loop goes around the metal one and a half times, dont worry about making it perfect, adjusting the round spring will be one of the final steps.
after the spring loop, you make another 90 degree twist, now you have a spring loop with one end a twist and the length of the width of your palm
and the other end as long as the metal stock from a wiper.
on the short end, make a cut from the under side of the short end about as long as a six pin keyblade, from tip to shoulder. Do the cut with a quarter inch chainsaw file, go about halfway through the metal stock, the cut is now used for measuring the rest of the work, on the long end, you make a twist/bend, like the path of a plane doing a tilt one wing down into a straight down dive. You get the equivalent of a 90 degree bend and a twist in one shorter lenth, and it moves the metal stock about a quarter inch off the center of the top bar of the striker. It should now pass the round groove you cut in the lower bar just behind it. make a box between one inch and two inchs, with a flat bottom, (this is the striker surface, and any curves in it will affect the strike causeing lateral movement.)
bring the end of the long part of metal up to the top bar and make a 90 degree bend outward. cut off the long part of metal left over, and round and sand the thumb button that comes off the 90 degree twist.
the box is behind the groove that marks the sixpin key lengh? good, you now need to waste the lower part of the metal from the round groove to the tip sixpin length away, with a flat file or a grinder.
at this time you need to refine the needle a bit, but because the striking surface is the natural rounded edge of the wiper stock, its already smooth, just make the needle uniform in thickness or with a very slight taper to the tip of the needle. and round the square edges on the bottom cut that you make, (general good practice to round square edges that do not contribute to the function, they cause problems that smooth and round will not.
At this time you can refine the curves of the spring coil, and adjust anything in length that may need it, to set the coil you can hold it over the kitchen flame but try to make the heating even, by moving it as it heats, (take off the pot holder irons so you can get right into the flame) and then set the spring by quenching in hot water. After this, adjust the two arms coming off the spring so that they are between 60 and 90 degrees when the needle is out of the box/striker
Wake up and smell the Kafka!!!
