Making paper springs

[outersketcher]

I've been working on a model design of a Honda ct90 motorcycle. I'd like to make the shocks actually work. But other than using an actual spring from say, a ball point pen perhaps. I haven't been able to figure out a way to make a paper spring. Which, of course, led me off on a whole new project...

How does one make a paper spring?

Any of you ever tried it?

Is it even possible I wonder?

David

[goney3]

I have never tried it... trying to think of how you'd do it... maybe paper maché, use two molds then glue them together? ... for something small, how about hollowing a paper lollipop stick and somehow lathing a spring shape?... i am very interested in the answer to this question as well. Thank you for posting this David

[dansls1]

There was a post on another forum (I honestly don't remember if it was cm.net or one of the German boards) about somebody using a screw and wet paper to mold springs. I don't think this helps you as the spring would have the appearance but not the actual flex of a real spring - but it's the closest I've seen.

[whulsey]

Paper doesn't have the resistance or "memory" of metal so you could use dansls1 idea for a paper spring, but it wouldn't probably have much spring to it.

[shrike]

If you impregnated the paper with epoxy resin, you could make leaf springs pretty easily.

Perhaps even make volute springs that would work, but I doubt if you could get coils to spring at all.

You could cheat and build ball point springs into the shock body, and have a faux spring outside. The hidden spring would provide the ..um..springiness, while the paper spring would just flex.

[Stev0]

With thick card and a steady hand and a sharp blade, you could carve the edge so that you shave away a wedge of card like peeling a potato or an apple. As you shave away the edge the material will naturally want to curl and you end up with a spring like shape.

A good material for this would be matte board and make sure you cut with the grain which is kind of hard to tell.

[CharlieC]

I think you'd be defeated by the properties of paper - it has virtually zero elasticity. The easiest way I've found to make model springs is to wind annealed (*) copper wire onto a screw thread - this gives the right diameter and close to the right pitch for a model spring. The only hassle is finding the right sized thread to act as a guide.

Regards,

Charlie

* - Copper is annealed by heating to red heat and plunging into water.

[Paperbeam]

IMHO the pen spring seemed the best bet.

As the Germans found out in WWII (despite some of their impressive technological breakthroughs), there's always the possibility of too much overengineering...

Terry

Ping-Pong Ball Cannon and N/Z scale Old West paper models (free samples) at: http://www.paperbeam.com

[SteveM]

paper springs are possible, but not like a helical metal spring, more like a bellows:

http://guru2.karakasa.com/recoil_esc...apement_e.html

[whulsey]

That is a really interesting site. Thanks