Spring Straps

[wetman]

I was just curious about the restrictor string that i'm sure we've all been made aware that is aboslutely necessary to put in the spring to keep it from over extending and becoming unsprung.

Has anyone actually tried that? I bought a bunch of springs last year and faithfully put my little restricto-string in there without a second thought.

However, i was just bored and put a pair of springs on a set of my backup fins for fun. I dont believe there is any way you could unspring the standard mcmaster-carr springs without doing it absolutely intentionally. Thos things are rock solid. I've got a single extra spring here that i clipped on something and pulled. It took a stretch of about 3 times the lenght of the spring before it was unsprung. That is not realistic in every day use. It got to the point where i was getting scared that it would give. I think that string is redundant. And if you pull it far enough to deform the spring, then you're abusing your gear.

Anyone else tried this?

steve

 

[el-ninio]

[However, i was just bored and put a pair of springs on a set of my backup fins for fun. I dont believe there is any way you could unspring the standard mcmaster-carr springs without doing it absolutely intentionally. Thos things are rock solid. I've got a single extra spring here that i clipped on something and pulled. It took a stretch of about 3 times the lenght of the spring before it was unsprung. That is not realistic in every day use. It got to the point where i was getting scared that it would give. I think that string is redundant. And if you pull it far enough to deform the spring, then you're abusing your gear.
]

I'm not convinced that the test was fair. when you actualy use the springs, you may pull just one side, or worse, you may pull a small part of one side, and then you hit deformation much, much faster.

if the spring still has a "good" part, you can try and deform it by pulling on just a part, and seeing what happens.

BTW, how did you connect the springs to the fins? I have a working prototype, from a thermoplastic material that will go soft in boiling water, and is still benable at aboout 40 deg C. it's grate for a prototyoe, but if you leave your fins in the car, the plastic may bend way out of shape.

 

[wetman]

Well, i put on some steel toes , stepped on the center of it and pulled very hard. The part under the boot wouldnt have moved, it was just the sides that stretched. And i'm pretty convinced that the amount of force it took would be enough to damage the connection before the spring itself. It was far more force than i would subject the fins to at any time for sure.

Connections - nothing fancy, and nothing fancy is needed. This is your 10 dollar spring strap solution. Nothing more nothing less.



steve

 

[hockeymulder]

Well, I don't know how, but my roomate managed to overstretch his spring straps even with the cave line inside.

 

[wetman]

Where did he get his springs? The ones i'm using are the ones at mcmaster-carr. No idea what they're made of steel-wise but maybe not all springs are created equal?

steve

 

[hockeymulder]

i'm not sure where he got them. he got them as a ready made spring strap setup. i believe they maybe from fifth dimension up in seattle. he's got size 13 feet in addition to DUI rock boots. i don't know if that contributed to it or not.

 

[Brutus23]

Hello Wetman,

Where did you get the clevis' for the composite fins in your picture? I have a set of quattros and like your idea for spring clips

Thanks,
Brutus

 

[wetman]

Those can be had at Canadian Tire or whatever your southern equivalent for a hardware store would be. Its a 3/16 shackle ( at least, thats the only measurement thats on the package for them.

It was actually mddolson (whos on this board) who came up with that one. Thought it was pretty ingenius. Especially for him

steve

 

[pcscuba]

You can also get those shackles at Lowes or Home Depot for 2-3 bucks

 

[mddolson]

wetman bubbled: "It was actually mddolson (whos on this board) who came up with that one. Thought it was pretty ingenius. Especially for him "


No, just clever!

Ingenious would have been finding a way to make em PINK!

By the way is that a pair of spring straps on your Vollos, Steve?

Mike D