Coupler spring replacement


Or build yourself a "Richochet Room." Cut one end off a shoebox, and tape a small plastic grocery bag over the open end. Punch two holes through the bag for your hands. Put a bright desk lamp shining down into the box, toss in your tools, couplers and springs and cover it with a sheet of clear acrylic, so you can see what you are doing (clear acetate would work too, provided you could keep it from sagging too much). Viola. The little buggers can still get away, but they can't hide.

That said, I like the thread idea ^ better, provided you can hold onto them from the sides (without losing them) and put a needle and thread through the end and back out again at the same time.
 
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I don't think I'll be making a "Richochet Room" but I did get a chuckle from the idea. No, I think my biggest mistake was not using a vise. I like the thread idea but I don't think it will be necessary.
 
josephbw said:
A couple of years ago I bought a bunch of the 148 whisker springs and installed them on all 700+ of my cars. No more spring launching for me. 😁
Joe
Click to expand...
How does buying Whisker couplers eliminate replacing coupler springs?
The whisker eliminates having to use the tinsel bronze plate that centers the coupler. The spring we are talking about is what closes the coupler.
 
Makes me wonder why they aren’t glued in the first place or maybe make the nubs a tad longer to hold them.
At least the springs come blackened now, looks so much better.
 
A little late to the conversation, but I do exactly as Ken posted in post #2. I haven't lost too many over the years, but I like the thread idea. I have a surplus of springs, as in the old days of having to purchase the #5's in the 4-pack, there was usually 3-4 extra springs and they were also always in addition to the ones already installed. I now purchase the #148's in the package of 50, but with the exception of a few cars with still working Accumate couplers, all of my rolling stock is now equipped with Kadees. Sad as it may seem, I still have to replace those ScaleTrains couplers out with Kadees.
 
Re: using CA glue to hold the spring in place

I don't recall where I saw it, but I recall a similar tip using Elmer's White Glue to hold one end of the spring... but let the Elmer's Glue dry before trying to attach the spring at the other end. When the first end has dried, then use the White glue to apply a "tiny dot" of glue at the other end, then compress the spring and slip it into place. When that is done, let the glue on the second end dry... then put that coupler back into service.

The idea is the same for both glues, CA and Elmer's. But the Elmer's is not a "permanent" bond like the CA, so that if you do get some glue on a supposed-to-be moving part, you can wiggle the coupler so that the glue breaks loose, but the coupler spring stays in place.

I can't tell if this tip ACTUALLY works, since I don't keep THAT detailed records on which cars I've had to replace a couple spring. But I THINK the theory is sound. At least, in makes sense in MY mind! :p

Now, if only someone could find a cure for my shaky hands... that would help a lot as well! Sometimes, I wish I'd switched from "HO" to "G" scale years ago... where (again, in theory...) the larger parts would help negate the effects of the shaky hands... <sigh>

Regards,
Tom Stockton.
 
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