Shoutout to the repairer who showed me the right way to handle shutter tension springs

I keep seeing people use regular needle nose pliers on those tiny springs in old SLRs, which just bends the ends. A watchmaker's pegwood stick to gently nudge them into place changed everything for me. What's your go-to tool for delicate spring work?

4 comments

4 Comments

annajenkins1mo ago

His tip just snapped off and got pushed deeper" - my goodness, that gave me chills reading that. I cannot imagine trying to dig a metal splinter out with a gas station tool. Those things are made so cheap these days they're practically toys. For delicate spring work I actually use a set of brass tweezers I picked up from a watch supply shop years ago. They are soft enough they won't scratch anything and they grip well without damaging the metal. But I am very careful to keep them clean and store them in a little leather pouch.

hayden_craig952mo ago

Honestly, my old tweezers have never failed me.

gray_morgan2mo ago

Yeah, but my buddy tried that with a cheap pair from a gas station. He was trying to get a metal splinter out of his thumb, and the tip just snapped off. Had to go to urgent care because the piece got pushed deeper. Sometimes old tools just give up at the worst time.

the_rowan2mo agoMost Upvoted

Is it really that big of a deal? Hayden_craig95 has a point about tweezers working fine, and I've gotten by with careful hands. Sometimes the simplest tool is enough if you're just careful.