Straightening spring steel wire?

[Jakko]

Does anyone have tips for how to straighten spring steel wire? I’ve got a coil of 0.4 mm such wire, and because it’s been on that coil for too long it’s taken on a permanent bend — not good if your main use for it is to make antennas. Rolling the wire between two hard surfaces doesn’t work, unlike for soft steel wire, but I don’t really know how else to straighten it.

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

I prefer the heating idea about 2 comments down

 

[scottie3158]

Jakko,
Heat the wire to a bright cherry red and allow to cool you will then be able to straighten in the normal fashion.

 

[Jakko]

But if I heat it, it’ll stop being spring steel — the entire reason for having spring steel is so the antennas will flex instead of bend

 

[scottie3158]

But if I heat it, it’ll stop being spring steel — the entire reason for having spring steel is so the antennas will flex instead of bend

But if I heat it, it’ll stop being spring steel — the entire reason for having spring steel is so the antennas will flex instead of bend

Ok no worries if you want it springy again heat to cherry red then quench in water. Then polish it back to silver then heat until the wire just turns blue then quench again.

 

[Jakko]

I knew that, but it’s all far more bother than I want to go to — I’m kind of hoping there’s a less involved method, like stretching or rolling or something

 

[scottie3158]

I knew that, but it’s all far more bother than I want to go to — I’m kind of hoping there’s a less involved method, like stretching or rolling or something

if its spring steel then that as far as I know is your option but I'm willing to learn besides the above will take 5 mins so not really a lot of bother compared to other things we do in creating builds.

 

[Jakko]

I think what I’ll do instead is buy some more (model show in my area this weekend) and just not keep it coiled up for years

 

[Tim Marlow]

The heating option is the only one I know of as well....keeping the shape it has and springing back is kind of the point of “spring” steel....if it was easier to straighten it would simply be called “steel”.