"John Doe" wrote in message
...
"Jim Wilkins" muratlanne gmail.com wrote:

Yeah, turn custom washers with tophat-like cylindrical
extensions that the spring fits over tightly. They are more
secure if you thread the extension to match the spring. Got a
lathe yet?

How much of an investment is required for doing that?

Here's a start:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-x-...al-Lathe/G8688
This outfit has information and support for small hobby lathes:
http://littlemachineshop.com/

Personally I'd try to find a local source for the small lathe that can
sell you the accessories you'll need as you progress. There are three
near me. Or look for used machines. The most recent CL ads he
http://nh.craigslist.org/tls/3455302527.html
http://nh.craigslist.org/tls/3457594364.html

I started with a second-hand Sears lathe about that size that was
quite useful on aluminum and brass but not really up to cutting steel.
Then I jumped to an industrial South Bend lathe, so I don't have
hands-on experience with currently available hobby-sized machines. If
anyone has the Harbor Freight one, please speak up. I bought some
lathe accessories such as a Morse taper 3-jaw chuck from them that
were acceptable for hobby work.


And speaking of confusion... I don't understand why, out of all
the metal workers in this group, none offer a metalworking
service.

We went over that with Morris Dovey's high pressure nickel-hydrogen
fusion reactor experiment. Hobbyists don't have liability insurance
for when you f%^k up and kill yourself anywhere near parts that can be
traced back to us. I worked for Segway and know the big risks that
ride on small wheels.

jsw