Weird Vortek spring…need some insight

[Arnie]

Hello. I got this vortek spring from a friend for a Diana 34 t01 model. It’s a high power spring…and I’m not sure why but the spring has not been deburred or made symmetrical. The ends of the spring have not been compressed together.

For comparison, the spring next to the packaged vortek spring is from a tbt kit.

Is this supposed to be the case from vortek? How do I deburr the spring (what sand paper grit) and how do I compress the ends of the spring? Last but not least, what tool can cut coils?

 

[Ripper]

At work we used to use a cut off wheel on a small air grinder to cut springs.To flatten the spring on the end, we would heat it up with a torch and then just push it down on something flat Like our workbench.I would then take the spring over to the Belt sander and then use some finer grit paper like 600. We used to have to cut die springs to length. 

 

[jccams]

The new Vortek PG4 springs aren’t closed as there is a couple positions in the top hat that you can put it in to adjust power.

 

[seangabrell]

What jccams said. And they usually don’t come set. After being in the rifle and shot for a few hundred rounds they will shrink quite a bit. I also take off 1 to 2 coils off the bat with no effect on power output and a much nicer shot cycle experience. 

 

[Arnie]

What jccams said. And they usually don’t come set. After being in the rifle and shot for a few hundred rounds they will shrink quite a bit. I also take off 1 to 2 coils off the bat with no effect on power output and a much nicer shot cycle experience.

How do I cut the coils?

 

[Arnie]

The new Vortek PG4 springs aren’t closed as there is a couple positions in the top hat that you can put it in to adjust power.

What do you mean?

 

[seangabrell]

If you don’t have a PG3 or PG4 top hat you will have to cut and flatten the spring end. You can cut with a dremel and cut off wheel and then flatten the spring with a torch. Plenty of videos to address this on YouTube 

 

[SteveP-52]

What jccams said. And they usually don’t come set. After being in the rifle and shot for a few hundred rounds they will shrink quite a bit. I also take off 1 to 2 coils off the bat with no effect on power output and a much nicer shot cycle experience.

The subject of Vortek springs being preset or not was brought up on GTA back in late August and wanting to find out myself since I have one here, I sent Tom at Vortek an email last September 1st asking whether he presets his springs. His reply email stated they're preset and have minimal setting over time, so unless he's changed how he does things since then or someone called and asked him not to, the springs in his kits come preset.

I did ask at the time if it was ok to share that info and he said it was all good, so that info was shared on GTA back then. 

 

[seangabrell]

What jccams said. And they usually don’t come set. After being in the rifle and shot for a few hundred rounds they will shrink quite a bit. I also take off 1 to 2 coils off the bat with no effect on power output and a much nicer shot cycle experience.

The subject of Vortek springs being preset or not was brought up on GTA back in late August and wanting to find out myself since I have one here, I sent Tom at Vortek an email last September 1st asking whether he presets his springs. His reply email stated they're preset and have minimal setting over time, so unless he's changed how he does things since then or someone called and asked him not to, the springs in his kits come preset.

I did ask at the time if it was ok to share that info and he said it was all good, so that info was shared on GTA back then. 

In the kits I absolutely agree they come set. I have ordered replacement springs and Tom very well may set those as well but every one I’ve received I was able to set and they shrunk down. Next time I order I will ask the question. I’ve also ordered 2 of the same kits from him at the same time and they were different lengths. I’m not at all bashing vortek, Tom makes great products and I’m a big fan of what he sells. 

 

[AirShot]

You can order uncut springs based on wire diameter, these are long and designed to be cut and set to length. Tom has sold them for years to guys that do tuning without the whole kit. Most of us that use his springs have the equipment and knowledge to set the springs to the proper length or number of coils

 

[AirShot]

At work we used to use a cut off wheel on a small air grinder to cut springs.To flatten the spring on the end, we would heat it up with a torch and then just push it down on something flat Like our workbench.I would then take the spring over to the Belt sander and then use some finer grit paper like 600. We used to have to cut die springs to length.

Hey, a fellow toolmaker!!! I finally retired after 50 plus years as a toolmaker. Sounds like we do the same things to our springs!!!

 

[SteveP-52]

What jccams said. And they usually don’t come set. After being in the rifle and shot for a few hundred rounds they will shrink quite a bit. I also take off 1 to 2 coils off the bat with no effect on power output and a much nicer shot cycle experience.

The subject of Vortek springs being preset or not was brought up on GTA back in late August and wanting to find out myself since I have one here, I sent Tom at Vortek an email last September 1st asking whether he presets his springs. His reply email stated they're preset and have minimal setting over time, so unless he's changed how he does things since then or someone called and asked him not to, the springs in his kits come preset.

I did ask at the time if it was ok to share that info and he said it was all good, so that info was shared on GTA back then. 

In the kits I absolutely agree they come set. I have ordered replacement springs and Tom very well may set those as well but every one I’ve received I was able to set and they shrunk down. Next time I order I will ask the question. I’ve also ordered 2 of the same kits from him at the same time and they were different lengths. I’m not at all bashing vortek, Tom makes great products and I’m a big fan of what he sells.

Not gonna bash him either, Sean. The question only came up in my mind because I have a new in sealed package PG2 HO kit for an HW95/R9 I ordered a month after I got my HW95 so when the day came I'd need to actually do something about mine, I'd already have a kit here and figured I might better know for sure if the springs were preset. That was almost 6 years ago and that kit is still in my parts box untouched as my 95 still has the factory spring and piston seal in it.

I never thought to ask if he presets just the springs he sells and probably should have since I have a couple of those here to for a couple D34's I have in the gun collection.