Homemade long spring saddle for under $15

[us56456712]

Long springs on bike saddles are super groovy but they want too much money for worn out rusty bits. I made one. I started with a search of the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store and scored two sets of rocking chair spring sets for $2 each. I also got a metal rod for 65 cents, the whole score was just under $5.

I removed the rocking chair springs from their carrier and then removed the inner steel pan from an old rusted out seat. I cut the inner pan down to look like and old seat and used a cut out bottom bracket as a dolly. I gently taped out a lip on the pan. I used a small ball peen hammer for the tapping.
Top rusted out seat pan

I removed the chrome springs and carrier from an old English 3 speed seat. I bent the carrier to fit the new pan.

Homemade long spring seat springs welded onto the reformed English 3 speed seat parts. I still have to put the nose spring on



I ordered eighth inch thick tooling leather for about $15 from Ebay and I will put 4 copper rivets on the back and 3 on the front and 2 on the sides to keep it in place. I already have the rivets from a project I did 50 years ago: it pays to keep stuff. I have to weld on a pivot bar at the base between the two springs.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

I like your thinking on this!

Luke.

 

[horsefarmer]

Are the 'new" springs functional or decorative?

 

[us56456712]

Are the 'new" springs functional or decorative?

They should work - some. I welded a one and a half inch fender washer inside them and bolted the spring to it. The problem is that the springs are pretty stiff so they won't give much. They would work better if I could have located 4 or 4 and a half inch bolts but 3.5 was the largest that the hardware store had and so they are welded too high to let the springs fully function. Threaded rod would be better but I only had a few bucks remaining on my Menards rebate certificate and didn't want to spend any more money on them. Once everything is painted black the threads should't be so obvious. I have enough junk to make another one using the other set of springs. I might try grease in the bushings between the two sets of springs. Seats with springs are noisy anyway.

 

[us56456712]

Pivot bar for the springs fabricated and installed. Cross bracing between the two springs that arch above the seatpost needs to be fabricated and welded in place. A little sanding, black paint and it should be ready for the leather cover.

Nose spring installed. Mock up on the Snyder frame I plan to use it on, looks OK to me: funky and clunky but a little different than the original, but close enough that most people will think it's a real antique seat.

 

[us56456712]

Are the 'new" springs functional or decorative?

I tried it out. The springs work but it is very noisy with the threads on the bolt rubbing on the inside of the bushing that is between the springs. Nylon bushings would be quieter. When I disassemble it for painting I am going to look for some nylon bushings.

 

[us56456712]

Cross brace welded in place and the seat painted. I think I will get some semigloss to top coat it as I don't like the gloss. Square bolts used to help the old time look.

The next step is to put on padding and leather. I will use copper rivets and I wanted the nose spring bolt to be showing. To match the copper rivets I plated it by tossing it into a small cup filled with Dawn and Simple Green along with a piece of copper. No battery required as the acid in the Simple Green creates a battery with the steel bolt and native copper tool.

 

[horsefarmer]

Wow! That copper looks cool! Please share your formula with us. Could you use a scrap of copper wire or tube?

 

[us56456712]

Wow! That copper looks cool! Please share your formula with us. Could you use a scrap of copper wire or tube?

Yes, any scrap copper will work. I don't think there is enough copper in a penny to work. I use simple green and add about 25% Dawn dishwashing detergent to it. I tried a D battery but the bolt just turned black. The net said that if it turns black you have too much power. You just leave it in the solution so the copper and steel are not touching and in about 24 hours you have copper plated steel. Don't use a battery. I wire brushed it before inserting in the solution to clean it.

 

[us56456712]

Seat foam pattern. Traced on closed cell foam

Foam glued on seat pan and contour sanded with 40 grit sand paper.

Aluminum foil covering seat pan, spray adhesive holding landscaping burlap.

Landscape burlap slobbered with 2 coats of plaster of Paris, sanded and filled with Bondo scratch filler and fine sanded.

Plaster male mold smooth sanded and painted gloss.

Female mold box made from pieces cut from an old pallet.

Making female mold in plaster of Paris. PAM type spray grease used as a high tech mold release agent.

Female mold drying. Tomorrow imperfections will be filled with Bondo scratch filler.

The male seat mold has been removed and will be lined with plastic wrap and filled with concrete to make a positive to form the leather by pressing (clamping) wet leather into the female mold with the positive form. After the leather dries it will be paraffin wax hardened and glued to the metal seat pan.
I have to see how this works. If I make another there are several little things I would do differently. So far I have about $50 in my $15 seat. I keep getting more elaborate and expensive ideas. It was originally just going to be a metal seat to sit on.

 

[us56456712]

plaster seat pan cast removed from the pan and all set to be lined with plastic wrap and filled with concrete to make a leather forming buck.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Great work so far, the molds for the leather is good thinking!

Luke.

 

[pick]

WOW!

 

[us56456712]

Plaster seat pan cast filled with concrete to make the leather buck. It takes about 2 weeks for the concrete to properly cure, I can't wait that long! If it feels hard enough I will remove the plaster cast tomorrow.

 

[us56456712]

I really wanted an ACME seat but I can't find an ACME (A Company Making Everything) mail order catalogue. So--I decided to make one myself and emboss ACME into the super thick seat leather. I got the leather on the Bay. I used an old set of refrigerator letter magnets as the dies. After all the ACME slogan is " A Brand You Can Trust"; just ask Wile E. Coyote.

 

[us56456712]

I took off the clamps, the letters were held in place by masking tape before the clamping so they stayed put while I hammered on the letters. The letters were fractured to bits. The letters may disappear from expansion when I bake the leather at 250 degrees F to harden it after shaping?

 

[alistair clark]

Always impress with what you do. Keep up the good work!

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Cool thinking with the letters!
Hope it works!

Luke.

 

[us56456712]

Squeeze Louise. Pressing the thick wet leather into the mold. It's going to take a few days for the leather to dry and harden up. Then next step will be to either get it wet again and press again or put it into the 250 F oven so I can soak it in melted wax. Then it will be shaped on the concrete buck to cool. I think I went overboard on the leather thickness, a little thinner would probably work .

 

[us56456712]

I made this one for $2.00 (cost of the rocking chair springs). Of course I have something in the original seats, but not much. It is made from left over cut off springs from my first long spring saddle, an old seat and the rocking chair springs. Ill have some more money into it when I recover it. I think you could use the springs from an old tension overhead garage door (not the more modern torsion spring variety). Check with your garage door guy to see if he has any broken tension springs he can give you.

I want to make a third one from a long spring child's sidewalk bike seat from the 1920s and an old 1970s Japanese road bike saddle. It might look good on a klunker. Thats a future project from parts I have on hand.