Step One: We measure the approximate length of the spring before we start. It is roughly 1 1/4 inches long.
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Step Two: The spring is inserted lengthwise into the bench vice and just enough pressure is exerted to keep the spring in-place. Length of the spring is now about 1 inch.
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Step Three: The handle on the bench vice is turned compressing the spring. The spring length is now about 3/4 inch.
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Step Four: The handle on the bench vice is turned to tight compressing the spring to a length of around 1/2 inch.
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Step Five: The handle on the bench vice is reversed loosening the compressed spring out to a length of about 3/4 inch.
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Step Six: Further loosening of the compressed spring now out to a length of about 1 inch.
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Step Seven: The now loose spring is re-measured and it has returned to about 1 1/4 inches in length.
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Step Eight: In order to avoid squeezing my fingers in the vice, I ran a rusty nail through the spring. This let me easily hold the spring while inserting the spring into the vice.
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Step Nine: The nail still holds the spring in-place and the vice is tigthened up putting some pressure on the spring to hold the spring in-place.
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Step Ten: The rusty nail is now removed and adequate pressure via the vice is holding the spring in-place.
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Step Eleven: The vice is tightened further and we observe the first signs of spring deformation.
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Step Twelve: Tightening of the vice continues and deformation of the spring increases.
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Step Thirteen: As the vice continues tightening, we are now observing deformation of the spring almost to failure or the spring's elastic limit.
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Step Fourteen: Here we observe the spring in a crushed state.
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Step Fifteen: We now beging taking pressure off the crushed spring via loosening the vice.
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Step Sixteen: The vice is loosened even further.
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Step Seventeen: As the vice continues to spread open, we notice that the spring yet has some memory, but this memory is far short of that observed when the spring was first compressed lengthwise above.
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Step Eighteen: The spring is now almost loose in the vice.
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Step Nineteen: We again measure the spring, this time the overall length remains about 1 1/4 inches. We can also see that the deformation of the spring is now permanent.
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Step Nineteen Second View: Shows that the deformed spring has a bend in it.
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Two Real Mattress Springs: This picture shows two side-by-side real mattress springs that were crushed once in the Spring Compactor Invention Prototype machine in Garden City, Missouri.
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Step Twenty: Now we will try to take advantage of the bend in the deformed spring by re-inserting it lengthwise in the vice. What we want to happen is to apply pressure to the deformed spring trying to fold the spring over at the bend.
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Step Twenty-one: As additional pressure is provided by the vice, we note that folding near the bend is taking place. The jaws of the vice are now about 1 inch apart.
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Step Twenty-two: The jaws of the vice have now closed down to about 3/4 inch.
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Step Twenty-three: The spring folding process continues to bend the spring.
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Step Twenty-four: The folding of the spring nears completion.
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Step Twenty-five: The spring yields.
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Step Twenty-six: The folded spring is crushed.
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Step Twenty-seven: The folded crushed spring is removed and re-measured. It measures about 3/4 inches in length.
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The Real Mattress Springs Folded Once: This picture shows a set of real mattress springs that were crushed once and folded once in the Spring Compactor Invention Prototype machine in Garden City, Missouri.
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The Real Mattress Springs Folded Twice: This picture shows a set of real mattress springs that were crushed once and folded twice in the Spring Compactor Invention Prototype machine in Garden City, Missouri.
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