Making Oiler Springs

[Dave McManaman]

I’ve searched the old forum thinking this subject had been addressed before but haven’t found it. I know there are folks who’ve made oiler springs. Is there a general technique more than winding the right gauge wire a set number of coils at a given height/ diameter, etc, presumably using a second one as a model? Yes, my description makes it sound like it’s a simple process and I know they come in various shapes/designs, but the goal is to keep the wick upright at the right height with slight tension, so it seems it should be more complex. Anyone share a tutorial on the subject?

[Marc Sova]

Nothing to offer….but I wonder if a high E electric guitar string would work well for this. 

[Michael Rathberger]

I think they were done on a lathe in the old days, using the threading gears for spacing around a form. Spring wire can be bought, you need a form and a method to wind it...

[Dave McManaman]

So I grabbed some ordinary 22g wire, a wooden chopstick, and a drill. Two minutes later, and without much care to getting it perfect, I turned out a spring … of sorts. Not great and not one designed to fit anything. Just a “what the heck” moment to see what would happen. I suspect mimicking some of the oiler springs or brush springs will be more complex but I’m learning, again, that it sometimes pays to just try it. 
 

[Doug Wendel]

I wonder if you could use a step drill bit to get slightly larger circles as you go to give that nice cone shape.  Also, when done you should heat it up red hot with a torch and plunge it in cold water a few times to anneal it in shape.