Board Thread:General Nerf discussion/@comment-27306930-20171027011626/@comment-27306930-20171030040217

PedroH brings up a very good point. I believe I am using the word re-temper incorrectly. Heating a stretched spring does not re-temper it. I believe the process is actually called "relaxation". In order for a stretched spring to retain its new length, a little heat helps the metal relax and settle into its new shape. Too much heat and you start to destroy the crystaline structure created by the tempering process. PedroH is absolutely correct, in this case the spring was tempered at the factory. We're not trying to duplicate that process.

Having unscientifically played around with springs since I was a kid, I can tell you that a spring can't be stretched very much. Maybe 5% to 7% at the outside. Beyond that you're actually disrupting the crystaline structure of the metal created during the tempering process.

Think of it like the glass on your smartphone. It can bend. It can twist. It can absorb shocks. To a point. When you bend or flex it too much it breaks. The same principles apply to springs.