A very modest contribution to the buckling spring world - basically an alternative (and I think more effective) to the venerable chopstick-of-death spring seating technique - this provides a jig to center the spring over the pin on the rocker plate, prevent buckling and apply sufficient force to seat the spring firmly and level.
Materials - 1 1/4" aluminum pop-rivet, 1/2" barrel length (1" length in pix is wrong.)
tools: Power drill, 5/64" hi-speed metal drill bit; vise, vice-grip or similar.
unloosen the rivet barrel and place the pin securely in the vise (head side down). Slip the barrel over the shaft so that you can insert the drill into the open end and in contact the end of the pin. The 5/64" bit should be an almost perfect fit. Run the drill with moderate pressure - the barrel will act as a guide to allow you to accurately countersink the end of the pin. That's it.
To use the jig, slide the barrel onto the shaft, flange side up. Slip the spring onto the shaft and place the end on the rocker pin. The spring will fit closely but will slide freely on the shaft. The concave end will center the device and hold it in place while seating the spring. Exert pressure on the spring using the rivet barrel (the flange allows an easy application of pressure) - it is long enough to compress the spring while the shaft prevents any significant buckling or deformation.
Works well for me, anyway. I hope this is of some use to someone - it would be nice to make some kind of contribution to this board. I recently bought an "internet" find - only to find a half dozen 'silent' keys - some of which simply needed reseating while others had suffered at the hands of the unwashed. As soon as I get a few replacements and a cord (no, it didn't come with one) I look forward to doing more than just making hopeful clicks...
