Over the past few days, I have spent a bit of time removing and installing springs as some of them were weak so I thought I'd give a few pointers on how to do it. Also, some springs that seem weak can be fixed just by reinstalling the same spring already in there.
Removal:
I find that most springs can be removed simply by pulling on it without tweezers as outlined in the other topic. I have been able to remove most of them just by giving a swift pull on the spring with my fingernails and they come right off without it being deformed. Just make sure you pull it straight up. That is important. Of course it's better if you pull it from a lower point, but I have been pulling them from the top without much trouble. The tweezers are obviously safer, but I think this is fine too.
Installation:
Here are the tools I like to use to install my springs
1. Two toothpicks (Cut off 2 ends on one of them and then 1 end on another one so you don't stab stuff)
2. Index card
3. Scotch tape
4. A decently sharp scissor or knife
5. A standard pencap that you would find on those cheap ballpoint pens or a small flathead screwdriver
6. (Optional, but helpful) A bright maneuverable light
Basically the first toothpick should be shaved with the scissor in such a way that it can go about halfway through the spring, but not all the way through. I would keep the point on the toothpick for this one since it shouldn't be touching any part of the keyboard It slowly gets wider so that it will be able to hold the spring. With the spring somewhat tightly on this toothpick I slowly put it onto the nub thing that the spring will end up being on. It's not important that the spring gets on tight here. It only needs to be on tight enough so that it will stay on the nub without falling off. You can try twisting it a little and pushing it a little, but not too hard or you might bend it. Maybe you want to orient the spring like the other ones with the end of the strand at at the 12 o clock position but it doesn't really matter. Afterwards, carefully remove the toothpick by holding down the spring with your nails so that you can pull the toothpick out without removing the spring from the nub.
The second toothpick should be just thin enough so that it can slide through the spring with ease, yet there is not much room for the spring to bend at all. On the top portion of the toothpick, I wrapped around about a 2 cm tall piece of index paper that is long enough to wrap around the toothpick just once. Tape this piece of index paper together so it forms a nice cylindrical tube. It should be able to slide up and down the toothpick with a bit of force, but not too much. The most important part is that it should grip the toothpick tightly. This will be used to push the spring down. To clarify, the piece of index paper should be on the top section of the toothpick and then the spring will be on the bottom. By pushing the index paper down, you will be able to compress the spring to push it in, yet not bend it because the toothpick is serving as a rigid guide.
This one should be cut on both sides but I didn't get around to doing it.
After you have all of that set up, put the toothpick through the spring that is already in the keyboard. Rest the end of the toothpick on the nub. This is very important: Do not push on the toothpick or you will end up slipping off the nub and you will likely bend your springs like I did. Instead just hold it lightly with a finger or don't hold it at all. The only thing you need to apply force on is the index paper. Again, make sure you don't bend the springs be careful with this. So after you have the toothpick in the spring with the index paper on it, push down on the index paper with a good amount of strength to make sure the spring goes in nice and tightly. This is pretty much it for installing it. However, it won't be perfect so I like to use the pencap (or a small screwdriver, which may be even better if you're careful) to push down sides that I feel are unbalanced. Basically, I put the pencap all the way on one of the last few twirls of the spring and push down on it to make it even tighter on the nub. Keep adjusting it with the pencap until the spring clicks like you want it to.
I must point out that springs have a different clicking tone after you reinstall them and I can't quite figure out why. Maybe someone else knows.
