Snap Close Clamp - ALMOST Fully Printable But With Spring

i have always loved the snap close connector by @electrosync, but once i started running low on bolts nuts and washers, I looked for another model that was fully printable, but i was not a fan of the plastic springs, did not have the same satisfying snap close the original had, so I remixed the fully printable model to be used with the original spring and removed the plastic spring parts, I have added the spring making jig, just mirrored so the spring comes out the right way.

Spring is made of a paperclip                                               

print settings, nothing fancy, just regular 0.2mm layer height, I used 8 parameters and 100% infill because I use it as my daily keychain at work, and because of the satisfying snap close action, it also makes a good fidget toy, I'm sure less parameters and infill will work just fine. I have printed this in both, PLA and NYLON with very good results. Each part comes with a number in the order that they are assembled.

7.03.2023: updated sprint tool to make spring longer so it doesn't hit the inner pieces.

SPRING INSTRUCTIONS:

first straighten paper clip as much as you can.

then align the paperclip vertically with the arrow pointing down on the spring jig tool, and bent the paperclip in a 90 there.

after, hold with pliers or anything you can to get you leverage, on the jig tool, i use a 5/32 drill bit, it fits nicely in the hole, to wrap it around.

the paperclip should be wrapped around 2 times on the drill bit.

then you can swap the drill bit to the other hole, or if you have another one or similar you can put it on the other hole for the second part of the spring. also wrapped twice. this is kind of hard both both drill bits in place.

(as you make it you want to press down on the coils of the spring, so they don't separate like they do for me) now bent the last leg upwards at the edge of the tool.

once this is done, the legs should be too long, so you can put the spring in one of the inner pieces and cut the excess off of the legs.

you can see how its not sitting flush with the inner piece, all you have to do is bent the little leg back to 90 or a little past that.

now the legs of the spring should point forward, if you install it like this it makes it feel like the spring has no tension, so bend the legs a little inward.

now we can put all the pieces together, you will feel the spring fighting you, and please be careful, it should be under tension when installed, now i slant the back part of the spring to make sure the coils don't touch the outer shells.

and that's it, you should now have a working snap close clip with a satisfying closing action, some fiddling with the spring might be needed to get it just right.

I know that the coil should be facing the other way, that way there is no possibility of them hitting the shells, i just haven't been able to come up with a spring tool to make it easy to make a spring that way, if anyone has any ideas, I'm open to suggestions.

Adapted to use paperclip spring