Straighten a coil spring to re-use the wire

[unclemack]

This refers to a previous post but may be useful to others.
The wire of small coil springs found in ball-point pens & elsewhere can be straightened for re-use in different form.
The wire is drawn from the coil by using two metal rods each small enough to slide inside the coil, a vise or a pair of mole grips and a pliers.
Clamp the rods side by side at one end ( oo ) with the spring slipped over one rod near the clamp.
Grip an end of the spring with the pliers and draw it (preferably away from you) over the free rod so that the spring is forced to bend against its curl.
WARNING!! these springs have SHARP ends and are SPRINGY!! javascript:emoticon('')
The angle at which you pull relative to the rods, and how close together the rods are, determines how straight it becomes and you only get one shot at each spring.
With the wire you can make a smaller or larger coil by winding around another rod (about 2/3 of the required diameter but variable) or you can make any shape spring you need.
Pick an appropriate wire diameter for the strength of spring you need but be aware that strong springs can be brittle!