Spring Hinge for the Mini

I wanted a spring hinge for the mini, and was
told by BGE that they didn`t make one. Being
that I had just recently purchased a small welder
with the intent to teach myself to weld, I figured OK
if I cant buy one.....lets just make one.

You can tell from the following pictures that I had
several older hinges that I used to rob various parts
from. It would no be economical to build this if you
had to buy a large spring hinge just to cut it up. Which
is pictured here, the first cuts...

Then there`s the original mini hinge that we need
to hack apart also. Notice the bolts on each side
of each band, it wont end up that way.

I had to take the old original large spring mechanism
and shrink it down considerably.

Now it`s out to the mini egg for a test fit and trial. I
still felt it needed some adjusting.

After the final tweaking, bending, stretching, and grinding
it was ready for paint and the installation of my new
Lawn Ranger handle. Here is the walk around view.

Here is a close up of the handle, and also a couple
of shots showing how incredibly far the dome opens.
I will have no trouble getting things on and off of this mini.