Kutter, you have provided a wealth of info and ideas to work with. Much appreciated. Upon closer inspection after removing the J spring from the FE iron it is clear to see that this spring was broken and then welded back to one piece. The break being just above the deep bend, the J, in the spring. Only visible after removing it from the FE iron. This accounts for the bluing of the metal. My doubt, given the hack of the repair is that there is any spring tension remaining. I will cut a small lead insert to get a small amount of tension to test if there is any "spring" left in the J spring. I will clean up the weld joint and try to get a bit more length. Also I will be off to HD for strapping. Thank you.
