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Gripper Seasoning
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Torsion springs experience a period of seasoning after initial creation. During this seasoning period, the resistance and spread of a spring will diminish slightly. Taking approximately 100 closes, the final resistance of a gripper will not be known until the seasoning period is complete. Once seasoned, gripper difficulty will remain constant over time.
Improper seasoning will quickly damage a gripper.
In an effort to train on an implement of known resistance, some individuals will season a gripper prior to training with it. An appropriate method for seasoning is to slowly close the gripper handles with two hands until they barely touch, then allow the spring to open. Another option is to simply season the gripper by training with it over time.
The following approaches to seasoning a gripper may damage it, resulting in a lower resistance than the normal range for the specific model of gripper:
- Rapidly shutting the gripper handles may heat the spring, weakening it
- Closing the gripper handles violently may bend the spring, weakening it
- Closing the gripper handles with a rod through the eye of the spring may bend the spring, weakening it
These factors are not part of normal gripper seasoning and must be taken into account when referencing “seasoned” grippers. Most often seasoning problems of this nature will occur when an individual passes a rod through the gripper spring and stomps on it repeatedly in order to season it.
