I have taken on the task of repairing my original brass oilers. I have rounded up 9 oilers 2 I have fixed, I have taken a 3rd one apart and I think I can make a jig to make the springs. Than all that needs to happen is to figure out the reassembly process. Merry Christmas every one Colin
It's good to fix them if you can. You could buy new ones, but they're seven bucks apiece.
There was a discussion recently in the classified section regarding repairing/replacing springs in brass oilers.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/3487/503455.html?1419361367
I don't think it's as complicated as discussed above.
I remember watching my dad installing springs in the oilers on the hubs of his 1900 Waverley Electric many years ago when I was a young kid. So I discussed it with him yesterday.
He said he dismantled the oilers to have them nickel plated. When he reassembled them, he used straight spring wire that he obtained from a very knowledgeable and talented machinist friend who was also in the antique car hobby. (He said he still has some of this wire - it's similar to a guitar string or piano wire.)
I did some Googling and it appears that straight spring wire is readily available from gun smithing supply companies.
This was done long ago so my dad doesn't remember if he formed the wire first into a loop first or if he just cut it to length and put bends on the ends and then threaded/looped it inside the oilers.
In any case, he said it was not complicated or difficult at all and it didn't require any special tools.