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How should I store my staple gun long term? Lever up like this:

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Or lever down, like this:

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I'm worried about the strength of the spring over time.

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    Whatever's most convenient to you. It makes virtually no difference with regard to the spring life.
    – Hot Licks
    Aug 16, 2020 at 1:55

3 Answers 3

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I can't say for every stapler, but this works for all the ones I've used;

While in the Open position, pull the lever handle backwards. This will disengage it from the spring mechanism, and you can then lower the handle and use the storage loop to hold it in place. When you subsequently release the loop, the handle will engage itself on the spring.

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  • I read this, then walked to the garage prepared to be absolutely flabbergasted. Alas, my Stanley™ Sharpshooter ™ staple gun does not seem to operate this way. I did note, though, that the last person to put it away had not engaged the catch, so there's a slight caveat to my answer...
    – FreeMan
    Aug 16, 2020 at 23:06
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I can't confirm that this is the way is "should" be done, but...

I've had a similar staple gun in my garage for about 28 years. I almost always put the lever catch on (lever down), and I still have to squeeze pretty darn hard to fire a staple and it still sinks them all the way on every fire (unless, of course, I'm not holding the stapler firmly against the surface).

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    When the spring breaks (rarely), it's not subtle, weakly driving a staple. No worky (period) until you get a new spring (which you can, for major brands.) Off-brands (or major brands' weird experiments in "new design" that didn't sell) are usually junk at that point.
    – Ecnerwal
    Aug 15, 2020 at 16:00
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Leave the lever up.

In the lever up position the main spring is relaxed. As you press the lever down the spring is progressively tensioned until it is triggered to drive the staple. If the lever would be restrained then, then the main spring would not be under tension. But if you would restrain the lever before release is triggered, then the main spring would be stored under tension.

That rectangular metal loop may be intended for hooking onto a belt and not to restrain the actuation lever.

EDIT

. . . or store it with the lever restrained by the metal loop. With the lever restrained by the loop (assuming the main spring is untensioned) then the gun cannot fire and it cannot be cocked. If the lever is completely up, the gun cannot fire a staple, but if the gun were to be forced inadvertently (say against the back of a drawer), it could possibly be cocked and fired accidentally.

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    It's clearly designed to retain the lever (stores much more easily/compactly that way), and the obvious way to do that for best spring life would be to fire a staple and immediately hook it without releasing it. On the third hand, I've seen broken springs, but very rarely.
    – Ecnerwal
    Aug 15, 2020 at 15:37
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    Springs are designed to be elastic over their operational range. They can remain compressed, effectively indefinitely, as long as they are compressed within the range they're designed to operate in. The only way to mechanically damage springs is to over-compress, or over-stretch them to the point where they begin to yield and suffer plastic deformation. (or to use them in too hot or cold of an environment, etc)
    – J...
    Aug 16, 2020 at 13:46

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