spring fastener

21:05 Sep 27, 2012 

This novel, though contemporary, takes place in the 1930s in Germany
(Tony, you said the spring fastener as you see it might be out of date, mine too).

21:02 Sep 27, 2012 

... but I must admit I can't figure what the thing looks like. And so it's not among the many images given by Google? Espérons que la nuit porte conseil

20:16 Sep 27, 2012 

that reminds me I've got to eat!
Tomorrow is another day! :)

20:00 Sep 27, 2012 

I've been trying all evening, but so far, without success; similar spring clips are used to hold papers within folders, but it's not quite the same as the spring-wound-round-mushroom things I've seen on box files.

I guess they're just too out of date now to have made it onto the internet :-(

I think this shows a similar sort of thing, except that the windy thing here is just a piece of string, not an actual spring:

http://c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/pi/mp/8194/2405549503p?src=http://...

19:45 Sep 27, 2012 

do you think you could find a picture of the little devil thing and post it?

18:56 Sep 27, 2012 

There's a sort of round thing on the fixed part, and a longish spring on the moving part (= lid); When you close the lid, with a little bit of latitude in the degree of closure, you then wind the spring about ½ a turn round the round thing, and it holds.

I've seen these on box files, but I think they also exist(ed?) on larger things like archive boxes.

18:54 Sep 27, 2012 

Certes, mais vous voyez ce que c'est, vous, des fermoirs à ressort sur des cartons ?

18:53 Sep 27, 2012 

Il y a toujours la possibilité de dire fermoirs à ressort.