McMaster has a pretty good spring selection, and a guide too.
Their guidelines also refer to compressing a spring at no more than 50% of total compression, otherwise you de-rate the spring (i.e. you "bend" it, so it won't behave the same way again).
It took me a bit of calculating to find the right spring, and I still didn't get it right; I got a spring that reaches the target compression at maximum spring compression, leaving me no "play".
Follow Bill here; many good tips: use a limiter, use a washer on top and bottom of the springs, and if possible (or necessary), use a sleeve; it'll help you get steady, repeatable mounts each time. Compress a little bit more than your target, then loosen it a bit, to help the TIM settle nicely. Whatever you do, just do it the same way each time.
I have yet to hear some good advice on cleaning up a mess, between remounts.
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