I wanted to use a metal spring for a new design. However, the problem with metal springs is trying to find something that is useful, ubiquitous, and cheap. However, I was shocked that I simply could not find any pictures anywhere on the internet of the inside of a Pez dispenser! After a little help from Chris Connors, I decided that the metal spring from inside a Pez dispenser would be absolutely perfect for my application. After locating a Pez dispenser of my own, I disassembled it and found it was, indeed, just what I needed.
If you’re interested in taking apart a Pez dispenser in a minimally destructive way, here’s how you do it:
Step 1: A Pez Dispenser, Easter themed
Step 2: Back of the Pez head
Step 3: Pez head, tilted off it’s plastic axle
Step 4: Twist the head to pop it off the Pez body
Step 5: Pez dispenser body, on its side
Step 6: Insert pliers or something long and thin to tilt the Pez candy platform down at an angle
Step 7: As the Pez platform is tilted downwards, yank up on the top of the inside white plastic slide – it will pop out
Step 8: With the top inside plastic Pez slide out of the colored plastic case, another good yank will pull it right out
Step 9: The fully disassembled Pez dispenser
The reason you need to tilt the Pez candy platform down is because it has two small prongs on the front and back, making it slightly too long to come out of the colored plastic Pez case easily.
Notice the bumps along the side of the white plastic slide. The bumps at the bottom prevent the slide from coming out of the colored case easily. The bumps at the top prevent the white plastic slide from coming out of the bottom.
In case you’re curious, I was using my Pez dispenser for a Pez Powered Disc Shooter.
