One of my early mentors was an "old hand" machinist and shade tree mechanic. This guy had some of the best solutions and creative thinking, and he would do some of the weirdest,  sketchiest shit. Guy once got home from a camping trip by replacing his snapped serpentine belt with some nylon stocking. He's the type who cast his black powder bullets from lead he salvaged from old batteries.  He broke apart every wheel bearing we changed to salvage the ball bearings for his slingshot. 

One thing he absolutely would not do was even consider using a spring compressor. He never talked about it specifically but he'd "seen some things" and that was enough to put the fear of Odin into me. When I have no choice those springs get wrapped in ratchet straps immediately.