Hi, for the next thirty seconds pretend i'm scrod:
also clean the **** out of the brake canti stud posts, and clean the insides of the brake arm mounts... even a speck of dirt in there will put a ton more tension on the spring. if the springs have set screws to adjust tension, try putting them at half tension and bending the spring arms that attach at the top of the canti arms slightly between your thumb and forefinger. also, get new pads so there is as much cable as possible between the two.

V brakes are so much easier to work on than actual cantis.