Home made gaskets

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  • April 8, 2015 at 11:55 pm #1141
    shoestringmariner
    Participant

      Hey all, what do you guys use to make gaskets when you cant find originals? I’ve heard of people using cereal boxes which might be ok for some things, but what about areas such as gear cases and items that are submerged or constantly wet?

      April 9, 2015 at 3:11 am #13591
      mr-asa
      Participant

        You can just use gasket material for underwater items. Virtually every auto manufacturer uses paper gasket material in the cooling system. However, if it is underwater I feel it would be safe to say that on all but the really old stuff there’s usually rubber as a gasket material from the factory.

        April 9, 2015 at 3:37 am #13594
        r-c
        Participant

          Lifetime Member

          I found gasket material at my local ACE Hardware store not to mention about any auto parts store has it. The grayish-blackish color material is better than tan. Both a 1/32" and 1/16" thickness is available and needed. Many under water parts are metal to metal with a sealer. Loc-tite 518 is one or the 3-M window sealer is good too. Clean surfaces well with acetone or similar and don’t tough after cleaning. Leather cutting tools are good for making holes, X-acto knifes, scissors and a box knife does the rest. I have even used a note book hole punch to make holes. For exhaust you need to get a special gasket from the auto parts store with a wire mess in it as that has a material to take the heat, expansion and contraction.

          April 9, 2015 at 3:46 am #13596
          joecb
          Participant

            US Member - 2 Years

            Like R.C. said, no one gasket material will do the job for all your motor needs. The selection of the right material for a specific application depends no many factors… joint design, clamping force, operating temperature, operating pressure, fluid compatibility… wow! check here for an idea of what is available

            http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/searc … 0&sortBy=1

            Joe B

            April 9, 2015 at 3:20 pm #13623
            cajuncook1
            Participant

              Here is a collection of comments and recommendations for types of gasket material. To see better, download the picture to your computer, so you can enlarge the comments for better viewing.

              April 9, 2015 at 9:29 pm #13637
              shoestringmariner
              Participant

                Excellent, thanks much folks. I was not aware these materials were available in sheet form, save for cork

                April 10, 2015 at 1:30 am #13645
                melugin
                Participant

                  US Member

                  I use Gortex/tm material almost exclusively if I don’t stock a match or one is not readily available. This is a marshmallow-like tape in several dimensions which can be traced along any shape. Stocked by bearing supply companies.

                  April 10, 2015 at 8:17 pm #13677
                  Goman
                  Participant

                    If your old paper gaskets are still in decent shape you can apply a good gasket sealer to them. I’m using some kind of Permatex hi tac stuff but someone out there should mention something better.

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