I will start off buying a couple of washer kits but thereafter as I have several items I would like to make some of my own. What materials should be used for various washers. What sort of thickness. Where to purchase (uk) Items are Tilley lamps / blow torches / Optimus stoves. Example:
Viton is the "go to" product. Thickness depends on what/where you are fitting it. Finding viton that is not too hard can be a challenge. I got mine from Ebay. Depending on the application you can use cork, fibre, other rubber sheet (nitrile) and lead in places. Some use O-Rings in place of washers. It really does depend on the what/where. To be honest I only make my own when I cannot buy them, or cannot wait for the repair. I keep a stock of stuff by buying in advance. Between Fettlebox and Base Camp I have managed lots of fettles.
Viton’s good for many applications but fibre on that one, since anything softer would distort on applying torque to the hexagon flats. Novus sheet gasket material is ideal because it is heat-resisting too and can therefore be used to make burner sealing washers. Investment in a decent set of punches is justified only for regular use to cut your own seals, otherwise go with Fireexit’s suggestion to buy ready-made My Maby punches. Maby website
Yep, preferably fibre gasket for that example. Otherwise, lead sheet if its not going to be unscrewed often. Lead deforms irreversibly and can usually be used only once or twice if you're lucky. Viton sheet would be great for many gaskets. If the parts to be sealed are made of stronger steel and need to be wrench-tightened, then copper gaskets can also be used. Metal gaskets are not suitable for finger-tightened parts since you won't be able to deform them enough unless you're Superman.
This is where I am at: I have a set of cheap punches I sharpened them and they work just fine. I tested a sample piece of viton and found it too hard (pip) it is 3mm thick, can that be used for washers or is it too thick? I will try and source some Novus sheet gasket . Copper gasket, what thickness?
Hi Probably too thick for most except the pump to tank washer on a Tilley but you need two quite big punches and not easy to align (it’s like an ‘o’ ring but square section?) like Fireexit I bought some 1mm, 2mm and 3mm which do most things although some washers are 1.5mm and some are lead and some are fibre as you know If you get a seal kit for a lamp them measure from there I have cut slices from a wine cork with a razor blade then punched from that for some nrv pips? Has to be sharp, no good using a used stanley or craft blade ;-) ps natural cork not the composite
No worries viton isn’t as cheap as it was but surprising how many washers you can get even out of a small sample eg 4 or 6” sq
Viton would be significantly more expensive than most other elastomers. You can also try Buna-N or nitrile. It is easier to get those with lower Shore hardness as compared to Viton. I find cork is the most forgiving for use on pips. It is among the softest and most deformable under the low spring compressions of most NRVs. Only thing, it is not always easy to find natural cork that is continuous, without defects or natural voids.
Forgot to say that folks have also used types of plastic/nylon for certain washers with success.. thinking more of the washer that seals the nrv in the pump tube, not the pip itself pretty sure I have seen @Tony Press and others use it but as to the raw material I can’t help much? perhaps @Henry Plews may know too?
I have some natural wine corks coming my way in the next few days hopefully I will get better results with them as I have a few leaking NRV's
thanks John I had a recce but they seemed terribly thin ? .. the green lids are slightly thicker but still much thinner than I was hoping ? Would they still be ok? I could probably take a pic of it and it’s stamping if that helps? thanks pb
@podbros I’ve never used the stuff myself, but the concept is that the plastic’s tough enough not to tear when the NRV is tightened up, yet soft enough to make a good seal. I don’t think it’s being thin compromises that, though a trial run would test the theory.
HDPE works fine. When it is too thin, it might still tear a little if you apply too much torque using tools. It'd do with somewhat less tightening torque compared to lead washers. I've even used HDPE washers for filler caps although it'd require me to finger-tighten them harder compared to elastomers like Viton or Nitrile. I usually punch them out from empty chemical or lubricant containers. These are somewhat thicker than those found on milk cartons. HDPE would be considerably more solvent and chemical resistant than most elastomers.
