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Today I melted the spark plug copper gasket

noelf

Well Known Member
Working on the condition inspection, engine, spark plug cleaning, gaping, etc. The last task before reinstalling the plugs was to anneal the copper gaskets. Well, I didn't have the propane touch I normally use but I did have a MAP torch.

Fired it up, inserted the first copper gasket into the flame and promptly melted the copper ring. Wow! It didn't take long for that to happen. Lesson learned.
 
No Vlad, I'm good. Eons ago I ordered a number of spares because I did not know they could be annealed and reused. Over the many years of of annealing the eight copper gaskets, this is the first time I ruined one of them. I still have all the spare ones.
 
How exactly do you properly anneal copper gaskets?
Do they need to be shock cooled or air cooled after heating?
Red hot or not quite? I have 10 years worth of used gaskets and I will be running out of new ones soon.
Thanks
 
Annesling

How exactly do you properly anneal copper gaskets?
Do they need to be shock cooled or air cooled after heating?
Red hot or not quite? I have 10 years worth of used gaskets and I will be running out of new ones soon.
Thanks

Heat up red hot( or orange) then quench in cold water. They are actually pliable enough after that that you can bend them with you fingers
 
New ones are cheap

At $0.55 each ($4.40 for 8), I keep a supply of new ones in stock. They are even cheaper if you buy a box of hundred- split a box with a couple of friends.:)
 
At $0.55 each ($4.40 for 8), I keep a supply of new ones in stock. They are even cheaper if you buy a box of hundred- split a box with a couple of friends.:)

Yup, what Rick said. I found it was more costly to anneal the old copper gaskets than to just replace with new.

-Marc
 
Working on the condition inspection, engine, spark plug cleaning, gaping, etc. The last task before reinstalling the plugs was to anneal the copper gaskets. Well, I didn't have the propane touch I normally use but I did have a MAP torch.

Fired it up, inserted the first copper gasket into the flame and promptly melted the copper ring. Wow! It didn't take long for that to happen. Lesson learned.
Do all of them at once, suspended on a chunk of welding wire. more mass to heat. Dull red, then quickly quench in cold water.
 
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