I trying to restore some old engines that were given to me. I plan on taking them apart to clean and know that I will be needing a few gaskets that will be hard/impossible to find. What have you done in the past to make gaskets. I would appreciate any information.


Regards,
turbo

you can buy gasket material from most auto parts stores

I use old magazine covers except for head gaskets then I buy the heavy duty stuff from the auto parts or else cut an aluminum one from a pop can

Please consider this idea.

For a muffler gasket I have used metal duck tape that they use for HVAC which is not to be confused with the tape of the duck which is more common.

Stick a piece over the exhaust port then use an exacto to remove the internal port area and poke out the exhaust bolt holes too.

It is easy and effective and also pretty darn cheap too.

Cheers
Eric

A gasket cut from a manilla folder works well too.

A word of caution about autopart gasket material: I picked up some 1/32" thick rubber/ silicone material from Napa which was the thinnest gauge that they carried, but was about 3-4 times thicker than what the engine mfr. supplied. Thought that thicker would be better, WRONG ! I cinched the muffler down well, used threadlocker and a lockwasher, but after a few flights the gasket had compressed, the bolts came loose, lost my pressure, and a very expensive aircraft.

I've been using plastic playing cards for a number of years with no problems.

Hope this helps
Joe

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXDF10&P=RF

This stuff works pretty well. It's about .015" thick. I've used it for mufflers and valve cover gaskets.

Yes, I've used it also. Is very heavy duty. I've also bought this same stuff in different thicknesses at the auto parts stores and industrial supply stores.

About .015" is about as thin as I've seen this heavy duty excellent material.

The subscription ads that fall out of your modeling magazine and make great epoxy mixing platforms, also make great gaskets. Just cut out your shape and punch the holes. Oil them first though.

Magazine covers are good too as well as index cards and manila folders

That gasket material sold by Tower is adapted from automotive use. It is seen in gaskets for oil pans / sumps. Good stuff.

I use the thinnest gasket paper my Auto Supplies store stocks, and use the "ink pad" method to imprint the gasket before cutting.

On my 2 strokes I re-torque the bolts after the first 3 or 4 hot runs. Never had a muffler come loose until dissasembled from the engine. Never had an oil leak either. Even excellent mating surfaces (such as found on Enya / O.S.) often leak, or worse "fret" from vibration leaving unsightly black goo - without a good muffler gasket.

Ali. drink cans are an excellent source of head gasket material.

Bax mentioned using parchment paper that is sold to line cookie sheets, etc. I tried it on my ST S.61K and it works great. It's thin, holds up to high temperatures and seals well.

David