thinking about using copper rings around the burners on some stoves am going to fettle, since I have access to almost every size for free. has anyone tried that? or is it just lead or calmonite that does the job?
My british military no3 stove comes with some kind of copper rings underneath the burner. But then again the burner is made out of steel, and so is the part that it screws onto. And the rings are not solid, it seems to be hollow copper with some kind of calmonite inside. Maybe if the rings are soft enough it may work on burner heads that stay in place, but I think it will not work on portable brass stoves.
You can use copper as gaskets on a steel / steel junction, not sure that a brass / brass junction will work with a copper gasket., though
Hi Alexander, I have seen copper washers used on the burners of several classic stoves. If you have access to soft copper washers of the correct dimensions they should be OK. Try one and see.....but do not over-tighten or you may strip the threads! Last year I had a batch of modern non-asbestos heat resistant burner washers made up by a local company and they work well. If you need details of dimensions or suitable material please PM me. Best Regards, Kerophile
I dunno, I'ld like to think that Brass being an alloy of copper and Zink making it stonger, (granted not as much as steel) but. also, what about lead? I've got this lead sheeting from insulation (thank you again, Thug) and was wondering how feasable that wld be for ; burner/riser join and even, cap seals. I know that last one may be out there, but....
Certainly. But they have to be soft, just as Kerophile says. As we all know you shall red-heat old washers and anneal them in water when you reuse them. But sometimes I even find new, never used, washers a bit to hard and give them the treatment with the torch aswell.
... No, not me! All sounds terribly scientific to me. I do know how a hammer works though, I'm hoping that if I stay around here long enough I might learn some more clever stuff.
I'm to cheap to buy new washers for the oil sump plug, when I change the oil in my mini. I've always heated the washer to cherry red, and then left it to cool slowly, not dipping it in water or anything. Does that mean I've been doing it wrong? I'll try it your way next time. What's a good way of testing if the washer is soft enough?
No, I don't think so. I usually let them cool down slowly myself, and they seem to get soft enough. It's just a bit more 'by the book' to quench them afterwards, I think. Christer
Hi, with fairly high purity copper there is no benefit in quenching from the annealing (softening temperature).....Except that you can pick them up a bit sooner without burnring your fingers! Trust me I'm a Metallurgist. Best Regards, Kerophile
Copper and brass anneal at red heat. The cooling rate has no bearing on it unless you want the item softened in one place and to remain hard in another. Everyone seems to want to second guess the manufacturer on design parameters. My philosophy is to duplicate as closely as possible parts specified by the manufacturer. I realize asbestos is now considered as poisonous as cyanide so cannot be found, and must be substituted for. I've found a reddish fiber gasket material that works wonderfully and is dirt cheap. I buy it at a local hardware store (Ironmonger's) and cut my own squashers. Or, even easier, I use Permatex brand High Heat copper bearing silicone sealant. I've done half a dozen stoves with that and had good success. I apply a thin bead, screw the parts together only just snug, then allow the sealant a day to harden. Disassembling is dead easy. Gerry
