gasket for a compressor

[aidank]

I was pumping a wheel today with a tractor PTO piston compressor when it stopped pumping.

I opened up the compressor head this evening and found a blown gasket, thus I think the air was leaking across from pressure side to intake side.

Its old compressor braded vapormatic who dont stock any parts.

The gasket seems to be a spiral wound gasket material approx 1mm thick. Anyone know a source of high temp, and I guess high pressure gasket material. I am pretty sure the head is undamaged thus all i need is a new gasket.

 

[Fazerruss]

When the original gasket blew of my garage compressor I just made a new one from the normal Flexoid gasket paper.
10 years+ no issues.
I only recently had to make a new one for it after removing the head for inspection of the cylinders which are scored but the gasket was fine.

 

[knighty]

I'd think pretty much any gasket material will do for that

there's enough surface area it's clamped over that the pressure shouldn't be an issue, and compressor temps aren't really hot compared to the other things stranded gasket material is used for

 

[addjunkie]

Compressed non asbestos fibre CNAF would be my first choice.

 

[aidank]

When the original gasket blew of my garage compressor I just made a new one from the normal Flexoid gasket paper.
10 years+ no issues.
I only recently had to make a new one for it after removing the head for inspection of the cylinders which are scored but the gasket was fine.

I'd think pretty much any gasket material will do for that

there's enough surface area it's clamped over that the pressure shouldn't be an issue, and compressor temps aren't really hot compared to the other things stranded gasket material is used for

that little tank you can see gets hot, thus I think I need something high temp, I guess 100psi too

 

[addjunkie]

that little tank you can see gets hot, thus I think I need something high temp, I guess 100psi too

Id suggest you need an aftercooler.

 

[indykid]

Have you inspected the head for flatness? That centre rib is doing a lot of work without a lot of support.

I'd wager cornflake box would get you out of a pinch, but only if there's adequate compression.

 

[Fazerruss]

that little tank you can see gets hot, thus I think I need something high temp, I guess 100psi too

My compressor has been run till you can't touch the head it gets that hot and at 150 psi. I highly doubt it will be a problem. flexoid is used on air cooled engines for rocker gaskets without issues.

 

[oldbikedavey]

Suppose you could use the old African trick of laminating aluminium foil brushed with banana paste.
I'm told that it works pretty well....

 

[addjunkie]

Suppose you could use the old African trick of laminating aluminium foil brushed with banana paste.
I'm told that it works pretty well....

Annealed sheet copper would work too

 

[piman]

Hello Aidank,

we have a fairly large two stage piston compressor and the head gasket blew, we got the supplier to come and replace it, which was done.
Some time later it blew again and I used some standard paper based gasket material to replace it (We need ed the compressor at the time). What I did learn in the interim is that you need to retorque or retighten the head bolts after a short while running, once or preferably twice.
My temporary gasket is still functioning depsite me ordering and receiving the correct gasket, which I shall just keep in stock.

Alec

 

[aidank]

Annealed sheet copper would work too

How would I cut that to size

 

[Jaeger_S2k]

How would I cut that to size

Old wood chisels and sharpened forms, whatever you have. Steel pipe for rounds or even leather punches for rounds.
It's not that hard, copper.

 

[pedrobedro]

My compressor has been run till you can't touch the head it gets that hot and at 150 psi. I highly doubt it will be a problem. flexoid is used on air cooled engines for rocker gaskets without issues.

I've used aluminium foil cut from a takeaway tray as head gasket material for a moped and it was still running years later.

 

[Jaeger_S2k]

My compressor has been run till you can't touch the head it gets that hot and at 150 psi. I highly doubt it will be a problem. flexoid is used on air cooled engines for rocker gaskets without issues.

I'm considering Flexoid for the Clarke Shhh, rebuild. When I checked, it does say "Since the maximum working temp of the material is 120°C"
Not sure if the Clarke would run at that, in normal operation, but it's certainly been very hot, so hot that the gasket wasn't there as a component.

I've just heard the gasket that is used is around 1 mm thick.

 

[aidank]

This is the stuff compressor repair man gave me