Date:         Sat, 7 Feb 2004 15:12:31 EST
Reply-To:     THX0001@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         George Goff <THX0001@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Copper Crush Gasket
Comments: To: pnocean@EARTHLINK.NET
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 2/7/04 1:23:10 PM, pnocean@EARTHLINK.NET writes:

<< Can a gasket be reused? >>

If you are talking about a solid copper drain plug washer, it can . . . at a
risk.  I used to reuse them because I always seemed to forget to pick some up.
 Then I had one stick so tenaciously that I was ready to drill it and tap it
for a small taper pipe plug.  It finally came out after a lot of jacking
around.  I must have reused that particular washer more than one time causing it to
thin out and become work hardened.  After that nuisance, I swore to always
have an abundance of copper washers on hand.

If you HAVE to reuse a SOLID copper washer, then lap it on some fine grit
abrasive stuck to a flat surface.  After the indentation is lapped away, anneal
it by heating it to a cherry red and immediately quenching it in water.  I'm
sure any plumbers out there can tell you of the numerous times they have had to
convert hard copper tubing into soft this way.

Oil drain plug washers with the proper VW part number are solid copper
washers.  Although a crush washer could be used, I stick with the OE ones because I
would never reuse a crush washer but, in a pinch given no other choice, I
would reuse a solid CU washer after annealing.

George