Quick and easy way to make venturi gaskets.

Thanks so much! I think I'll go make one for my babe bee.

Nicely done.

I always keep a couple of packs of bamboo skewers of different sizes on hand all the time. For 1/2A (and in foamies), they have a lot of uses in building. They're tough, will flex before breaking, and CHEAP. They make great pushrods.
If you haven't used them, pick up a pack and you'll find lots of applications, if for nothing else other than mixing epoxy.

Thanks, making venturi gaskets from fuel tubing is probably as old as the bee engines themselves. Mostly crap people come up with when they are stranded out at the field with a sad Babe Bee. If anyone is interested, I could put together a "How to make reed valves out of floppy discs" topic. I would probably have to do that tomorrow though.

Admin wrote:If anyone is interested, I could put together a "How to make reed valves out of floppy discs" topic.

A good "Show and Tell" article would be great. I've been using floppies for some time for reeds. You can use acetone to completely clean the oxide from the surface leaving a clear mylar disk. I don't know if it makes any difference, but not having the oxide in the engine can't hurt.

I have now made the how to on making reeds out of floppy disks!

https://www.coxengineforum.com/t3064-how-to-make-reed-valves-out-of-a-floppy-disk

Another method of making venturi gaskets for the Bee "in a pinch".. is to find some thick cardstock and punch/drill a 9/64" hole (.140") approx. 1/2" in from an edge. Using a scissor-type standard hole-punch; center the hole in the "eye" of the punch and proceed to punch-out your gasket. If too thin.. make a second one. It's so easy.. you'll probably want to make a bunch!

I actually made these using 1/8" and a 1/4" hole punches.

Card-stock..




and rubber from an inner-tube..



Inner-tube rubber is a little "thick".. but will compress when tightening the four tank screws. A "Playtex" kitchen-cleaning glove is just about the perfect thickness of material to use.

Close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades..

Thanks Roddie. I never cared for the ones we buy, and I always suspect them when anything seems won'y about the engine runs.
Rusty

Glad to see others have given it a shot with success. I was lacking an O-ring gasket for the Babe Bee, and Sullivan fuel tubing came to the rescue two years ago. I'm also finding the newer RTV sealants work as good gasket replacements on my larger engines.

I love to hear success stories.

Good idea Roddie!

I replaced the missing pictures.

$2 for 25

http://www.amazon.com/25-Orings-2BA-inch-Washers/dp/B000JEQ4CK

Followed the link posted here and bought the set. They fit perfectly. Soaked one in Nitro 25% Glow Fuel for 8 days and the rubber seems fine and unchanged. Asked there what kind of rubber but no reply. Just in case you wanted to know. Regards

I've used them for years and think they're better then OEM.

So cool to know! I've been out of the Cox 'everything' for more than 43 years now but last month too much wine made me buy a 1963 PT-19 I'm souping/restoring up, which meant the engine too. I had bought a gasket off ebay and it just squished flat and remained flat- almost broke apart.

I just made these using my aforementioned "hole-punch" technique..





The "purple" material was cut out from the cuff of a common kitchen-glove. It is spongy-rubber (Latex??) and .015" (.4mm) thick. The plastic sheet was needed for some rigidity behind the rubber to get a clean cut-out of the gasket using the paper-punch. The plastic is only .005" thick.. and might be a good material for making reeds.

It seems that a "single-thickness" of this rubber should do the job as a gasket.. because when assembling the tank-bowl to the backplate, there's a very slight gap that closes with a light "pinching-together" of the assembly.

Incidentally.. punching some 1/4" blanks of this rubber and piercing the centers with an awl might make good gaskets for sealing underneath the case-screw heads in the backplate.. or helping to seal a backplate that's damaged where the screws seat.

roddie wrote:I just made these using my aforementioned "hole-punch" technique..





The "purple" material was cut out from the cuff of a common kitchen-glove. It is spongy-rubber (Latex??) and .015" (.4mm) thick. The plastic sheet was needed for some rigidity behind the rubber to get a clean cut-out of the gasket using the paper-punch. The plastic is only .005" thick.. and might be a good material for making reeds.

It seems that a "single-thickness" of this rubber should do the job as a gasket.. because when assembling the tank-bowl to the backplate, there's a very slight gap that closes with a light "pinching-together" of the assembly.

Incidentally.. punching some 1/4" blanks of this rubber and piercing the centers with an awl might make good gaskets for sealing underneath the case-screw heads in the backplate.. or helping to seal a backplate that's damaged where the screws seat.

Awesome Idea. I will have to look into a couple of holepunches for this alone! And I'll hear the screaming from down here when the other half washes the dishes....

NEW222 wrote:

Awesome Idea. I will have to look into a couple of holepunches for this alone! And I'll hear the screaming from down here when the other half washes the dishes....

Just blame me Chancey!!!!

....for the cost of a pair of dishwashing gloves or a hole punch, you could just buy a couple dozen o-rings?

It's interesting that the first run of Babe Bees didn't used the 'fillister' head screws and had leak issues:

Mark Boesen wrote:....for the cost of a pair of dishwashing gloves or a hole punch, you could just buy a couple dozen o-rings?

This is true Mark.. but many people already have these items at home.. and in a pinch, sometimes you have to be inventive. .

These dishwashing gloves might be the best home made gasket yet. They're cute too, maybe I'll get some pink ones, easy to find on the dirty floor.

roddie wrote:

Mark Boesen wrote:....for the cost of a pair of dishwashing gloves or a hole punch, you could just buy a couple dozen o-rings?

This is true Mark.. but many people already have these items at home.. and in a pinch, sometimes you have to be inventive. .

lol, just trying to help out the home life, i hate to say, but i know from personal experience the better half doesn't alway appreciate inventiveness :^ (...

It seems to me that if an accurate size measurement and/or correct stock number could be found for the Cox venturi O rings, that a lifetime supply of a box of 100 or more could be purchased at a reasonable price from a commercial O ring supplier. Has anyone ever done this? Bob A