Making gaskets for equipment

Virtually all homesteads (or urban versions thereof) rely on the use of equipment that will require the occasional replacement of gaskets.  They may not be easy to obtain, or you may be the type of person who enjoys making things you need, in preference to buying.  Here are some Youtube videos showing and telling how to make gaskets.  Gasket making by hand...

from thick gasket material


from paper


from silicone sealant (for a ‘rubber’-type membrane gasket)


(Anybody who is capable & authorized to do so, would you please cross-post this in the Homesteading & Back to the Landers forum?  Thanks.)

Maybe some added info:
Having at one time, in an emergency repair used thin cardboard to seal carburators (which will work for a short period of time), i like to add that the choice for gasoline-resistant sealant is limited. There is something in the market which does the work fine. It is called hylomar blue. Works ok and is a lot cheaper than dedicated gaskets from the manufacturer (mostly neoprene or viton).

I recall as a young child watching my uncle make replacement gaskets and flapper for the hand water pumps out of leather. I also remember him making gaskets for some other thing (don't recall what he was working on) out of cork sheeting. Interesting.

I think the hardest part now is finding gasket making material. The parts stores no longer carry cork or gasket making sheets, only RTV Gasket Maker Material.

I am okay with that, but one thing I have learned...and thus pass this tip on to others...there can be absolutely NO OIL on the surface or it will not seal. Nothing is more frustrating than putting everything back together and having a massive leak.

Another tip on achieving that oil free surface is to use a can of starting fluid. It really eats through and dissipates various oils then dries almost instantly.

Tommy, Su Ba, Travis thanks for replying & adding.  That's what I hoped people would do. 👍

Here's a link to see what Tommy suggested:  https://www.google.com/search?q=%22hylomar+blue%22&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi5jZbM8uzbAhVvCDQIHUTtC6IQ_AUICygC&biw=833&bih=398

In at least some places, Orchard Supply Hardware stores sell a pack that contains a small piece of three different kinds of gasket material- some kind of rubber, corksheet, and something else.

Travis Johnson wrote:I think the hardest part now is finding gasket making material. The parts stores no longer carry cork or gasket making sheets, only RTV Gasket Maker Material.

NAPA
Autozone
Princess Auto [Canada]

I find that my most common gasket challenge is coming up with gaskets for storage jars and cannisters of unusual sizes that originally came with natural red rubber gaskets.  Is there any clever method for cutting a fairly precise circular hole in silicone or rubber gasket material?  The only thing I can think of is finding a sharp die of the correct size (yeah right) and using a hydraulic press (which I could jury-rig with an automotive jack, maybe).  If we had some ham, and we had some eggs, we could make ham and eggs!

Used to use one of these at work--only bigger for manhole and handhole gaskets for non-pressurized equipment.

Die and a automotive jack?'....or maybe parts from an electric can opener and old 45 record player?

The one in the picture comes from Amazon.ca and costs almost 700 $Canadian.

The tricky part with flexible gasket material is holding it flat and immobile while you cut.  I can't quite visualize how that fancy tool works, or whether you need stiff gasket material for it to cut.  But of course I can buy silicone rings in most standard sizes for four or five bucks apiece, which sort of moots the point of an expensive tool.  I'm in the "making gaskets" thread looking for cheap tricks because I'm trying to renovate fifty-cent garage sale treasures for a price cheaper than buying new storage containers, which is unfortunately what silicone gasgets ordered over the internet tend to cost.

Cut the gasket material into a square or octagon that will fit the gasket dimensions.  Drill a hole in the center that fits
the spindle, which rotates freely on the arm.  Adjust the arm to the outside diameter of the gasket and
let the gasket material rest on the rotating wheel.  Lower the cutting head and turn the crank.  Re-adjust
the arm to the inside diameter, rest the gasket on the rotating wheel,lower the cutting head and turn the crank again.  
If you got the initial measurements right, you should have a perfectly fitting gasket

Oh, now I can visualize it. Clever!

Nice Tips as i am mechanics it will help me !! here i submit Car head Gasket blown articles  can you please tell me is it possible to make it my self and how ?
Head Gasket Blown Symptoms: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

For making gaskets for gasifiers I'll put a bead of red high temp silicone on one face put a layer of saran wrap and put the other face on. I lightly tighten the bolts and walk away for 24 hours. If it worked well I can undo the bolts and I have a perfectly formed gasket adhered to only one side. We're pretty rural here so our hardware stores still stock sheets of gasket material.

Rakibul Hasan wrote:Nice Tips as i am mechanics it will help me !! here i submit Car head Gasket blown articles  can you please tell me is it possible to make it my self and how ?
Head Gasket Blown Symptoms: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

It is technically possible to do but an engine head gasket is an extremely precise example of a gasket. The people i've known to do this are pretty extreme mechanics. You would start by making a precise template of the gasket on a piece of paper then transferring it over to a piece of gasket material like this:  https://www.amazon.com/Craft-37733-Temperature-Gasket-Material/dp/B01DBVB8O6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536713588&sr=8-1&keywords=high+temperature+gasket+material+sheet&dpID=41h4qixQxHL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
The people I have seen do it would then punch the round corner with punches like these:  https://www.amazon.com/SE-791LP-Heavy-Duty-12-Piece-Leather/dp/B000KE17JO/ref=pd_bxgy_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000KE17JO&pd_rd_r=415bd5a7-b626-11e8-8e51-357518f34f72&pd_rd_w=wFCne&pd_rd_wg=1zlFZ&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=6725dbd6-9917-451d-beba-16af7874e407&pf_rd_r=6XE7PD0ZXX0EDYW9SR7J&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=6XE7PD0ZXX0EDYW9SR7J
and use an exacto knife to do the straight parts... a single mistake and it will blow out or leak coolant into the oil or oil into coolant or a cylinder... Usually hand making a head gasket is reserved for antique car and tractor restorations... Anything else you buy the gasket kit. I've made one for a single cylinder engine before but that's it...
Cheers

Man I love that tool. Maybe I need to hit more garage sales in my retirement, because could you imagine finding something like that, wow!   I can attest to many of the techniques found here as I have used them over the decades as a repurpose mechanic. I've always kept a junkyard and prided myself on trying to use parts from whatever vehicle I had to on hand fix what was broken. Custom gasket making was a must know how.
Brian    

Rakibul. I don't advise trying to make your own car head gasket. They are subject to oil, water, coolant, steam, and hydrocarbon fuels, at a variety of temperatures, pressures and viscosities, and have to be the exact right thickness under a reasonable amount of compression from the head bolts. For this reason they are made of a composite of various materials. And they are cheap to buy. If you really can't get hold of the correct gasket then a an emergency repair can be made by using head gasket substitute from a tube but it's a last resort and not a "repair". If you try to make your own gasket, or use gasket substitute long term, you will destroy your engine.