Silicone sheet

[Johnnyboy]

Hi,

I have mounted a 1/4" BSP compression gland in the wall of my thermopot and need some silicone sheet to make a gasket for inside the pot. Could someone steer me in the right direction of what I need to be buying? I had a silicone o ring but that just seems to have deformed itself now.

Many thanks,
John.

[Fil]

hi john, ebay for silicone baking sheets for about £3, but a visit to the local £shop may well turn up a silicone cake mold with a large enough flat area for you to use too.

an alternative however is good ol ptfe tape, i have done this with 1/2" bsp seals, the trick is to wrap the washer with the tape, to insert tape thru the washer centre i transfered the tape to a drinking straw and cut it short to make a bobbin that would thread thru the washer easily ( a match perhaps for a 1/4" bsp washer??), looped thru and wrapped with a number of layers the ptfe will soon form a soft cushion that will aid a nice tight seal. with heat the ptfe will contract a little too forming a nice clean seal too.

if wrapping through the washer is too tricky you could attempt wrapping around the rim with tension the tape will naturally fold around the edge.



here is a SS ball valve fitted with SS m20 washers a 1/2" lock nut and a SS hex nipple sealed with copious wraps of ptfe alone

[Johnnyboy]

Hi Fil,

You are a star! Five minutes of work wrapping some thick PTFE tape around the washer and its all sorted after trimming off with Stanley knife.

I learnt a new trick today.

Regards,
John.

[lord groan]

If anyone has a poundworld nearby I've just picked up an 8" round silicon pie dish there, smooth surfaced on both sides silicon about 1.5 - 2mm thick, much thicker than the usual stuff at these shops. Looks ideal for decent chunky washers