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Glow Plug Washers


Andy J
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Probably little help to you at this moment but I have just measured the washer from a brand new unused OS F plug. O/D 8.3mm, I/D 6.4mm, thickness 0.7mm.

6.4mm is pretty much 1/4". Washers are often made to be an easy sliding fit over a bolt. So a nominal 1/4" washer is likely to be more than 6.4mm I/D. 

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Bought the lathe  probably 18 months ago thinking it would be handy.

So far have put it to little use other than making an extended dome prop nut so making some washers will at least see it being used.

Possible that I have the wrong cutting tools for turning copper so will have to consult my friend who is more experienced as to what speeds and cutter to use.

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Sharp HHS parting off tool should be fine, its the lubricant to prevent the cooper cold welding to the tooling and drill you need to check on.

 Been a long time since I m/c'd copper so memory is  not so good, should think suds or oil base should do it.

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You will need a blowtorch as well. Heat the workhardened washers carefully, and they go red. Too much, they melt. And toss washers into cold water. They are then soft and deformable.

I reckon to make them, rod in the chuck, drill the hole deep enough for a dozen, turn the outside down to diameter, and make/cut each washer from the block with a parting tool. Then soften  as above. 
Nothing special needed, an old hacksaw will serve as a parting tool. Cutting speed such that the tool does not dig in.

Edited by Don Fry
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Nothing special about copper. Assuming the drill bit is a normal useable drill. Drill the centre hole winding the tailstock in at a nice steady fashion, not on piece rates here……

face off the copper rod, then reduce the diameter for a dozen washers and a dozen cuts, then cut off the washers with the parting tool. Slow or fast as you like, but too fast, it might go wrong, get a cutting speed where the lathe does not sound strained.
One trick, you can face off the tool marks by rubbing them, finger will do, on a sanding block, wet and dry. 
Then make them soft again.

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I’ve just reread your post. I assume you have a manual lathe, and am not planning using power feed lathes. If so, beyond my skill set.

The copper in your rod will be soft. it cuts very easily. It’s not much harder than nylon, and even if your cutting tools are not great, will cut copper. As I said earlier, an old hacksaw blade will part copper.

Another trick, after drilling the centre hole, block it with dowel, or a nylon bolt. Then as the metal starts to break away, it’s held in place until all the metal is cut. 
 

watch your fingers, the scarf is really sharp. Looking on the bright side, copper is very poisonous to all life forms, and the cuts don’t go manky. 

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Arrrr, but the point is you did, and it did not have to come round the world. It would have been easy just to accept the offer of a couple in the post. You showed the obstinate bloody minded attitude to life that any respectable practitioner of this game possesses. I electronically shake your hand.

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It's no help to you Andy, but in a bizarre twist of fate, today I found a brand new glowplug washer on the floor. I lost it months ago and after I dropped it and then just couldn't find it. During a general "tidying up" today (when I wasn't looking for it) I found it. Shame I'm in France not round the corner from you. C'est la vie!

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3 hours ago, Andy Joyce said:

Did have to destroy one perfectly good 10mm copper bar in the process though Don. 

Andy, I love you. A bit of copper bar, destroyed.

I am a bit lost here, man wanted a washer, had a lathe . No press. Got a washer.
So three mistakes, 2 mm to 3 mm a mistake, that’s a 10 mm bar destroyed. Bet after the learning curve, it’s one washer, one cut. 
What is the use of copper bar. 10 mm. 440,000V 3 phase?

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1 hour ago, David Ovenden said:

Shame I'm in France not round the corner from you. C'est la vie!

Well if my plans had worked out in latter life I too would be living in France David. Although I visited Paris on multiple occasions for work my French was never good enough to permit moving there on a permanet basis. Plus the stress of my last house move 14 years ago put me off moving again after retirement.

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10 hours ago, David Ovenden said:

It's no help to you Andy, but in a bizarre twist of fate, today I found a brand new glowplug washer on the floor. I lost it months ago and after I dropped it and then just couldn't find it. During a general "tidying up" today (when I wasn't looking for it) I found it. Shame I'm in France not round the corner from you. C'est la vie!

I offered to post him a couple but fallen on deaf ears, still maybe worth putting your 'lost washer' on ebay David.😉

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Looking at all the interest and rarity of this unavailable product i decided to do a 'tuto' on making one.

First one to measure, I seemed to have found one,,,🥳

Then you need Safety Goggles  a lathe with it's accessories, a small rat tailed file and a vernier gauge for finishing some fine emery cloth.

 Some metal, here aluminium, and copper, I settled for the 6mm OD copper tube,

 a 6mm drill and hammer.

 

Start by putting on your safety Goggles.

 The drill was inserted it the copper tube and hammered on the outside to open it up to the right size here ID of 6.3mm.

then inserted into the lathe to be faced off and with the outside diameter checked, i parted it off with a fine and sharp parting tool  the 6mm drill is inserted to support the tube while parting.

then both surfaces cleaned up with the emery cloth, the rat tailed file to clean off the swarf from the inside then finally annealed, heated to cherry red and quenched in water.

 

In the last image you can see that I have successfully achieved my mission.

 

Any questions please feel free to ask.

 

If the Moderators find this post too silly no offence will be taken if it is deleted.😇

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Edited by Paul De Tourtoulon
Ps; 20 minutes work
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All very well but how much testing have you done? How do these hold up over various temperature and fuel conditions? What about high compression situations? Not being funny but I don't think you have fully understood this very complex requirement 

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