# old car engine gasket cut out



## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

tracing an engine gasket and laser cutting it


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Really? Overkill. When I was a kid the way it was done was to get gasket material, trace the old gasket on it, then cut it out with an exacto knife or other small blade. Done in 5-10 minutes, and plenty accurate. Gasket material is still available, and I would still cut one out if I needed one.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

That would come in SO handy at work, especially on the thin, tiny gaskets in our control systems


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

I also cut gaskets out myself. It takes a little patience, but is not that hard to do. A little slower than a laser could cut it, but much cheaper, and I'm willing to bet that setting up the laser is going to take longer than my time cutting one out. I grind the tail end of drill bits flat and use them and a soft block of wood like a punch and die to cut the round holes. The X-Acto knife or scissors does the rest.

Charley


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Back in the days of cork gaskets I laid the cork on top of what I wanted to make a gasket for and very lightly tapped it with a ball peen hammer. I would only do this for gaskets I couldn't buy or it was going to take a long time to get. It was a pain that is for sure. :frown:

PS- And they talk about the good old days. :laugh2:


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## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

*agree with comments*

I agree with all the comments, but there are people out there that have a tough time with tech things. .scanners cad etc
so this is to show there is an easier way using a pen and board.
Also I have done complicated diagrams and have done my share of scanning
You can do a lot with this board complicated or simple and it is easy


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## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

also there was this sample too


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

*Don't miss the purpose of the video...*

The purpose of the video was to show how quickly and easily you can generate a DXF file from an actual part. For fabricating one-off parts (either on a laser, plasma table, or CNC machine) you can save a lot of time having to create a file in your CAD or modeling software.

As someone who has spent a lot of time working with machinery and systems that are no longer supported, this could be a godsend. If I could have a database of commonly used gaskets and a laser cutter I could reduce my inventory on board, as well as not having to have someone spend half an hour making a gasket. Especially when dealing with the very thin compressed sheet packing material, which always seems to crack or tear on the last cut. The expensive gaskets we buy from OEM suppliers have a bad habit of dying in storage if not used in a couple of years after purchase.

I could definitely see this sort of tech employed in the not so distant future. It could be as common place as the milling machine, lathes, and welding equipment we employ today.


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

@hawkeye10: Don, that's how we did it. I've made a lot of them that way. That was back when sometimes it was just necessary to do whatever had to be done to get things back in operation. I've made them when it was hotter than a new fired pistol and colder than a well digger in the Alaska.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

woodman12 said:


> so this is to show there is an easier way using a pen and board.


Not following how you did that? Draw the outlines, then color the insides? How about an explanation of just what you did? Pictures would be good too.


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## chessnut2 (Sep 15, 2011)

Outstanding tutorial, Stan. You have a real talent for teaching. You went slow enough for it to soak in, without adding unnecessary banter. And thank you, thank you for not adding distracting music to the background. I always have trouble concentrating on what's being taught when there's music playing. Nice job. Thanks.


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## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

thanks for the good positive comment


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## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

Stan, I'm assuming the first is(was?) a video of the process? All I see is a black square at the moment... I would love to see the process.

I, as others here, have cut many gaskets in the past.. both with the scissors/exacto knife method as well as the ball peen hammer method that was mentioned, and I will probably have to again someday. Now, having said that, new technology is a WONDERFUL thing and if I had the machinery available I would probably take the route you did. 

Even tho I can't see the video, thanks for sharing.


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## woodman12 (Feb 12, 2012)

*drawing and cutting*

Traced out the pictures downloaded and edited the diagram as I needed each section cut out and fitting tight, that's a lot of work but easier than a scroll saw.
These are CO2 laser cut, I will check and see if I have a video. i used different woods to add some flavor , the panels are 1/4 thick mahogany and the woods are 1/4 , like a puzzle, BUT each piece has its own perimeter as the laser needs a closed dxf vector to enable a cut


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