Anyone who has taken apart a modern cylinder valve knows thier isnt much to it. One of the difficult or expensive componets is the crush washer. There are a few sizes based on brand of valve. The specs for Blue Steel crush washer is avalible online.
I needed a few of them as i was rebuilding some metric SOS valves. SOS is the manufacturer for Blue Steel valves. Blue Steel is just a private label of an SOS product. As i started trying to source the washers i was becoming frustrated with the cost as i wanted to order a couple dozen to have on hand. I also have a knack for doing things the hard way. This would be no different.
I decided to buy 60 wrong size crush washers and machine them to be the correct size.
It went very straight forward l. Now i have my own source for valve crush washers.
I chose to purchase washers with the correct inside dimention as the inside would be tough to manipulate while holding the rest without bending it. Doing this i cound shave down the outside and the thickness. Here is photos of how i did it and the results.
9/16" bolt shaved down to 12mm and then threaded the end to take a 3/8 nut. You dont need a lathe to do this. It just makes it quicker. I then took a piece of stock and cut a groove in the face so i could sand down the thickness. Worked well and the results were very accurate. No leaks on my newly rebuilt valves.
I needed a few of them as i was rebuilding some metric SOS valves. SOS is the manufacturer for Blue Steel valves. Blue Steel is just a private label of an SOS product. As i started trying to source the washers i was becoming frustrated with the cost as i wanted to order a couple dozen to have on hand. I also have a knack for doing things the hard way. This would be no different.
I decided to buy 60 wrong size crush washers and machine them to be the correct size.
It went very straight forward l. Now i have my own source for valve crush washers.
I chose to purchase washers with the correct inside dimention as the inside would be tough to manipulate while holding the rest without bending it. Doing this i cound shave down the outside and the thickness. Here is photos of how i did it and the results.
9/16" bolt shaved down to 12mm and then threaded the end to take a 3/8 nut. You dont need a lathe to do this. It just makes it quicker. I then took a piece of stock and cut a groove in the face so i could sand down the thickness. Worked well and the results were very accurate. No leaks on my newly rebuilt valves.
