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Spitfire Copper washers - there's a good chance I'm over-thinking this...

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J

jim-w

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Hey Folks! I understand that the copper washers used on the oil gallery plugs and various other places are used because the copper is "soft" and will provide a better seal without increasing the torque to an overly high level. With this in mind, when re-using copper washers, would there be any value in "softening" the copper washers prior to torque-ing them down? Easily done by heating then quenching (total opposite the HC steel I normally deal with), but I really don't want to waste time with the extra process just because I can... What say you?
 
Actually, not a bad idea. Copper work-hardens very easily. Take a piece of copper wire and bend it a couple times--you will see that it is much harder to bend after doing that. Same principle applies to sealing washers.
 
Copper is work hardened when they are crushed by the nut. When re-used they will not seal as well as on the first use. They are, therefore, intended to be single use item. That said, they can be re-used almost indefinitely so long as you anneal them before each use. To anneal, lay them on a flat steel plate and heat to red hot. Then gradually remove the heat until the glowing stops and allow the washer to air cool. The hot plate aides in the slow cooling and re-softening the copper.
 
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