how thick should replacement cork be on a bellows seal?

My opinion isn't very educated😆
Just was looking at some cork on D69U seals a while back. Certainly not new, still had about 1/16-3/32" left. The surface of the bellows where the cork is glued on is smooth with maybe a little crown on it. The washer is smooth/flat, however there is a ring riveted on the sprocket to protect the seal area.

I wonder if it would hurt to remove some of the height on the sides of the groove? Not sure how this is made though. Perhaps that would cut through the bellows?

I think stainless steel would work well. Maybe one of the higher numbers ie 316 instead of 304. In my experience stainless steel is quite abrasion resistant as well as being corrosion resistant. I have more experience with 304 than anything else using it in silage equipment (abrasive plus mild acid corrosion). Where there was a source of oil to lubricate and protect the sealing surface, it should last a very long time.

However I believe the challenge will be how to cut a perfectly flat piece of anything. Maybe laser or water jet cut it and hone on a piece of plate glass?

When I made some for the 5U, I used two layers. The first layer had the two or four holes and was the thickness of the protruding stud. The second layer was glued with 3M 77 and was around 1/8".

a D6 must be a bit different than a 22, as my seal sits down in a channel on 6 pegs ( which are actually the heads of the internal spring locating pins), my new cork should be about 5.375 ID and 6.125 OD (and is 5/16 thick)which leaves about 1/16 th sticking out,,,hmm... looks like you have a bit more sticking out right away,,,,i suppose i could "shorten up"the metal bits a little, but then wonder if i would run out of "expansion room "on the bellows itself??

I talked to a local old timer guy today and he sez that as long as the stuff "stays oily" it will last a long time, and wear should be negligible,, I still have my doubts cause,it is quite a lot of work on a 22 to re-do it later if it wears out quickly, so i want to do it right.

I thought about a stainless wear ring too, wonder if that material was even available way back then when the 22 was made?? I have a machine shop nearby that does CNC plasma cutouts of all shapes and sizes, that i think i could talk into doing it for a price. ( i now have found enough usable wear rings to get me going now, so have not pursued that avenue) Plasma ( basically very high pressure water and grit i think is how it is done) should not warp them at all, and i think i could "lap" the facing surface somehow to get it smoother yet if need be.

the photos of the 10 gaskets are similar , wonder if the two small diameter thick circles are about what i need, as long as they have the six recesses cut in the back for the pegs.


In case anyone is wondering, yes, 5/16 cork neoprene is nearly impossible to cut with a scissors, and difficult to cut accurately, you should see the setup i have in my lathe to make them!! more to follow if the setup works.

Will be doing something, even if not exactly right, to get things rolling again, and I appreciate all inputs. Dave

a D6 must be a bit different than a 22, as my seal sits down in a channel on 6 pegs ( which are actually the heads of the internal spring locating pins), my new cork should be about 5.375 ID and 6.125 OD (and is 5/16 thick)which leaves about 1/16 th sticking out,,,hmm... looks like you have a bit more sticking out right away,,,,i suppose i could "shorten up"the metal bits a little, but then wonder if i would run out of "expansion room "on the bellows itself??

I talked to a local old timer guy today and he sez that as long as the stuff "stays oily" it will last a long time, and wear should be negligible,, I still have my doubts cause,it is quite a lot of work on a 22 to re-do it later if it wears out quickly, so i want to do it right.

I thought about a stainless wear ring too, wonder if that material was even available way back then when the 22 was made?? I have a machine shop nearby that does CNC plasma cutouts of all shapes and sizes, that i think i could talk into doing it for a price. ( i now have found enough usable wear rings to get me going now, so have not pursued that avenue) Plasma ( basically very high pressure water and grit i think is how it is done) should not warp them at all, and i think i could "lap" the facing surface somehow to get it smoother yet if need be.

the photos of the 10 gaskets are similar , wonder if the two small diameter thick circles are about what i need, as long as they have the six recesses cut in the back for the pegs.


In case anyone is wondering, yes, 5/16 cork neoprene is nearly impossible to cut with a scissors, and difficult to cut accurately, you should see the setup i have in my lathe to make them!! more to follow if the setup works.

Will be doing something, even if not exactly right, to get things rolling again, and I appreciate all inputs. Dave

[QUOTE=nw4evr;102660]a D6 must be a bit different than a 22, as my seal sits down in a channel on 6 pegs ( which are actually the heads of the internal spring locating pins), my new cork should be about 5.375 ID and 6.125 OD (and is 5/16 thick)which leaves about 1/16 th sticking out,,,hmm... looks like you have a bit more sticking out right away,,,,i suppose i could "shorten up"the metal bits a little, but then wonder if i would run out of "expansion room "on the bellows itself??

I talked to a local old timer guy today and he sez that as long as the stuff "stays oily" it will last a long time, and wear should be negligible,, I still have my doubts cause,it is quite a lot of work on a 22 to re-do it later if it wears out quickly, so i want to do it right.

I thought about a stainless wear ring too, wonder if that material was even available way back then when the 22 was made?? I have a machine shop nearby that does CNC plasma cutouts of all shapes and sizes, that i think i could talk into doing it for a price. ( i now have found enough usable wear rings to get me going now, so have not pursued that avenue) Plasma ( basically very high pressure water and grit i think is how it is done) should not warp them at all, and i think i could "lap" the facing surface somehow to get it smoother yet if need be.

the photos of the 10 gaskets are similar , wonder if the two small diameter thick circles are about what i need, as long as they have the six recesses cut in the back for the pegs.

In case anyone is wondering, yes, 5/16 cork neoprene is nearly impossible to cut with a scissors, and difficult to cut accurately, you should see the setup i have in my lathe to make them!! more to follow if the setup works.

Will be doing something, even if not exactly right, to get things rolling again, and I appreciate all inputs. Dave[/QUOte


Dave,
I have set up my drill press table and arbor stop to bore the right size hole and depth so the cork sits all the way down in the groove. The cork is a bit under 3/8" thick and sticks up a little over 1/16". I cut the cork material with a crafts knife (razor blade) I got from the hobby shop. Took just a few min to make each one.

Have a good evening..Bill