Annealing head gasket?

[zmaro]

I was planning on doing this when I put on my redesigned head, I do have one question though. In this video ken puts the gasket on a aluminum plate to cool, however I do not have a thick piece of aluminum like that. Would I be able to use a cookie sheet or something like that to cool it on?

Here is the video I am referring to:

Thanks

 

[blasterBruce]

I was told you could put it on anything flat ! , I don't have anything like that to put on either , but was thinking about using my Flat top stove !

 

[wwholden]

Something flat thats a good heat conductor. Aluminum or copper works best. The idea is to suck the heat out of the gasket as fast as possible. I dont have a sheet of copper or aluminum that big so I just use a sheet of clean smooth flat steel.

 

[sicivicdude]

A cookie sheet would work well. Annealing involves removing the heat quickly but not too fast! Don't dunk the hot head gasket into water or anything. You want to quickly cool the gasket down naturally.... A room temperature cookie sheet or wire baking rack.... pretty much anything that's not going to insulate it but also isn't going to "freeze" it.

 

[blasterBruce]

So my theory with my flat top stove should suffice then ?

 

[zmaro]

Perfect. Also just to make sure, I should tighten the head bolts to 20 ft lbs correct?

 

[joeak47]

an·neal   /əˈnil/ Show Spelled[uh-neel] Show IPA
verb (used with object)
1. to heat (glass, earthenware, metals, etc.) to remove or prevent internal stress.
2. to free from internal stress by heating and gradually cooling.
3. to toughen or temper.
4. Biochemistry . to recombine (nucleic acid strands) at low temperature after separating by heat.
5. to fuse colors onto (a vitreous or metallic surface) by heating.

 

[sicivicdude]

an·neal   /əˈnil/ Show Spelled[uh-neel] Show IPA
verb (used with object)
1. to heat (glass, earthenware, metals, etc.) to remove or prevent internal stress.
2. to free from internal stress by heating and gradually cooling.
3. to toughen or temper.
4. Biochemistry . to recombine (nucleic acid strands) at low temperature after separating by heat.
5. to fuse colors onto (a vitreous or metallic surface) by heating.

#2 is the part we're dealing with..... copper "compresses" into a hardened state. Annealing involves freeing up the atoms and mixing them back up. You don't want to insulate the copper after it's heated or it can "collapse" again, you want it to naturally cool down to where the copper is naturally dis-organized.

You DO NOT want to cool it down too quickly or you'll get quenching:

"Rapid cooling, as by immersion in oil or water, of a metal object from the high temperature at which it is shaped. Quenching is usually done to maintain mechanical properties that would be lost with slow cooling. It is commonly applied to steel objects, to which it gives hardness."

Obviously the last thing you want is a super hard copper head gasket!

 

[wwholden]

18 foot pounds is what the manual calls for I believe.

 

[mjgnslngr]

i see the 18ftlbs, i did that first, then re-torqued to 20ftlbs after i cycled it. idk if thats right or not...its holding up good though.

 

[Blaaster]

20 ft lbs on the head, and 18 ft lbs on the jug!

 

[slickerthanyou]

I hung my gasket up with a coathanger and let it cool naturally, the indentation did not pop up, but it is sealing! my compression and leak test confirmed that!

I do not like to reuse gaskets, however in a pinch is no problem!

 

[zmaro]

20 ft lbs on the head, and 18 ft lbs on the jug!

Thats what I thought, thanks!