http://www.motorcycle.co.uk/Referenc...m-washers.aspx



PS: I just use a magic marker on aluminum,
Color it black - and burn the black off (use a propane torch!)
RL




Better to re-anneal the washer if you are going to re-use it.

Why? - When you 'work' copper or aluminium, it goes hard. Tightening an
oil-drain plug against a washer 'works' the metal. 'Annealing' means 'making it
soft so it deforms again'.

Here's how....

Grab 2 pairs of pointy-nose pliers. Wipe any oil/grit off the washer and take it
into the kitchen. Erm, you do have a gas cooker, don't you ?
(Alternatively, gas welding kit; blowtorch; or some other source of safe flame.
A cigarette lighter isn't enough heat, a hot air gun won't do it either. A gas
cooker is the thing you want. A camping stove will do.)

You need to get it hot enough, but obviously not melt it:
Copper: which you recognise because it is copper-coloured.

You need to get copper 'dull red'. Dull Red is one of those technical terms
engineers use. It just means roast it until it glows a dull red. In order, as
you heat metal, it goes:

*
slightly reddish tinge - this isn't hot enough to do anything
*
dull red
*
cherry red - properly 'red', but somewhere less than orange
*
orangey-yellow - way further than you need to go
*
white-hot - its about to melt, stop it.

Aluminium: which is not copper-coloured, it is grey.

Wipe washing up liquid on it. When you heat this, it boils, then burns to a
black deposit. That's the heat at which its done. (Alternatively, you can cover
it with soot from a sooty flame, then when this soot burns off, you are done.
But Fairy Liquid is easier.)



So, using one pair of pointy-nose pliers, hold the washer in the flame until you
get to the temperature you want. Then hold it by the other side, so you can heat
the bit that was under the pliers. Heat it as evenly as you can, and for
something as small as a washer, it can take as little as seconds, so pay attention.

Once it has been cooked all over, let it cool down naturally. You don't need to
quench it in water or anything.
Note well. You want 2 pairs of pliers. ITS GOING TO BE HOT, so you don't want to
touch it with your fingers. DO NOT let it touch exposed skin. DO NOT lay it on
the kitchen table to cool down.

And that's it, your washer is 're-annealed'. Brush off any sooty deposits, refit
it to the bike and it will form itself to a tight seal again. You can stand back
and feel all smug and pleased with yourself

Footnotes:

Did you burn yourself, you muppet? Stick the burn under the cold tap for 10
minutes. Butter is an old wives' tale and doesn't help. Leave it under the tap
as long as you can stand, at least some minutes. Broken skin, treat with
antiseptic cream and a sticking plaster.

You don't want to re-anneal washers more than a few times. The metal will take
it, but after you've softened and squished it a few times, it's probably getting
a bit thin and deformed. It may start to be loose on the drain plug, so it may
not be seating against the faces the manufacturer meant it to. If you notice
this, get new washers for the next oil change.

This annealing process works for copper and aluminium washers. In fact, the
process is the same for any non-ferrous (non-steel) metal. Copper or Aluminium
are what your oil-plug drain washers will be made of.....

......unless you have a really old bike which might have fibre washers (look like
reddy-orange fibreglass, hard felt, or tarry cloth). Just re-use until they crumble.

......or what are often known as 'Dowty Washers', metal washers with a rubber
insert. Re-use until the rubber becomes worn, damaged, or hardened with heat/age.

You do not need to anneal new washers. They come out of the manufacturing
process soft and ductile. You only need to re-anneal used washers that have been
worked.

If you are doing a copper gasket as opposed to a washer, perhaps a cylinder head
gasket, some people like to cool by quenching in water. Drop it in edge first
for quick, even quenching. Quenching isn't strictly necessary, the rate of
cooling makes no difference to the resulting softness. For something as
mission-critical as a head gasket, you only want to re-use it in an emergency,
but it would certainly help the seal if you can re-anneal.

The annealing process does not soften steel washers. If you heat and cool steel
- it gets hard and brittle.