Nozzle Gasket

[1stab]

Does anyone have a technique for installing the Nozzle gasket (#14) without destroying it? It always seems to get caught in the threads when I tighten the nozzle nut where the yoke is.

I tried putting the yoke on the nozzle, pin in the nozzle area with the support cap, and the gasket on the nozzle before tightening. It seems to help but I can still hear/feel it get caught in the threads. As I tighten up, the gasket breaks (what are they made of?). I end up using the old one and thus far, I haven't had any problems with leaks. But I would like know that there are as many new parts as possible.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

[Bryan]

The nozzle gaskets are made from a Phenolic material....It is rarely seen anymore and is somewhat hard to come by according to the company that makes the reproduction gaskets for me.
I find the best way is to have the nozzle, yoke, pin and support in place. Get the nozzle gasket squarely on the nozzle and slowly start threading it in. If it binds too much take the gasket back out and give the outer edge of the gasket few good turns with some sandpaper to SLIGHTLY reduce the circumference and this should solve the problem.

The last versions of these gaskets were made from white nylon and the 1st place I saw them was in a non magnetic regulator I won in an auction. I was told by my EOD source that the nozzle gaskets were made for them out of the same material that the current Conshelf HP diaphragm gasket is made from......white nylon.... They are not original to 99% of the regulators out there but I did have a few of them reproduced. If I have rebuilt your RAM or have done a Conshelf upgrade to you RAM I most likely used this type of gasket. They are much easier to work with but can only be used once as the stretch out when the nozzle is tightened down......Hope this helps.

[captain]

I find holding the body upside down and screwing the nozzel up into it helps keep everything in place.

[1stab]

You know, it didn't occur to me to sand the gasket slightly. I'll try that next time I run into trouble.

Merci Beaucoup.

[luis]

My personal preference is to insert the gasket into the main body of the regulator first. It is easy to insert the gasket when the 1st stage nozzle body is not in the way. It is best to insert it at a slight angle so if there is any interference the gasket will flex just slightly into an oval wile passing by the threads. The amount it deflects, in my experience is not enough to crack even an old phenolic gasket. Below the threads there is an undercut with an inside diameter much larger than the gasket.

Once the gasket is in the body, you turn it upside down and gently screw the fully assembled 1st stage into the main body. The reason I turn the regulator with the 1st stage facing down is the gasket will tend to center itself on the threads without falling (it was interfering with the threads, therefore it shouldn’t drop out). I have always found the gasket will center itself on to the nozzle as you are screwing it up into the body. You can tell this is the case since you should fill no resistance until the gasket and the nozzle are bottom out into the body. That is the reason you need to be gentle and have a light touch when threading the 1st stage nozzle.

After it bottoms out is when you use a wrench to tight it.

[luis]

The last versions of these gaskets were made from white nylon and the 1st place I saw them was in a non magnetic regulator I won in an auction. I was told by my EOD source that the nozzle gaskets were made for them out of the same material that the current Conshelf HP diaphragm gasket is made from......white nylon.... They are not original to 99% of the regulators out there but I did have a few of them reproduced. If I have rebuilt your RAM or have done a Conshelf upgrade to you RAM I most likely used this type of gasket. They are much easier to work with but can only be used once as the stretch out when the nozzle is tightened down......Hope this helps.

The new nylon gaskets are easy to work with (no fear of breaking them and they may seal better on a less than perfect surface), but I believe I had to retighten a couple of nozzles a few days after assembled because the gasket had compressed with time. It is possible that I didn’t tighten enough the first time.

There is something to be said for being able to re-use a phenolic gasket vs. having to replace a nylon one every time I open a regulator.
When I get to testing the modified RAM nozzle I think I will use one of Bryan’s reproduction phenolic gaskets.

Bryan
Have you found any other Pros & Cons about using your reproduction phenolic vs. Nylon gaskets?
I have used both types of reproduction gaskets and they both seem to work well, but you have more experience with them than I do.

[Bryan]

I can't say I have ever had to re-tighten them later on…..If you go slowly when you tighten the nozzle down on a brand new nylon gasket you can actually feel it compress as you come to the last little turn before it bottoms out. With the phenolic it just seems to stop suddenly and you can turn it no further.
I have found the nylon to be very effective in sealing if the nozzle and the body are not perfect.

[duckbill]

Speak of the devil!
I just sheared a phenolic gasket yesterday while installing my new long yoke in preparation for Chucks soon-to-come banjo. "Scrunch!" "Oops!"
Then I remembered how I had found the trick of putting the gasket on the nozzle before GENTLY screwing it UP into the body. That's what I found worked for me. Too bad I had a brain fart. Luckily I had another used one to install to finish the job.

[1stab]

I feel your pain. Makes one shudder at the thought of having thrown the old one out! I almost did. But I did have a leak in one instance where I reused the gasket. It was bubbling ever so slightly in the yoke area in the water test.

If I could, I would buy a bunch of those new gaskets. They seal up with no problem.

[treasureman]

I used some of the nylon gaskets on my Ram nozzles that i got from Bryan.

They are the trick. I found that after it was tightened by hand, that i had to use the german wrench (goodntite) to get the seal i needed.

I had been conservative in the amount of torque i put on the nozzle, and as a result had air buibbling out . Once i cranked it down good, it was a great seal.

I dont like just using the goodntite way. I prefer to get a torque specification, I had managed to use a digital wrench, and when tightened down, I stopped after 60 ft pounds, and it appeared to seal up nice. This spec is general and may be different from your use.