Making Gaskets With Paper and One Dirty Trick

In this instructable I show a method I use for making gaskets using minimal tooling. In most cases you can buy gaskets relatively cheap but sometimes you cannot find them for old machines or you cannot wait for shipping times since the big ride is this weekend. Some people like to use a thin layer of oil to stamp the gasket shape but I've found I get better results with this method and can use it on more complex parts that have protruding features. You can watch the video or read the following steps here.

You will need:

• Paper and gasket paper
• A dirty finger
• Something to cut the paper with, I used an exacto blade and hole punch.

1. The first thing I do is clean the surface where the gasket will go, this is needed to get an accurate template. There are several ways to do this from gasket remover compound, a brush that is softer that the cylinder, and a razor blade (While this works it is very easy to cut into the mating surface so this is the riskiest option).
2. In the second picture I flip over the cylinder and lay it on the paper. Then I trace a circle along the outside of the cylinder skirt that protrudes from the cylinder.
3. Next I cut out the circle I just traced. I get it as accurate as I can around the cylinder skirt but the rest of the circle doesn't have to be as perfect since that is where the transfer port cutouts will be.
4. Then I place the paper on the cylinder and hold if firmly in place.
5. In the fifth picture I rub the paper with a dirty finger, it is important to not let the paper shift at all while doing this. I got the idea to do this from grave rubbing which can be used to read engravings that are too weathered to read. I dirtied my finger by rubbing some rusty metal I had, most shop floors are dusty enough to get enough "ink" on your finger. I've ran out of dirt halfway through before so I got some more from the bottom of my shoe while in position and still holding the paper down so it didn't shift.
6. The last image shows the completed rubbing. The lines are very sharp for using such crude and free tools.

1. I used an exacto knife to cut along the lines the rubbing left on the paper.
2. You can use a hole punch to cut out the bolt holes if you have the right size, It makes things a lot faster.
3. The third image shows the freshly cut template. The original circle I cut out for the cylinder skirt now has three squarish protrusions from it. Cutting these out can be tricky but I like to start from the corner outside the circle and pull into the circle with the knife. This pulling action keeps the paper flat. Doing it reversed makes it harder to hold the paper flat and keep it as accurate.
4. In the last picture I double check the fitment of the template on the cylinder. Everything looks pretty good except one bolt hole is slightly off. I make a mental note of it and adjust it in the next step.

1. Using the template I just made I traced the pattern onto the gasket paper.
2. On camera It's hard to see the graphite trace line on the black gasket paper but in person it's a lot easier. You could use pen but I prefer the precision of a thin mechanical pencil.
3. I used an exacto blade to cut along the lines I just traced. There are lots of little features and it can be easy to rip so go slow and use a fresh blade.
4. In the forth picture I use a punch to make a circle for bolt holes. Some of the holes I did not have the right size punch so I had to cut those out with the knife.
5. My gasket is complete and it is time to double check my work.

1. I check the fitment of the gasket on the cylinder and it is a perfect match.
2. I also bought the whole engine rebuild gasket kit so I checked the gasket I made against the one I ordered and they are almost a perfect match.
3. When I lay the gaskets over each other one difference becomes apparent. The green gasket (Part I ordered) has three holes while I have a slot (Noted in the picture). This will not matter when it comes to assembly and both gaskets will work perfectly on this engine.

I hope you learned something from this instructable and that it helps you fix whatever you need fixed! With some simply tools and a little knowhow you can solve a lot of problems, save money, and keep stuff out of the landfill.