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Ziploc bag trick for tiny o-rings

DirtyHoe · 2020-06-29 01:09

Not sure if the following is an original idea or not. I have snapped three tiny o-rings(.101 ID X .07 thick) trying to install them on the guide that is inside the secondary relief valve to the loader control valve on my 580C. I put the guide and the o-ring in hot oil on the kitchen stove. By the time you get them out of the oil and try to install the o-ring it has cooled down and won't stretch. Then snap! I ruined another one. So here is my trick that worked the first time. After heating the oil in a pan to about 170 degrees I put the o-ring and guide in the oil to soak up the heat for a minute. Then I put the parts and hot oil into the bag and sealed it shut. Next I installed the o-ring by working through the outside of the clear bag. It worked perfect the first time. Doing it this way gives you a lot of time to install the o-ring without the oil and parts cooling down. Steve

Replies5
  1. #1thepumpguysc2020-06-29 04:04

    Kool idea.. & thanks for the pics.. Using a baggie to install seals works great on the inj pump drive shaft seals also.. Slip the baggie over the shaft & run the seals over the baggie.. it keeps the seals from dropping into the grooves meant for another seal.. (If u don’t have the installation tool)

  2. #2Fred from MO2020-06-29 07:27

    Great Idea! Thanks for sharing. I have used this idea on very small springs and e-clips when assembling things by doing them in a ziploc. Quite often you can launch a spring off a shaft when installing it and now its "somewhere in the shop". If you use a bag and it launches, then the bag catches it and you do not loose the spring or e-clip.

  3. #3mitch5042020-06-29 09:50

    Welp, 2 good ideas in 1 thread, not bad

  4. #4Welder Dave2020-06-29 14:21

    Great Tip! Look for the new Ziploc assembly bags in the tool section at your favorite retailer. Might be a good idea to apply for a patent as they were never intended to be used for mechanical stuff.

  5. #5kshansen2020-06-30 10:18

    Where were you people when I was removing the wire type retainer ring for the screen in the carb of my Homelite chain saw? It was in at the most a 5/16 inch diameter hole. I did not think too much about it as there was a new one in the kit, but seems the new one is a touch bigger and I spent hours trying to poke it in without destroying the new screen. I finally gave up and found a small coil spring the right diameter but a light gauge wire and sniped a section out of it and made a new ring that was easier to install. And yes I did spend probably an hour or more searching for the original ring even dragging a magnet all over the bench or floor!