question about replacing rope gasket

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Johnpolk

Johnpolk

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Sep 15, 2012
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I'm going to replace the rope gasket on the doors of my isle royale. I'm planning on using a pneumatic wire brush wheel to clean out the old cement. Should I repaint where I clean to prevent corrosion or should I glue to the bare metal where exposed? I don't want exposed metal rusting but I'm also afraid the new gasket won't stick to fresh paint. I'm also planning on using high temp silicone to glue in new gasket. Any thoughts or advice?
 
A screwdriver will do a decent job of removing most of the old cement. Use the wirebrush for final cleanup. The gasket cement goes right on bare metal, no need to paint. There should be no rusting unless the stove is in a very damp environment. If that is the case the whole interior of the stove will be starting to rust.

I had bad luck with high temp silicone (Permatex blue) it hardened to rock and was very hard to remove a few years later. Others report no problems using different high temp silicones. Most appear to be using the red variety, brand unknown. I now put on my gaskets using Meeco's gasket adhesive and it has worked ok. Shake well before using.
 
Thanks for the reply. I will try to use the red. Anyone else had bad luck with silicone? There is so much differing advice for adhesives it ends up being unclear what is best. This is my first time trying this:)
 
Gasket material can vary in density, construction, weave, etc.. Be sure the gasket is the proper size and construction to match the original. When in doubt, install the OEM gasket.

Be careful to not put on too much adhesive in the gasket groove. You want just enough to hold the gasket, but not so much that it oozes or saturates the gasket. This article may be helpful:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/stove_gasket
 
Red silicone will work well. Just let it completely cure before building a fire, otherwise it won't hold. Many manufacturers use red silicone for gaskets during production.
 
Thanks guys. I bought the gasket from the dealer. I plan on using the red silicone. Thanks for all of the advice.
 
Ultra black or even copper might look better if it spooged out, both higher temp rated than blue. Do you plan to lay the gasket and let it cure with the door shut or while laying face up on the bench?
 
I would test that first. Higher temp silicones might solidify worse.
 
A wire/brush wheel gets it done in a flash. Next time Redd, turn it on.
 
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It really depends on the previous cementing of the gasket. It took me the best part of an hour to get the permatex blue rtv out and that was with a lot of elbow grease. I've have a lot better and quicker luck if the previous cementing was with stove gasket cement.
 
I remove the old cement with an old screwdriver, then a wire wheel on my cordless drill to get the leftovers. As BG said, it's always different. Sometimes it comes out with almost no effort, other times it can take a lot of work. No 2 are alike!
 
My original cement was rock hard. I chipped it out with a screwdriver and a hammer. Then a 1 inch diameter wire brush in the drill cleaned it up to bare metal. For a few gaskets, I used simular hard cement. Now I use ultra high temp copper. A little extra squeaked out, and it was soft and easy to cut off with a razor knife. I haven't pulled one out that I used the ultra on, but I think it will be pliable.

As said don't overdo the cement. Don't stretch out the new gasket. Better bunched up a little bit.
 
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