VC gasket material...good and bad?

[AlanS]

Re-doing all the gaskets on my Encore. I see that the old 5/16 (original) gasket 'rope' that sealed the damper was quite substantial. Actually felt like cotton clothesline rope. The 'new' stuff is flimsy, braided rope with no 'insides'...easily compressed. I bought this gasket kit from Black Swan... Am I crazy, or is the 'new stuff' just not as good as the old?
As far as installation, I cleaned out all the old material (gasket and adhesive), wire brushed the groove. When I decide which 'rope' to use, do I just lay a nice bead down of adhesive? I once did a section on the stove and the rope absorbed the adhesive, making the rope hard and loosing adhesion. The damper is a pain to remove, it is horizontal, so I want to do it right the first and last time!
Another question: I have a lot of other gasket rope that came in several kits over the years.... Do I just measure the thickness while it is flaccid? A slight pull can change the diameter easily. Just want to use the right rope for the application....I have the ashpan/ doors / door glass yet to do.

 

[BrotherBart]

The damper gasket is obviously high density gasket. Hard to find as opposed to the soft stuff most stove shops carry. If there are any furnace supply places around check with them. A lot of furnace doors use it. Also you can find it online but most of the places are wholesalers that sell it by the roll which is expensive. The Imperial gasket kits at Lowe's were high density up until year before last and now it is the soft stuff. As to gluing it in, I would glue it with furnace cement which is about the only thing that is gonna stick and also handle the internal temps in the stove. I used it for the door gaskets on my old stove for eons.

Also check any kiln supply places you might have access to.