A gasket is most commonly found in an engine. Gasket sizes and shapes vary greatly depending on their purposes. When an engine needs to be repaired, the gaskets will not be able to be reused. When purchasing a gasket, you may find it difficult to locate, or you may have to buy a complete set of gaskets for your application. There is a solution to this; make your own gasket. Making a gasket is simple and will save you money and the headache of trying to either locate a discontinued replacement gasket or having to buy a complete set.
Clean the area. Use your razor blade to scrape the old gasket material from the surface. Use fine-grit sandpaper to remove any leftover material or old silicon. Do this by lightly sanding the surface until it's clean.
Cut the appropriate size. Hold your sheet of gasket material over the area for which you are making the gasket. Leave an inch of material on all sides of the area to ensure the gasket will fit properly. Cut the gasket material.
Mark the new gasket. Hold the gasket material firmly in place and use your pencil's eraser to mark the new gasket for cutting. To do this, press down on the pencil eraser on all points where there is a bolthole or edge. This will leave a mark in the gasket material, looking as if it was pressed into the material.
Cut the new gasket. Place the gasket material on a hard surface, such as a scrap piece of plywood or workbench. Use your knife to cut out all bolt holes. Once this is done, you can cut all edges of the new gasket. Hold the gasket against the surface it was made for; check to be sure all boltholes match so the gasket will seal properly.
Install the new gasket. Place a small amount of automotive silicon on your finger. Wipe a thin layer of the silicon on both sides of where the gasket will be placed. This will fill any gasket material imperfections and create a seal. Your are now ready to bolt your parts back together.
