What to put in plug threads

Can someone tell what the correct procedure to put on plug thread I was on the understanding of putting on antiseize but a of Lamies down under say just put oil on the threads
Cheers
Charlie
Rv9a 300 hours
Building rv10

If you can find this stuff in Australia, it works very well on 18mm massive electrode aviation spark plugs. I've been using it for almost 14 years.


http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/antiseize.php

A 4 ounce bottle is a lifetime supply too.

It's graphite-based.

There's lots of warnings around the internet about never using any copper-based anti-sieze compound on spark plugs due to the risk of causing a short-circuit if any gets into the plug gap.

Anti seize. You would have to be a moron to apply enough to short out plug. Graphite is conductive also is it not?
If alarmist/conspiracy nuts on the internet are to be believed the best thing to do is hide in a hole.

From a Tempest engineer

Always replace the copper gasket with a new one every time the plugs are removed. The gasket flattens once the torque is applied and it can never be reused and take the appropriate shape. Also, copper has heat sync properties which assure the heat from the plug core nose is dissipated properly. Improper heat dissipation effectively changes the heat rating of the plug and can, in severe case, cause pre-ignition.

Anti-seize compound on the spark plug threads is also very important. Not only does it allow easier removal of the plugs, but jt also assures proper torque when installing the plugs.

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Tempest guy likes to sell copper washers.

Copper gaskets can be reused if they are heat treated before reuse. New gaskets are relatively soft and pliable. When torqued and exposed to heat from the engine running, they harden and are no longer able to conform to the spark plug seat if removed like when they were new and pliable. If you take these used, hardened gasket and heat them ( I use a piece of safety wire strung through several gaskets) with a torch, you can restore its original properties. Heat them with a plumbers torch until they glow cherry red, and then douse them in a bucket of cold water. They will come out as soft as they were in the beginning. Just to be sure, take one of these re-heat treated gaskets in your hand and try to bend it. You'll find out it's quite easy. These used gaskets are ready for use. Try a little scotch brite action on them if you want them to be shiney again (for whatever reason).

The Champion stuff is ****. It dries and gums up the threads. A good nickel antiseize is a better choice.

I've used champion stuff for over 30 years and have never had it build up or stick. You need to do it right. Conversely, I've seen the paste antiseize all over the plug and head full of dirt. Gets your fingers dirty and hard to clean off too.

another pirep

I've used Permatex paste antiseize....put a blob in an old film canister ( remember those?) and took an old solder brush, cut off most of the bristles, except about 1/8".
dab into the film can, drag around the perimeter of the plug thread, at least 2 threads from the nose, per some spec I read, and hand start it in the hole, with a new or freshly annealed washer.
...and yes, somehow it gets all over me, even with this tiny amount!

Yep, one of my first jobs at age 15 at the local FBO....stick a long scrap rod into a vise, hang a few dozen washers on it, and heat with a torch. When a few are cherry red, drag off with a screwdriver and plop into a bucket of cold water on the floor. heat & repeat.
fun fun fun for $3.65/hr. A cold Coke was 10 cents.

Vlad said:

From a Tempest engineer

Click to expand...

Tempest plugs are difficult to turn with a wrench because the hex portion is too far down. I cuss at the engineer every time I have to remove them. They cost too much to replace while they otherwise work fine. The deep wall socket gets stuck on the baffling when the torque wrench is attached. They ought to actually try using what they design, then they'd realize there are cooling fins in the way.

So......

Move forward to P-Mags and NGK Auto plugs.

It's the future

I second what Scott said, I been bending wrenches for many years and have always reused the copper gaskets, just put a coat hanger through them and heat until red hot then quench them. Also. the Champion anti-seize is the stuff most mechanics use, just leave the last few threads of the plug untouched.

kjlpdx said:

Tempest plugs are difficult to turn with a wrench because the hex portion is too far down. I cuss at the engineer every time I have to remove them. They cost too much to replace while they otherwise work fine. The deep wall socket gets stuck on the baffling when the torque wrench is attached. They ought to actually try using what they design, then they'd realize there are cooling fins in the way.

Click to expand...

I prefer them because they are actually shorter than the Champions - It just needs a deep wall socket cut down to the correct length.

If you trim your deep wall socket you should have much better results with the shorter plugs and baffle interference.

Thanks for the replys think I stick to anti seige that's what I been using
Any you guys visiting victoria Australia would be glad to take you flyiing Over Gippsland
Charlie

Where'd you get the bag...

of copper gaskets?

Vlad said:

From a Tempest engineer

Click to expand...

Scott Hersha said:

Copper gaskets can be reused if they are heat treated before reuse. New gaskets are relatively soft and pliable. When torqued and exposed to heat from the engine running, they harden and are no longer able to conform to the spark plug seat if removed like when they were new and pliable. If you take these used, hardened gasket and heat them ( I use a piece of safety wire strung through several gaskets) with a torch, you can restore its original properties. Heat them with a plumbers torch until they glow cherry red, and then douse them in a bucket of cold water. They will come out as soft as they were in the beginning. Just to be sure, take one of these re-heat treated gaskets in your hand and try to bend it. You'll find out it's quite easy. These used gaskets are ready for use. Try a little scotch brite action on them if you want them to be shiney again (for whatever reason).

Click to expand...

Scott,
I was going to call you out on this but did my research first. I have always Annealed copper with a slow cool not a quenching with cool water. I believed that cooling slowly was the only way. I found this.

Annealing, in metallurgy and materials science, is a heat treatment that alters the physical and sometimes chemical properties of a material to increase its ductility and to make it more workable. It involves heating a material to above its critical temperature, maintaining a suitable temperature, and then cooling. Annealing can induce ductility, soften material, relieve internal stresses, refine the structure by making it homogeneous, and improve cold working properties.

In the cases of copper, steel, silver, and brass, this process is performed by heating the material (generally until glowing) for a while and then slowly letting it cool to room temperature in still air. Copper, silver[1] and brass can be cooled slowly in air, or quickly by quenching in water, unlike ferrous metals, such as steel, which must be cooled slowly to anneal. In this fashion, the metal is softened and prepared for further work—such as shaping, stamping, or forming.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annealing_(metallurgy)

Learned something new today. Copper can be cooled fast or slow.

Sorry to doubt you Scott.

Just a tiny point of information.... if you buy the Champion bottle and keep it in a portable tool box or some other unheated area in winter... the fine print says don't let it freeze.