Enhancing An O-Ring Seal?

[croy]

Thanks for that link!

[nestork]

I and everyone I know uses metal dental picks to remove and re-install rubber O-rings. I have been using metal dental picks to do that for well over 20 years now and have not damaged an O-ring yet.

What do you suggest using instead?

[notbob]

It's not the oring that might get dinged, it's the oring groove surface becoming gouged. Plastic electronics adj tools shaped like a flat blade screwdriver are much more practical and are easily obtainable. This might not be so critical for something like a waterproof seal, but for something like a high vacuum seal, it's definitely critical.

nb

[chaniarts]

try a pool store.

[croy]

O-ring sealing surfaces are often rather soft materials, such as mild-steel, brass, aluminum or plastic. A metal tool can easily scratch such surfaces. I've seen skilled workers successfully use a pick to remove an o-ring that is not to be reused by deliberately piercing the o-ring itself, and not touching the mating surfaces with the pick.

Forced air usually works for face seals. For external shaft seals that are large enough, squeezing the ring around the shaft until a portion of it pooches up enough to get fingers or a chop-stick under it. Internal cylindrical o-rings can be a bugger, indeed--if compressed air won't do it, and you don't have wooden or plastic tools for the job, you're in a really bad situation!

I've seen some high-durometer o-rings (TFE, etc.) where I don't know how the mfr. got them on there in the first place (but maybe used heat and a sled), and I know of no way to get them off without destroying them. But I'm no expert (guess I should have stated that part first!).

[jwcraftonjc]

Vegetable oil