First Time for Everything

Well I finally did something I never thought I could ever do.

I managed to start my big air compressor on fire. I have to confess it took a bit of doing but I got the thing to belch smoke like an old Russian tractor.

A gasket went in the compressor head, so the thing would only build up pressure to around 20 psi. I ripped it apart and pulled out the old gasket. I used it as a pattern to make a new gasket. I fitted the new gasket in and put 'er back together again. I fired it up and away it goes. It got over 20 psi, so I figured great she's gonna work. I went in the house for a couple of minutes and when I came back out there's smoke pouring out of the thing like a deranged tornado.

I shut 'er down and waited for it to cool off. I took the head off and the new gasket was toasted real good. I suppose that'll learn me to use cork gasket material for something that gets really hot. I might expect myself to take a lesson away from this, for some reason I doubt I'll learn anything.