How to make a leather piston seal

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2021-07-20 23:00:05

Before we begin, I have to tell you that next week is going to be exciting. I will fulfill two promises you guys have been waiting for, plus there are some other nifty things going on in this blog. So, next week is not a time to skip reading. I promise…you will see some neat stuff. On to today’s post.

Here’s a good tip you can use to resuscitate many older spring-piston airguns. And, not just rifles, because plenty of old air pistols have leather seals, too. Dyb asked for this, and I’ve been meaning to do it for several years.

First, you need a supply of leather. I save old belts and shoes for this purpose. The leather needs to be about 1/8″ thick, but don’t obsess over that. It should also be on the stiff side, though it does have to be at least a little pliable for the forming you’ll do.

Step 1. Measure the seal If there’s an old seal in the gun, measure it. A dial caliper is an easy way to measure, just try to forget those measurements on the dial smaller than 1/10″. With leather, they’re meaningless. Leather expands and compresses to fill the compression chamber. If there isn’t an old seal, measure the diameter of the compression tube. That’s the size of your seal.