I have just fired up my X246 Guardsman for the first time and have found it is leaking where the control knob shaft comes out of the cock. I can see from the spare parts pictures the X246B has a Gland washer, the x246 doesn't seem to. Any advice on how I stop this leak. I have tried to find a previous thread but with no luck.
@Julian Cushworth Not an expert but gland washer or gland packing 234 is I think what you need. It’s listed on my diagram of a Guardsman but not shown and listed on base-camp and you may need 2of.
Hi @Julian Cushworth and Welcome! this is a slightly different control tap but the gland and packing + knob are the same. Very often the packing washer stays inside the gland nut and is hard to see but is best to remove, which can be fun Regards pb
If the old gland washer is difficult to remove, burning it out with a blow torch will do a lot less damage to the brass than poking about with a sharp(ish) steel object.
@Julian Cushworth Welcome to the forum. You’ve got all the info you need above. I found that a cheap set of dental picks are worth their weight when getting old lamps. Plenty for sale on eBay etc for a few quid. Stevie
Thanks all, will the old washer be incredibly hard, similar to plastic? Should the brass cover thingy have a washer in it or is it the original gland seal gone hard? I don’t want to remove something that should be there and end up ruining it.
Hi Julian I wouldn’t say incredibly hard? But the older washers do tend to go hard, similar to a plastic milk bottle top? But when you bend em they will crack might be good if you could post some pics of the gland nut if you can? In focus if poss I appreciate that it’s not always easy to recognise what things should look like if it’s the first time you’ve taken stuff apart.. and if some of that stuff is small (tiny) and is hiding if it’s hard to tell if the gland washer is stuck inside the gland nut(thingy) then get some wire wool and make a small sausage of it , poke it in and give it a clean? If it’s all brassy then there probably isn’t a washer there If it looks black then there is pics if you can
