That's usually done by immersing in boiling water, but now I heard that scorching with a cigarette lighter is another and reputedly highly effective dodge .
Any thoughts?

email (option): viaconsu # planet dot nl

Hi Hans, I can't help but think that would dry them out even more.

Unless a layer of soot on the outside makes them seal better

email (option): robmiller11@yahoo.co.uk

I am replacing cork washers with synthetic cork - slicing from a synthetic bottle cork and making the central hole with a red-hot rod. They seem to work a treat and will never need reconditioning - maybe replacing eventually, but they have been OK for 2 years so far. Will they be ethanol-resistant? Will soon be finding out! Ferg

AH Ferg
Some of the wine thats about these days,tastes like its full of Ethanol,so they should be ok for ever.

email (option): glesgaman@tiscali.co.uk

If the cork sheet is the standard nitrile rubber bonded stuff then it will react with ethanol (I believe that we already have the 10% shit here in Belgium). I made a filler cap gasket from this and it curled up just from the vapour.

It is possible to find cork sheet bonded with viton and that should be OK.

Why not just go with the Viton and forget the cork?...Ian

email (option): julie@wright52.plus.com

Found a reference to this 'scorching' in the 4259 issue of bsa.yahoogroups.com.

email (option): viaconsu # planet dot nl

Hi Hans,
Last Ewarts tap I reconditioned after a lay off for any number of years just involved dunking the stripped tap in petrol overnight. Hey presto, no more leaking corks.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Clive

I converted all the Ewarts taps that passed through my hands to the adjustable type; never ever leaks!
But what I heard about scorching the corks was for the slide type, as used on the M20. A long time ago I changed the cork disks to 1/8" rubber-bound cork gasket material, no problem with the 5% ethanol here in the Netherlands. But in France with the 10% ethanol they started to disintegrate. Now I use cork gasket material with a mysterious binder from space technology

email (option): viaconsu # planet dot nl