Alistair,

Thanks for your comments.

However, quenching is not required for annealing of these metals.  Copper
and aluminum may be annealed by heating and then either quenching OR cooling
slowly.  The behavior of some aluminum alloys may differ slightly according
to their composition, but in general, this procedure applies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annealing_(metallurgy)
http://www.fournierenterprises.com/Annealing.pdf

I still stand by my recommendation that copper and aluminum sealing washers
should be replaced but, if necessary, their lifetime may be extended by the
following procedure:

"In an emergency you can remove the sealing washers and heat them with a
propane torch, allowing them to cool without quenching."

Regards,
Ed

On Tue, 2 Oct 2012 18:10:30 -0700, Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA> wrote:

>i'd agree that you could anneal to regain softness of washer but disagree,
Ed, in your annealing method for aluminum and copper. Both those metals
anneal by quenching, not slow cool.
>
>alistair
>
>
>
>
>On 2012-10-02, at 2:46 PM, Ed wrote:
>
>> The sealing washers are probably work hardened and are no longer soft enough
>> to make a good seal.  Replace them as they are ideally one use items.
>> That's why you get a new one for the oil plug when you buy an oil filter.
>> In an emergency you can remove the sealing washers and heat them with a
>> propane torch, allowing them to cool without quenching.  This will restore
>> the softness of both aluminum and copper sealing washers and allow them to
>> seal without excessive force.
>>
>> Ed
>>
>>
>>  On Tue, 2 Oct 2012 16:02:38 -0500, JRodgers <jrodgers113@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>
>>> PS pump is leaking at the washer where the hollow bolt passes through
>>> the banjo fitting on the pressure side. I made sure the bolt IS NOT
>>> loose. So I need to do something. Any suggestions?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> John