how easy is it to clean these carbs?

hi there, i have sort of washers, oversize ones under the nuts, i will try and put some pictures up tomorrow. not happy about those, also, the manifold coming out of the carb, the gaskets seem to have been jointed with a jointing compound, there's a red one and a blue one, i guess if it stays on there when i undo it i can just press them back together again and it will serve as a gasket, but is it better to use new gaskets really? especially when needing to take the carb on and off for cleaning? any tips for cleaning? cheers.

Yes, definately use new gaskets.

cheers waynus i thought so too. any type or brand of gaskets in particular that you recommend?

i like the character of the engine but gaskets are better than sealant and i am going to take a couple pics of these oversize washers etc, and maybe you can help me find what to replace them with. looks a bit homebrew, will definitely take some pics and up them tomorrow of that. cheers.

The sealant can work good in combination of the standard washers (most brands are pretty much equal quality) but you should always watch out using this.
Excessive and wrong use can lead to serious damage, so try to avoid to use it.