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Threadlocker best practices

aminalmutha said:
Insulting someone's mother should do the trick.
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Like G.R. in the van thread?

Also, check out if the screw or nut or threaded hole is getting worn and loose. If the screw is real sloppy in the threaded hole, no amount of loctite will keep it in there.

And if I don't loctite something, I always try to use nevr-sieze. No dry holes (I've got way too much experience with galled up threads, and having to fix them).
 
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corndog67 said:
check out if the screw or nut or threaded hole is getting worn and loose. If the screw is real sloppy in the threaded hole, no amount of loctite will keep it in there.
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I know there's a joke in there somewhere but someone flicked my funny switch:laughing
 
How long did you let it cure?

You probably only have two issues here, you didn't use enough loctite and didn't apply it right. Put enough on the side of the bolt to fill about three threads or so. Then torque it down and let it cure overnight or optimally 24 hours.
 
mrzuzzo said:
Need some threadlocker guru help here...

This past weekend I mounted my cases[/B] for a short trip down the coast to my bike and when I got to my destination, one of the bolts was very loose. I did use blue threadlocker, but I think it wasn't used correctly in this case.
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I was like "does he mean engine case?" :laughing

Kinda stunning to use blue loctite, and STILL the thing vibrated loose. That should not happen, operator error for sure.
 
I agree that cleanliness is a big part of what kills Loctite. For clean up a die to chase the big stuff off and a wire wheel for the rest. For this application I would consider the red stuff and, more importantly, a Nylock style nut. Time has taught me that on the rear of the bike I go out of my way to use locking style fasteners on panniers, license plates, chain guards, etc, etc.. Whenever I can. It's not a heat area so nylon style would be the ticket.
 
Also keep in mind that regular old loctite 242 "blue" doesn't even work on inactive metals (stainless steel, aluminum, etc). You need to use a primer, or a primerless thread locker such as 243 or another type.
 
Blind hole or nut and bolt? If it's a blind hole, clean it out and use the same thread locker you were using. If it's a nut and a bolt, think about using a distorted thread locknut or better yet two nuts as a jam lock.
 
kuksul08 said:
Also keep in mind that regular old loctite 242 "blue" doesn't even work on inactive metals (stainless steel, aluminum, etc). You need to use a primer, or a primerless thread locker such as 243 or another type.
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That isn't really true and doesn't make sense, especially since SS is still mostly iron. 243 cures faster. Just have clean bolts and it should work fine. Might take longer to cure.
 
Gawernator said:
That isn't really true and doesn't make sense, especially since SS is still mostly iron. 243 cures faster. Just have clean bolts and it should work fine. Might take longer to cure.
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JNTch6I.jpg


All I know from experience is when I've used it on stainless/aluminum applications, I've taken apart the assembly weeks later and the loctite is kind of gooey, but on plain steel fasteners it turns into a hard plasticky material.
 
kuksul08 said:
JNTch6I.jpg


All I know from experience is when I've used it on stainless/aluminum applications, I've taken apart the assembly weeks later and the loctite is kind of gooey, but on plain steel fasteners it turns into a hard plasticky material.
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Thanks, I didn't know that.
 
aminalmutha said:
Insulting someone's mother should do the trick.
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Trust me, this is the first thing I do when I realize the loctite isn't holding.

The curing time is interesting, I didn't realize that loctite has a curing time and I usually apply it and take off right away.

By the way, I use Harbor Freight blue threadlock, I prefer the bottle to OG Loctite as it comes out easier and more evenly.

Lots of great advice in this thread!
 
I seldom use red. It really cures hard. I use blue on some engine parts. Never had a problem with alu/stainless curing.

Nyloks nuts are the shizzle. They don't come loose.
 
Airplanes are held together with nyloks. We use thousands of them. They are supposed to be one time use though. I will reuse them in non critical/non aviation applications as long as they feel right going on.
 
Nyloks are great! In my application I have a blind hole so I don't have that freedom unfortunately.
 
You can still use a patch fastener, sort of the bolt equivalent to the nyloc nut.
 
Word. As the aero fellow mentioned, you can get several uses out of them before they soften up too much. You can find them at McMaster too.
 
Can be more work the first time, but safety wiring is my preference.
 
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