Loctite Question for the Experts
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 383
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis, Indiana
Slippery... Great Post!
Loctite, Permatex, Permabond, etc all manufacture anaerobics to mil specs. So they should all work the same, but there are differences. Loctite is by far the leader.
Anaerobics cure in the absence of oxygen. The contact surface can trigger fast polymerization, and they cure much faster on active metals, like brass. Slow on plated bolts. Accelerators can be purchased, as well as cleaners.
When they cure, they harden to a different hardness based on mil spec, which also dictates the color. Heat breaks them all down.
Purple = soft for screws/small fasteners
Blue = for nuts and bolts you want to remove with tools someday.
Red = as hard as mild steel, can ruin threads in removal if no heat
Green = usually a bearing retainer, and theoretically can turn a slip fit into a press fit. Comes in thick pre-assembly versions, and "thin as water" formula that can be applied post assembly and wicks in.
SO.... x2 on using the blue more than the red. I'd use red in any safety assembly, like spacers/adapters.
Use green whenever assembling bearings and it will prevent the bearing or race from ever spinning and destroying the bearing.
If you move the nut/bolt assembly anytime after the initial cure has begun, you break the chains of molecules that are forming, and weaken the cure. Assemble with the nut and bolt wet. Torque it and leave it. If you check it later, and it's loose, or you force move it, you need to start over. Heat, remove, clean, re-apply and reassemble.
I think it's best to apply to the nut and the bolt and allow the nut to carry it in and down. If a blind hole exists, put the threadlocking compound in the hole, and it will be forced up around the bolt upon insertion. I always wet both the nut and bolt with the threadlocker.
The products are huge labor, time, and money savers when used properly. Hope this helps!
Anaerobics cure in the absence of oxygen. The contact surface can trigger fast polymerization, and they cure much faster on active metals, like brass. Slow on plated bolts. Accelerators can be purchased, as well as cleaners.
When they cure, they harden to a different hardness based on mil spec, which also dictates the color. Heat breaks them all down.
Purple = soft for screws/small fasteners
Blue = for nuts and bolts you want to remove with tools someday.
Red = as hard as mild steel, can ruin threads in removal if no heat
Green = usually a bearing retainer, and theoretically can turn a slip fit into a press fit. Comes in thick pre-assembly versions, and "thin as water" formula that can be applied post assembly and wicks in.
SO.... x2 on using the blue more than the red. I'd use red in any safety assembly, like spacers/adapters.
Use green whenever assembling bearings and it will prevent the bearing or race from ever spinning and destroying the bearing.
If you move the nut/bolt assembly anytime after the initial cure has begun, you break the chains of molecules that are forming, and weaken the cure. Assemble with the nut and bolt wet. Torque it and leave it. If you check it later, and it's loose, or you force move it, you need to start over. Heat, remove, clean, re-apply and reassemble.
I think it's best to apply to the nut and the bolt and allow the nut to carry it in and down. If a blind hole exists, put the threadlocking compound in the hole, and it will be forced up around the bolt upon insertion. I always wet both the nut and bolt with the threadlocker.
The products are huge labor, time, and money savers when used properly. Hope this helps!
Great information!
In the case of the Spidertrax nuts, based upon the theory behind the threadlocker, it sounds like I will be safe at a few ft-lbs less than spec for checking (or even at spec). If the nut moves, I should remove it, clean the threads, and reinstall red Loctite. In other words, the torque required to break the locked threads loose should be much more than spec, so the only time a nut will move is if the threadlocker never set. Does that sound right?
Thanks again for the detailed explanation.
Jeff
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 305
Likes: 0
From: Dacula, GA
There is one anomaly you should be aware of. When you first break loose a "Loctite" assembly in the removal process without heat (say BLUE or PURPLE thread locker), the material will begin to crush and then compact, and can create a torque reading ABOVE the previous set torque (even during removal!), and then the torque will fall off and the nut can be removed. So, if someone is UNaware of how a thread locker works, they could "Re-torque" some nuts, and think they are secure, but they just crushed the thread locker material and compacted it so that it now can shake out in small particles, and the fastener can loosen over time. Make sense?
Loctite/ Anaerobic thread lockers have a 1 year shelf life in most cases at ambient temp, and heat is their enemy, so if you have a shop refrigerator in the garage, it's a great place to keep the anaerobics.
JK Super Freak
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,103
Likes: 0
From: downingtown, PA
Loctite, Permatex, Permabond, etc all manufacture anaerobics to mil specs. So they should all work the same, but there are differences. Loctite is by far the leader.
Anaerobics cure in the absence of air. The contact surface can trigger fast polymerization, and they cure much faster on active metals, like brass. Slow on plated bolts. Accelerators can be purchased, as well as cleaners.
When they cure, they harden to a different hardness based on mil spec, which also dictates the color. Heat breaks them all down.
Purple = soft for screws/small fasteners
Blue = for nuts and bolts you want to remove with tools someday.
Red = as hard as mild steel, can ruin threads in removal if no heat. It's red for a reason.
Green = usually a bearing retainer, and theoretically can turn a slip fit into a press fit. Comes in thick pre-assembly versions, and "thin as water" formula that can be applied post assembly and wicks in.
SO.... x2 on using the blue more than the red. I'd use red in any safety assembly, like spacers/adapters.
Use green whenever assembling bearings and it will prevent the bearing or race from ever spinning and destroying the bearing.
If you move the nut/bolt assembly anytime after the initial cure has begun, you break the chains of molecules that are forming, and weaken the cure. Assemble with the nut and bolt wet. Torque it and leave it. If you check it later, and it's loose, or you force move it, you need to start over. Heat, remove, clean, re-apply and reassemble.
I think it's best to apply to the nut and the bolt and allow the nut to carry it in and down. If a blind hole exists, put the threadlocking compound in the hole, and it will be forced up around the bolt upon insertion. I always wet both the nut and bolt with the threadlocker.
The products are huge labor, time, and money savers when used properly. Hope this helps!
Anaerobics cure in the absence of air. The contact surface can trigger fast polymerization, and they cure much faster on active metals, like brass. Slow on plated bolts. Accelerators can be purchased, as well as cleaners.
When they cure, they harden to a different hardness based on mil spec, which also dictates the color. Heat breaks them all down.
Purple = soft for screws/small fasteners
Blue = for nuts and bolts you want to remove with tools someday.
Red = as hard as mild steel, can ruin threads in removal if no heat. It's red for a reason.
Green = usually a bearing retainer, and theoretically can turn a slip fit into a press fit. Comes in thick pre-assembly versions, and "thin as water" formula that can be applied post assembly and wicks in.
SO.... x2 on using the blue more than the red. I'd use red in any safety assembly, like spacers/adapters.
Use green whenever assembling bearings and it will prevent the bearing or race from ever spinning and destroying the bearing.
If you move the nut/bolt assembly anytime after the initial cure has begun, you break the chains of molecules that are forming, and weaken the cure. Assemble with the nut and bolt wet. Torque it and leave it. If you check it later, and it's loose, or you force move it, you need to start over. Heat, remove, clean, re-apply and reassemble.
I think it's best to apply to the nut and the bolt and allow the nut to carry it in and down. If a blind hole exists, put the threadlocking compound in the hole, and it will be forced up around the bolt upon insertion. I always wet both the nut and bolt with the threadlocker.
The products are huge labor, time, and money savers when used properly. Hope this helps!
