.

[Peace]

.

 

[ArlyA]

Well those locking cheicals sure work well. Seems most people don't clean the threads but work nice when clean.

 

[ovrszd]

I've made lock nuts when I had none. Clamp nut in a vise with a flat side up. Firmly put a dimple in it with a sharp punch. Adjust firmness and number of dimples on various sides of the nut based on requirement.

 

[ArlyA]

Now that you mention it, I’ve never cleaned new bolts before adding thread locker. I even have a couple of spray bottles of for cleaning tools, parts etc...

As a matter of fact, I just wiped down a broken drawer before gluing it back together with liquid nails this morning.

Thanks for bringing that up.

Alcohol isn't the best for cleaning anything with real oil. I do keep some in stock but use paint thinner/actone when cleaning bolts for locking.

 

[ArlyA]

Acetone has always been my favorite cleaner! I can’t bring myself to buy any since the great COVID scare. The price has tripled in my area. Alcohol on the other hand, it’s very cheap and abundant.

But Alcohol does not dissolve petrolatum products.

 

[ArlyA]

I buy a gallon at wally and it lasts for years and years. I mix it with paint thinner like 1 to 3 and used it with gloves as my general cleaner. Thats 1 part acetone to 3 paint thinner

 

[Jims1025R]

Interesting video, but I'm not quite sold.

Firstly, if having the nut stay done up is important, use quality fasteners and washers! If you use cheap fasteners, they'll just stretch/flatten out, and any proper torque will be lost. Then, find the prescribed torque for the nut & bolt assembly, and use a torque wrench to get it right. The tension developed in a properly torqued nut and bolt goes a long way to assuring it won't come undone. Then, consider two types of single fastener threaded joints: Rotating/lateral motion (slop) and non rotating (good fit - doesn't move around). If you're nut and bolting together a joint in which there is any rotation or lateral motion (slop), it's pretty important to use a mechanical lock; cotter pin, retaining plate with pry up tabs, or lock wire. In aircraft, doing so is a design requirement. For non rotating joints, proper torque, a quality* lock washer, thread locker, pal nut or a self locking nut will do it.

A quality* lockwasher most to my liking is a "belleville" type. They are slightly conical, intending to compress out the cone to a flat shape at about the proper torque/preload for the bolt/stud. They provide, by far, the greatest spring back force to the nut (where split or tab type lockwashers tend to just crush). And, the belleville type will not mark up the surface. I really don't like the idea of the serrated lock washer digging into the surface. After a few assemble/disassembles, you'll have an undesirable counterbore where you don't want it. And that's often a corrosion starter. I have never seen a quality product instruction which tells you to have a lock washer bear directly on the expensive surface you're bolting together. If a lock washer is specified, it's always between the nut/bolt head, and a plain washer, which is what contacts the expensive surface.

And.... inspection! Every now and then, use a torque wrench to check that the fastener is still torqued! If you find them coming loose, change the locking means. Most simply, put a pal nut on top of the nut, and torque it down too, it works quite similarly to a belleville washer.

For the final word, search "AC43.13-1B", and pick the version which you can download from free from the FAA. Go to Chapter 7, Section 4 for nuts, and Section 5 for washers, it's all spelled out there. If you want to look further, Section 7, Safetying, though you then need drilled head nuts and bolts.

 

[etpm]

Working on my dad’s old Ferguson tractor, I noticed that rust is an incredible thread locker with or without washers.

One of the first thread locking compounds, if not the first, is a Rust Joint. See the link: Rust Joint Definition & Meaning | YourDictionary
30 some years ago A guy in my welding night class described these to me. He welded on bridges for WA State and ran into these joints on some older bridges. He said the bolts would need to be destroyed in order to remove them.
Eric

 

[etpm]

The rust joint has more than meets the eye too. Because iron expands so much when it rusts, up to 7 times, the rust joint puts the treated joint into a compressed (and) tensioned condition. This not only makes the joint tighter but also helps to prevent leaks. I'm glad you enjoyed my post. There is so much stuff that is useful and interesting to know and I try very hard to learn as much as possible and I selfishly try to pass on what I can. I say selfishly because when someone learns something from something I have said or written it makes me happy. BTW, thanks for posting the definition and not just the link as I did. I shoulda also posted the actual definition. Now even more folks will know what a rust joint is and may actually use one.
Eric

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Look up flight control bolts. Some have simple snap retainers. Some have buttons on the head that retract a key that pops out once the nut is threaded so far.

To the guy with the long rant about torque and inspection, if that was all that was needed, you wouldn't have these Or safety wire

 

[Jims1025R]

To the guy with the long rant about torque and inspection, if that was all that was needed, you wouldn't have these Or safety wire

Gee, I didn't think I was ranting, this is a part of my work, and I lock wire regularly. Yes, I also use much more specialized locking and single use aviation fasteners, though consider them outside the scope of a discussion about lockwashers on a tractor forum. Suffice it to say that I don't suffer problems with fasteners coming undone on my tractor, and I want to share my successes if it will help someone else here....

 

[Yander]

Alcohol isn't the best for cleaning anything with real oil. I do keep some in stock but use paint thinner/actone when cleaning bolts for locking.

Carb cleaner would work fine.

 

[oosik]

I've read some of the horror stories here on TBN - about things falling off or apart. I put Blue Lok Tite on all the wheel nuts on my tractor. Also on the FEL nuts and on my rear blade main nut. I took no special precautions about wiping thing off. A shop rag was used. Subsequently - checking some of the tractor wheel nuts - the lok tite is working very well.

Sorry about that - spelled horror the wrong way.

 

[ArlyA]

I've read some of the ***** stories here on TBN - about things falling off or apart. I put Blue Lok Tite on all the wheel nuts on my tractor. Also on the FEL nuts and on my rear blade main nut. I took no special precautions about wiping thing off. A shop rag was used. Subsequently - checking some of the tractor wheel nuts - the lok tite is working very well.

If you have some oil or grease on the threads of the nut or stud, a locking product is of limited value.

 

[oosik]

I completely agree ArlyA. I was wiping off mud and dirt.

 

[5030]

Locking all depends on the application and location as well as the size. You can use everything from threadlockers to Castellated nuts and cross drilled bolts to safety wire to spot welding the nut on... Just depends on the application.

Not a one size fits all scenario at all.

 

[Richard001]

I have never had a ny-lock nut come loose. I saw the video showing a ny-lock rotating loose, but we do not know all the facts about the test. The demonstration was to sell their product.

Not convinced.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Nylocks are a single use item. Required a cotter pin in flight controls on atleast the airframe I worked on

 

[etpm]

I think a lot of folks viewing the video may have mis-understood it. And that is in large part the fault of Nord-Lock. In the video the fasteners are exposed to very high amplitude vibrations. These types of vibrations can and will loosen most types of mechanical locking methods. But most fasteners are not exposed to the type of torture in the video. And we have all observed this. Most of the time our fasteners stay tight. Sometimes we will come across a bolt or nut that will not stay tight, but this doesn't happen often. It was interesting that the video did not show the efficacy anaerobic thread locking compounds. But then it was only showing mechanical methods. Anyway, in over 35 years of using Loctite anaerobic thread and other locking compounds I have NEVER had a joint fail when the locking compound was used properly. This means the proper metals, completely clean parts, proper temperature range, and proper compound. I have a lot of faith in Loctite products, but they need to be used properly.
Eric

 

[CalG]

Consider Aviation practice.

"Lock washers" are for non critical applications such as instrument mounting or cable guides.

Nylock nuts are used (one time) for general application.

Tie wire castellated nuts and drilled bolts are used in flight safety applications

"Jet nuts", all metal deformed thread, nuts are used in elevated temperature applications.

Add the numerous "specials" and you have quite a selection.

I've not seen liquid "thread lockers" called out , but I've been out of the loop for some time.

I use red loc-tite around the shop ;-)

PS

I've never had a well snugged lug nut come loose on any vehicle I've ever owned over the past 50 years. Something to be said for tapered seats ;-)