I am about to upgrade from the little spindle to the Dewalt, and want to do the eccentric nut swap around mod as well. At my “best” local store for imported hardware products the only Locktite they have is a couple of different epoxy things and what looks like superglue in a number of presentations. I believe that the famous blue Locktite referred to here on multiple occasions is something quite different. Isn’t it a thread locker that you can with brute force still undo later if required?
Online I can get Loctite 222 Purple Low Strength Thread Locker Tube, 6-milliliter for about $17 or Loctite 243 Blue Threadlocker ( 6-milliliter tube) for about $20 or Red Heavy duty 271 for about the same price. If 6 ml isn’t enough I can order some from the US.
I can also get some black or red gunk somewhat similar to gasket goo that they use here for metal pipe joints, locally for much cheaper.
So, my questions are: a) What number loctite?
b) Is 6 ml going to be enough for an x-carve?
c) Is the gasket goo stuff likely to do the job?
d) (If the answers to all the above are no) Could I use superglue to stick the M5 bolts into the Eccentric nuts as per this post until I get around to buying eccentric spacers?
Thank you in advance for your wise suggestions.
PS I live in a banana republic south of Mexico, there is no Lowes or any such hardware store in the whole country.
If you can get Blue 242, that is what you really need. It will stop nut and bolts from vibrating apart and can still be removed with hand tools if you need to take it back apart.
The red will work, but you will need to heat the parts up to above 300 deg F if you ever want to take them apart.
Ok, thank you. I can get the 242 Loctite, is 6ml (0.2oz) going to be enough to do the important jobs, or should I go for the 36 mil (1 oz) bottle. Does it go off over time?
As long as you keep the tube closed tight it seems to last for years.
Don’t go by the Loctite packaging as the amount to use. The packaging is showing thread patch which is totally different than liquid Loctite. You only need a couple drops of liquid Loctite. Thread patch has crystals in it that break apart to activate the curing time. If you can’t find blue, use red Loctite. You don’t need heat to remove red Locite as long as you use just a few drops. You can use a wire wheel or even your finger nail to clean the threads of Loctite before reinstalling.
I use both red and blue Loctite on steel screws in aluminum all the time and have no problems removing them. I do clean the threads before assembly.
Also, I find the glue stick/lipstick style (where you twist the bottom to push the loctite out/in) the cleanest to work with if you have a lot of bolts to do
I had a Loctite rep give me a bunch of those a couple years ago but I have yet to use them. They work good? How long does it take to set?
To be honest I’ve no idea. I suppose I should really check, but I normally just leave stuff for 24 hours.
Haven’t had anything come undone in 15 or so years of using it (not the same stick although I’ve no idea of its expected lifespan)
Thank you all, I will order a tube on Monday. Today I found this chart listing the different types, if anyone else is interested.LT-6540_AN_RemovableReliable_SS_v11_Final_Links.pdf (145.8 KB)
