Blue Loctite Alternative??

[HuntHarder]

 

[TNKnoxville]

a bit of Hawk Tuah should do it​

 

[BCD]

Vibra-TITE 213 VC-3 Threadmate Threadlocker, -65 to 165 Degree F, 5mL Tube, Red​

I have a tube and will switch to it once I am out of blue Locktite. I still cover all screw heads with paint pen so I have witness marks.

I tried the Vibra Tite and did not like it at all. It sets up way too fast for me. I am OCD about getting my rings just right and the Vibra-Tite doesn't give me the time I need to do that.

 

[journeyman713]

 

[ehayes]

Can someone please give a best practice application of the paint pen. I tried it on 5 different screws and got inconsistent results.

Im trying to give the paint pen a fair shot because I have had a random loose screw on my rings that I loctited and didn’t hold.

I do think i applied too much loctite in the past. I thought more was better.

 

[mtnbound]

After degreasing contact surfaces I apply a small amount of paint on the bottom 2-3 threads of the screw. Once every things has been torqued and re-torqued I apply a dot of paint to the screw head and contact surface as a quick way to visually check tightness. I have used Blue Loctite in the past but did experience a couple of failures which was likely operator error on my part. Using the paint pen I have not had additional failures but would not have a problem using Loctite again but I would use a paint pen to apply a visual reference for tightness.


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[Coopsdaddy]

The 222 recommendation for small screws (#6, #8, 4mm, 5mm) is a safe generalization, and will work fine, especially for low grade screws. For the same size screw in a high grade, you could step it up to 243 if needed, and will be fine also.

For torque of these screws, there are a couple variables that will change the safe torque amount.
1. Grade of the screw
2. Is the screw Wet or Dry

For the Grade, always go by what the manufacturer (who sent the screw) says. They know what torque setting their screws can handle. Pay attention to the wet or dry torque values.

For Wet or Dry, (oil, never-seize, or Loctite, are wet) this has to do with the amount of friction of the screw, as you tighten it. A screw with a dry torque setting of 20in. lbs., will be much less if it is wet, or it will exceed the rating of the screw.

Curious how much less,1-2 lbs or 4-5?

 

[AZ_Hunter]

I now know why I have had locktite failures. Good info, thanks for those who shared.

Too old, stored in the 100 degree garage, permatex, too much… that’s my fault.

 

[RockAndSage]

Revisiting this old thread, thought I'd share results of the combo of "best practices" of everyone's contributions...this setup has appx 12,000 rounds on it, with no movement in the witness marks.

Here's what I did:

1) Thoroughly degrease entire screw and female end with acetone
2) With threads dry, screw in and out 2x to get a little metal dust present
3) Tiny dot of blue loctite on threads midway up (new and fresh, purchased from Grainger)
4) Insert and torque to spec
5) 2x witness mark on each fastener with acrylic paint pen

Witness marks haven't budged a bit, and this thing has been run hard and hot, frequently. Will have to pull the optic off to change the battery in a few months, will update if any uncured loctite is found.