How Does Loc-Tite "Harden"?

[billt]

I once heard the reason the bottle is only filled halfway is because if it were filled all the way up it would harden. I know if you put a drop on something and leave it exposed to air it won't set up, but put it on threads and torque them down and presto, it hardens right up. Amazing stuff. I just wondered how it works.  Bill T.

[MikeBjerum]

Sounds like absence of air to me, but this is how rumors get started  

Take a piece of Saran Wrap, put a drop or two on it, fold it over forcing out all of the air, and watch.

[Timothy]

Sounds like absence of air to me, but this is how rumors get started  

Take a piece of Saran Wrap, put a drop or two on it, fold it over forcing out all of the air, and watch.

Correct.  The thread locker is an anaerobic (without air) resin that chemically hardens when it is locked into the thread.  When it is exposed to air, it is still a fluid.

The threading products that Loc-tite makes that are NOT designed to harden for other applications are other types of chemicals.

[billt]

So if you put a bunch of Loc-Tite into one of those vacuum freezer bag machines and sucked the air out, it would harden? Second question: Heat will loosen Loc-Tite. So how does the red, "Stud-Loc" work on automotive cylinder heads? They can reach 270 degrees or even more in racing applications. Will Loc-tite work between 2 mating surfaces, like a gasket? I noticed some of it oozed out between the receiver and bases I just installed the screws on my new Savage, (I used purple, lowest strength). This is stuff I've always wondered about. Loc-Tite is an incredible product.   Bill T.

[Timothy]

Loc-Tite red is high temperature threadlocker.  How high?  I don't know, the site says the blue is good to 300 deg F, so I can assume that the red is higher than that update-Red 272 is good to 450 deg F.  Don't think I would use it on exhaust systems though.

As far as gasketed surfaces, Loc-Tite also makes a full line of adhesives, caulks and other automotive type products that would be better suited for flat surfaces.  Most of the stuff I use is red or blue threadlocker.  The red can be removed when heated but it can be tough on small screws.

Remember, "galvanic corrosion" (fastening dis-similar materials) can occur and basically locks the screw to the tapped hole.  If that's the case, no amount of heat is going to loosen the screw or bolt.  It will shear and break when a good torque is applied.

[Sponsor]

[billt]

Thanks for the comeback. The stuff is really amazing. A liquid out of a bottle that works to over 400 degrees!   Bill T.

[Timothy]

Thanks for the comeback. The stuff is really amazing. A liquid out of a bottle that works to over 400 degrees!   Bill T.

And that's why it's expensive as hell....I've had a small tube in my tool box for years and it's still does it's job!

[twyacht]

All my optics are bedded with a micro drop of the Loc-Tite BLUE.

No complaints....and I can get them off in the future, the RED is a one way application, and will harden with time, making swaps difficult for scopes, optics, etc,...

Like sealing transducers to the bottom of a ships hull, the 5200 by 3M, is a permanent. While the 4200, will work and be removable if needed.

[Texas_Bryan]

How Does Loc-Tite "Harden"?

MAGIC!!!

At least that's how I'd sell it.

[Big Frank]

VIAGRA.