Loc-Loose

February 26th, 2010

Drop That Breaker Bar

Learned three things today.

First of all, Loc-Tite is partly cyanoacrylate (“super glue,” “Krazy Glue”). So you can soften it with acetone in order to get it loose. You can also add fresh Loc-Tite to the threads and give it ten minutes to work in.

Second thing: ordinarily, people use heat to soften Loc-Tite, but if you’re dealing with aluminum, even a small amount of heat can wreck the temper of the metal.

Third thing: one good way to apply heat in a very small area in order to loosen Loc-Tite without damaging anything around the screw or bolt is to touch the fastener with a soldering iron.

Loc-Tite makes a proprietary solvent, but the price is approximately a billion dollars an ounce.

6 Responses to “Loc-Loose”

  1. Milo Says:

    Loc-Tite, the bane of gunsmiths everywhere!

  2. blindshooter Says:

    I have used the soldering iron trick several times with good results. Never thought about using the Loc tite itself to soften the old stuff.

  3. Gerry N Says:

    Loc-Tite sells several formulations of sealants for various purposes. Check out which one or ones you’re using.

    (They all tend to cost about a billion dollars an ounce. More or less.)

    Good luck,

    Gerry N.

  4. Ed Bonderenka Says:

    I read a story about “superglue” years ago. Supposedly, the inventor was working on developing materials for fighter canopies.
    One day the very expensive refractometer was stuck to the canopy. The assistant was perturbed. The inventor quit his job and gave us “superglue”.

  5. HTRN Says:

    Steve, another nifty tool for getting stuck screws out is the impact driver. Sears sells one meant for screws, where you give it a hard rap with a hammer. Cost’s like 25 bucks

  6. Virgil Says:

    “a billion dollars an ounce”

    Are you talking HP or Canon printer ink?