Our large bottles of Eskonke just came in, and it's the same great gel like stuff amzn.to/3TVlgsz Lots of people asking about the shaker: amzn.to/3Yn2kVb Feel torque alone doesn't make for a good or bad threadlocker? Us too! This video mainly covers the AFTER effects of 4 topics: heat/engine temps, target tq, vibration testing, and even oil resistance that didn't require any tq value comparisons. Sure, a torque wrench obtains a lot of the resulting data, but that's also how Loctite tests samples too :D
If you look at the test results for your tests, the ESKONKE brand is the only thread locker that actually created full locking torque with a hand tight fastener. In my opinion this is the only test that matters. The whole point of thread locker is to prevent a loss of life or a catastrophic explosion on mission critical bolts. Airplanes, motorcycles, internal engine parts, suspension parts, seat belt bolts, etc. It is possible to "forget" to torque a bolt properly. If that bolt loosening could cause a loss of life, then it needs a thread locker that works, even if you forget to torque it properly. For example, the Suzuki DR650 motorcycle, for almost 20 years, they didn't use thread locker on internal transmission bolts. There are 2 very small bolts inside the transmission case that fall out, potentially locking up the transmission. The other brands did not work for hand tightened bolts, only Eskonke, and the really cheap $5.00 Amazon stuff that you threw away in the beginning. For life saving bolts, these are the thread lockers that should be employed.
I recently had a rocker keep undoing its self and found only Permatex to use. Failed few times, reapplied it one time at work right before driving home and its been tight ever since. Every other time I let it dry before driving. Cool stuff Guys.
Will the off-brand threadlockers be consistent over time? Thats my rationale to stay with the name brand. Maybe next year the Amazon seller finds a new cheaper supplier and it’s not the same thing
By far the best thread locker I've ever found is the new guy with an impact gun, guaranteed to never come off again. Cross threaded all the way down, break away torque needed for removal will exceed break away torque of the fastener. 2nd runner up is rust.
Ah yes the new guy with impact, only the best of the best threadlocker for my car. Tried taking transmission fluid plug off. Resorted to a ½ driver with a ½→⅜ adatper and a hammer with it's head wrapped around the driver pulling it. It didn't budge, gonna take it to someone with more equipment before i break the transmission case.
@@kisielthe1st lol, but actually all loctites are sweet. They add glucose to the mix so that you will notice if you have some on your hands when you grab a snack.
Loctite has one enormous advantage over all other brands. It has the system. Everything is researched, tested and compatible. They have databases, specialised advisers and training. Every product has dedicated degreasers, activators and applicators. We pay for all that of course, but in exchange we get repeatable results every time, a warranty and a peace of mind.
I reached out to a rep for a new process we were doing and finding the correct glue for it, and they sent out two people, some various equipment like automated dispensers, and we spent a few hours testing strength and seeing which one worked best for our application.
Their gap filler and 242 'press fit retainer ' has also proven a life safer. It's nice to know there's cheaper options perhaps but long run is it worth the risk? As an employee I always wonder about the liability.... Just like shopping AliExpress no certificate of liability later. It's all on you!
@@johngriffin618 They're too big for letting potential customers to do some trial and error with their products. It comes with a price, but it's worth it.
I think we can all agree, Science IS very dorky! But yea, those auto-captions do produce some real gems. Reminds me of the early days of online text translation software, but specifically running a phrase back and forth in a language a few times _(span->eng->span->eng etc)._ 🤣
That JB weld for the oiled bolt is the kind of “Mechanics Best Kept Secret” that guys spend years of wrenching to learn and only bother to share with their closets friends. I LOVE THE WORK YOU GUYS DO! Thank You for doing these real world tests that are EXTREMELY relevant to not just the pro’s but even the average guy doing his own mechanic work.
The anaerobic polymer chain is activated with free ions. Non-ferrous materials even have issues due to their stability, even your coated fasteners inhibit the monomer kicking over and curing. If you used an activator on that acrylic block it would have even cured there within minutes.
You should have left the disqualified one on your chart with big bold letters warning anyone not to buy it. I know with other things where I'm considering a tool that's not in your chart, I will actually still consider just trying it. Absolutely love the video, for the weekend warriors another good test might have been extremely old loctite versus new loctite. I've got some 15-year-old stuff in a drawer if you want it.
My favorite application of thread locker is when the manufacturer applies it to an auto part in such away that it cannot be threaded in without scraping some off. Old gm distributor cap bolts would snap off a corner of the distributor if you did not clean off that huge glob.
The curing also depends on ion exchange, that's why some lockers can only cure in the presence of iron, but even an open bottle never hardens/dries out. Most are multi metal acting now, they use funny tricks to also cure in the presence of aluminum or titanium.
It is at least no metric since it is just to adjust the force to break them free after tightening them the right way. Thats why you - lets stay with Loctite - usw for example stuff like the pink one for guns and fine machinery, stuff should stay in olace but you want to open it without big extra forces. If you want to to stay where it is you choose the green one so no mechanic who „just aants to adjust something“ f*** around with your machine since he will need to get heavier stuff to open it. They have all the same holding strength except the one for high temp that just holds …more temperature
Hey, at 12:30 you said that LOCTITE 243 is supposed to be oil resistant. This is true, but only for most factory oil coasted fasteners, and not all of them (see Product page). 243 is not made for being used in an oily enviorment and is only resistance against minor oil contaminations (see TDS). Since you have coated the Bolts with a good amount of oil it makes sense that LOCTITE 243 has problems with it.
Yeah, I would have liked to have seen a more reasonable oil contamination test. I'd never ever bother to use a threadlocker on a fastener that has oil pooling on it. What would be beneficial to see is what threadlockers can resist a minor coating of oil or grease that has been wiped off with a rag and generally wiped reasonably dry.
Great stuff here! I feel like it's somewhat important to point out that the 243 line you mostly tested targets the surface insensitive range of blue, which is both oil resistant and generally a newer formula than the 242 range, which is what was tested with Permatex (24200, they use the last two digits to differentiate between package sizes) in this video. The Permatex product numbers are slightly tricky like that, but Vibra-Tite really pulls a tricky one with theirs, often taking the standard number everyone uses and doing some simple math with it, like the low strength "222" for most threadlocker brands becomes "111" for Vibra-Tite. I think because "242" got an update and +1 for the number, Vibra-Tite started with "121" and then made "122" as their surface insensitive version.
FYI the lubrication you can get out of a threadlocker or other thread coating is most often not about getting a higher clamping load, but more consistent clamping loads across all bolted joints. Plain bolts can have pretty wildly varying clamping loads, and many applications require a tight, consistent clamping load. There's a particular application that I use a higher grade, pre-applied microcapsule thread locker for this purpose. I need the bolted joints to be within a tight range of clamping load, but I also need them to not back out and to last for 10+ years. Another thread coating, like teflon, would allow me to easily get that tight range of clamp load, but it increases risk of bolts backing out, especially with the light clamping loads we have, so we use a pre-applied thread locker to do both.
Interesting, I never thought about how you could use it to hit specific clamp loads. Thanks for sharing that information! Do you mind sharing what you do?
The substrate actually matters with threadlocker. Plain steel has has about twice the holding strength compared to stainless steel or zinc plated bolts. Plain steel nuts and bolts also cure faster.
More reasons why i will simply be refering to this stuff as "magic sauce" from now on. If im putting it on, its either because i was told to or because i have a feeling. Thats it.
Interesting In the shop I keep Lock Tight 243 , 263 and 272 for different jobs But I also have used a Anti sabotage permanent thread locker that we had to use at work We got it in plain White tubes with just Permanent on the outside of the tube After a few days if you wanted to remove the nut , on a 1 1/8" bolt We would have to torch off the nut As even with a 1" impact and heating the nut with the with a torch Or a wrench and 10 foot cheater bar We never could get the nut off the bolt without twisting the bolt to the breaking point
Rockset is an interesting threadlocker to test. It supposed to function like red, but heat doesn't release it, hot water does. Its used for firearm muzzle devices.
Never tried it but gunsmiths SWEAR by the stuff. The two drawbacks are it's expensive and it has a very short shelf life. 1 year and unlike most thread lockers once it's expired it's rendered useless.
@@rileyneufeld7001 it's $10/oz on the manufacturer's incredibly old-school website but everyone says you only need a drop or two to get it stuck on there real good
@@rileyneufeld7001 I only order rocksett when I know I'll be putting on suppressor QD interfaces because of how fast it expires. Most muzzle devices have large margins for misalignment and are fine with the uneven pressure imparted by crush washers, and gas blocks can be staked over to secure the set screws without the use of high-temp threadlockers.
@@Dprill95 I've only used it on qd mounts for suppressors, the mount hasn't come off with the can again so I think it's working. I honestly didn't know about the short shelf life, so I guess I have a useless bottle now.
I guess my contention with low/medium strength threadlocker is that I don't need it to be harder to break free than what it was torqued to, I just need it to not loosen. So, ranking blue threadlocker that takes more break free strength as better doesn't really jive with how I think most people are using it. Take for example Loctite, even on the 300 degree heat cycle, 176 in-lbs still exceeds their listed break free strength on their website, which is listed as 106 in-lbs. Even the fact that Loctite's finger tight 3/8" fastener dropped to 32 in-lbs of break free torque after all the vibration is still fine, as it isn't loosening. The other thing to consider with the heat test is that most ovens will exceed the target heat setting for a short time before settling back to target setting. Obviously, there's some overlap there with providing a substance that can prevent a fastener from loosening and not creating too much break free torque, but overall, when I'm using threadlocker it isn't to provide extra strength, it's just to maintain the torque I've set. So, for me, accurate torque value with the threadlocker, along with the fastener not being significantly harder to break free than what I torqued it to is most important. I would have preferred to see the threadlockers do better with the oil test, but I'm not going to use threadlocker on any fastener that coated in oil, so, generally not an issue. So, of the various threadlockers, the Loctite still provides the most beneficial metrics for me personally, accuracy of torque values, consistent resistance to loosening except for liberal oil contamination, and break free values that aren't excessively high. Thanks for the test, really awesome!
Well said. If I want higher break free torque, I will use red instead of blue lol Blue is specifically for when I want to ensure that the bolt only comes loose when I want it to, and also to ensure that it will indeed come loose, because it also functions as an anti sieze, protecting from corrosion and binding.
I wouldn't have thought of this as a subject for a video....but it was well worth making a video out of! Surprises all the way around, I hope you end up making a few more videos in this category....
Should look into old "expired" bottles of Loctite, as well as ones stored in hot/cold extremes (like a garage/vehicle). Does any of that really lead to it not performing as well?
Crazy timing. I was just thinking about buying Some loctite. I told my wife to pick up some this morning, but she said she had already left The store. So now I guess I'll order some ESKONKE
i love the permatex gel for small fastener (m2.5 and m3) has enough torque that it doesn't loosen in RC car racing but is still possible to unscrew easily
When I got my PA state safety inspection license it was at local Vo Tech auto shop. There was signs up that said Little bolts < 3/8 to use anti seize on them. Larger bolts use Loctite. It will actually act as an anti seize since it doenst allow corrosion to intrude into the threads.
Yeah I've actually switched from using anti-seize in general to almost always using blue thread locker or something more intense like orange or red when necessary. I try to make sure there is some on the threads closest to any environmental exposure so it creates a vapor barrier. Seems to work well to prevent rust to me and less risk of a loose fastener. There are still some bolts I prefer to use anti-seize on, but even then I often have the fancy Nickel stuff.
I seem to remember when Project Farm did this very thing.... EDIT/UPDATE (after watching): I concede, your testing was indeed more different, making BOTH testing videos required watching! : )
About 20 years ago I bought a blister pack of loctite chap still. Various sealants and locking compounds, even some copper grease. It was expired when I bought it. I still use it to this day for the occasional job, thats when I remeber I have it. Still works.
I hade a problem with red locktite gel about 5 years ago on a mustang we put aluminum hubs in it from summit and the locktite was required for the wheel studs they thread in instead of press because of the aluminum hubs and after a week we were switching the rims around and it was a mess the lug nuts wouldn't come off because the wheel studs dint lock in turned out the locktite never set up it was just like it was when we put it on a week later. We ended up having to re do everything we used it on we used the regular red liquid and it set up and solved the problem. I'm assuming it was bad but I have never used that gel stuff again we did set some bolts aside and 2 months later it still was only half dry but may have to try that Amazon brand. Thanks for the video love watching your guys videos have a good one!!!!!!
Unfortunately this data isn't as relevant for practical use. I don't need the strongest blue thread locker. If you have ever done work in the field, a stronger thread locker only makes your life much, much worse. The point of blue thread locker is to keep the bolt from coming loose, not weld it in. However, the part about torque accuracy is much more relevant.
So basically, if i walked into a big box store, I'd buy JB Weld threadlocker for threads with oil exposure, Loctite for applications with heat, and either for an application with vibration, like a vehicle chassis. Probably avoid Permatex threadlocked because it's an inferior product.
Whoever is behind this channel has impressive foresight. Integrity isn’t inexistent, yet rare. The foresight into a niche market, integrity, finding success, is rare.
I operate machinery in very corrosive, high vibration environments. I was trained to always use threadlocker on wheel bolts and antisieze on every other bolt. Several years ago, I resorted to using rtv on all bolts. The antifreeze wears off over time. The threadlocker makes bolts too difficult to remove without breaking them. The rtv seems to seal out moisture and corrosives while simultaneously resisting bolt loosening from vibration. I have never had an issue since I started using rtv sealant instead. It is a perfect replacement for my application.
I was just looking at options to buy some thread-locker when this came up. Thank you for a complete analyses of the options. This helped me quite a bit.
We had an illegal bottle of loctite that sadly I threw out when it was empty. It was from the days of the presidential helicopter program under Obama. A component manufacturer in the United Kingdom forgot to loctite some bolts. However the loctite they use was illegal for import in the US. So technicians had to be flown across the pond and smuggled in this illegal loctite and my dad escorted them to the presidential helicopter in the hangar at Lockheed Martin where they removed the bolts applied the liquid and reinstalled. They then handed the bottle to my dad with the instructions of disposing. We used it for years.
If you can get it, I would love to see Liqui Moly thread locker. It's a German brand that I use. And please get the ultra cheap stuff from Temu. Oh, and the Loctite sticks, the glue stick like Loctite stuff is so good to use on smaller bolts.
about 20+ years ago i replaced the transmission in my wifes truck. i was young and didnt know any better and didnt use thread locker on the converter bolts. needless to say they backed out and my father in-law tighten them back up using clear fingernail polish. needless to say the bolts are still in place today. im sure it wont match thread lockers status but it would be nice to see where it does fall on the chart
Yes! My stepdad is a 30 yr retired Aviation mechanic, and he used clear nail polish in a pinch on my project car as a kid, would love to see this in the list as well.
I'd like to see you test the Harbor Freight thread lockers too, they're what I tend to go for due to price and unlikely to be fake (while I think a lot of Amazon "loctite" is fake)
I wish harbor freights brand would have been included in this. I pick a bottle up every time I'm in there buying tools and its around $2 for a bottle I believe for the blue stuff. I've been using it as a mechanic for many years. Never had an issue with it.
Another great video, with lots of good information. In general (there are a lot of different applications for various thread lockers), I want a medium or light thread locker to basically stay at 100% to 130% torque over time and conditions (including wet assembly) , not loosen or get stuck. I want the heavy to add a bit more, but still be removable with normal tools and techniques without breaking. To this end, Loctite and their data sheets win for now. One parameter that is often overlooked with regards to premium thread lockers is their anti-corrosion (anti seize) characteristics. In particular, they prevent moisture etc. from creeping in and oxidizing etc. through capillary action blocking and additives. Again, i would say that Loctite and their data sheets win for now. I will be looking into the finger tight option however. I feel that Loctite does not really have a good solution for the loose "ny-lock nut" like version of thread locker, as that has not been their mainstay. For example in use in bicycle spokes and nipples, where the assembly torque on the left side is quite loose, but needs to not loosen over time in a high vibration condition, and also be adjustable without disassembly to re-true the wheel.
Can yall test the red and green stuff. I want to see the penetrating stuff to see how actually helpful it is. I only want to see the red stuff to see people suffer.
Please add VC3 to your tests. One major advantage to VC3 is it cures into the fastener BEFORE installation so if the nut or receiving side is full of oil no problem. Additionally, VC3 does not increase the breakaway torque significantly and may be used 2-3 times before reapplying in some cases.
@15:19 small detail, the GENEOCO 16% should be a 4 not 5, as 5 went to 17%. So average would be 2.5 moving it into 2nd place. Thank you for this test, very helpful!
I’ve been using the Permatex Gel on my dirt bike and street bike amongst other things. I like it for ease of use and it’s not messy. I haven’t had any issues with bolts/nuts coming loose either despite its mediocre performance here. Great video once again!!
Fun Fact: Loctite used to own Permatex - they owned it from the 1970s and then after a lot of typical corporate dancing, Loctite got spun out to Henkel in 1997. I still think of them as a single unit, even though they've been separate companies for over 25 years. Used to be 242 instead of 243 blue - and 271 red, and 640 sleeve retainer. They were THE standard (for the reasons shown) Great to get an update. I must admit, I have a gluestick version of 271 that I really like on high strength jobs.
Thanks for the effort in this. Trying out orange and green colored threadlockers to see how they compare to standard colors, perhaps other myths (CA glue, epoxy, soldering, staking) would be interesting.
The purchasing guy at work just bought the crew sets of Loctite PN 576507, stick applicators. I would like to see some testing on these "lipstick" type applicators vs traditional liquid or gel bottles. At least compare the 248 lipstick to 243. The lipsticks are better to carry in a tool bag than liquid bottles that spill or leak.
I'm curious how Loctite's Glue Stick Blue Threadlocker compares to the liquid stuff as I've been using the glue stick as it's easier to apply and doesn't drip everywhere,
My last purchase was Permatex. That will also be my LAST purchase of Permatex. My Permatex blue and red gels are headed to the trash. I thought I was just imagining that it didn't hold as well as the Loctite I had been using for years. Thank you for this video!!
Just because it wasn't as good as another product doesn't mean it isn't worth using. I recently used the red gel on a couple bolts holding a driveshaft to a rear pinion. I was interrupted before I tightened them down and the loctite had already cured. I still had to heat the area with a mapp torch to get them loose. Not as good as the next product, but definitely effective.
This permatex tested here is the 242 model number which is comparable with the loctite 242 which is a lower strength medium loctite. For small bolts and screws that strip easily (flat head/Phillips) and especially for knives with small torx screws the 242 strength works great!
@@RK-kn1ud I understand what you are saying. But my original comment said I had noticed a didn't hold as well as my usual choice. The fact is, it didn't hold at all. Some of these products work better on certain metals than on others. I was using it on brass Chicago screws. The Permatex never fully cured. Some of these require at least one of the metals to be ferrous. My normal Loctite cures with any metal according to its label.
I'm curious how the 'glue stick' style of blue locktite works. I like that because of the lower mess, especially with the small M3 fasteners I work with on a 3D printer.
To cure properly, loctite requires iron. If you read the data sheet on it, it isn't meant for zinc plated fasteners, as the compound doesn't set up properly. They did a deep dive at my shop and found that loctite doesn't work for many of the applications that we need it for, as we use a lot of zinc fasteners. Since zinc is just a plating, technically running the bolt in will scratch some of that plating, but you won't see the same results as if you had a non coated bolt.
Retaining compound tests would be amazing! Testing them with various press fits/loose fits using precision bearings in aluminum/steel holes is something i absolutely need to see. Theres 0 testing or data on this other than datasheets!! Would be cool to see the 638 vs 648 vs 538 of all the various brands, though it may be an expensive process
I really just wish it was a rule they had to put each color of thread locker in a matching color bottle! I generally keep a lot of blue, some orange, and some red around. Tend to use blue on a ton of fasteners these days more for rust prevention than anything else. Use the higher grade stuff on super critical fasteners like flywheel bolts, but prefer orange for the easier loosening.
I'd like to have seen you add Locktite Stick blue medium strength threadlocker. I suffer from Intention Tremors which basically means my hands shake almost uncontrollably whenever I try to do something with them like putting an expensive threadlocker on a tiny bolt. I work on small engines like you find in grass trimmers and lawn mowers. Small and tiny bolts and nuts seeing in excess of 10,000 rpm are the norm. I was thrilled when I saw that Locktite developed a stick version of Locktite. I'm not getting a rash of come-backs because of loosened bolts ever since I switched to the Stick, but you never know. I'm especially interested to see how the Stick affects torque results. I'm one of those weird guys that actually uses a torque wrench on most fasteners, even spark plugs. I repair a lot of broken studs and stripped out bolt holes that other "mechanics" have broken.
That Permatex gel is great for tiny fasteners on R/C models, just enough to resist coming loose with vibration, and you can still take things apart when needed.
I worked for Loctite (UK) back in the seventies, left after they shrank in size because of Middle East war. Predictable results, but you do need some detailed knowledge on how to apply and which grade, 243 is pretty mild, one interesting thing about these adhesives is the resistive torque increases just after breaking torque, this is the result of the adhesive becoming sand like and galling the threads. There are many other grades that outperform 243, but it’s a good average product. If you don’t want it coming loose then wire lock it! Incidentally Loctite has a fluorescent dye the reacts to UV to check for application. I joined a German business after Loctite who micro encapsulated anaerobic adhesives and pretreated bolts with a paint of the micro capped material of the correct grade for the application. Omnifit as they were known was bought by fellow German company Henkel, Loctite was also bought by Henkel. Eventually Great company great products I well recall the depth of training we received and th huge tech support operation.
It doesn’t work on plastic or polymers only metal and aluminum. Great video . Did you mention it has an expiration date on loctite. It’s important to check for current dates
It will cause acrylic to crack through chemical degradation of the plastic . Even if you just touch the screw hole as you put the screw with threadlock applied through the hole , this will happen.
The only concern I'd have for the Esknonke vs. Loc-Tite is consistency across batches. The lower cost option typically also means cutting some corners on quality. Batch to batch differences might generate more variability than a higher quality product like Loc-Tite that has tighter process controls. Good to see that there are some lower cost options that perform as well though.....keeps the big guys on their toes!
This is top quality content. Would be interesting to see how heat cycling over time and multiple cycles of hot/cold would factor in. Thanks for a great video. I just subscribed.
If you continue testing threadlockers, I'd really like to see the wicking variants, what Loctite makes in green, which I know is a lower strength even though they're called medium/high; though with the greens specifically, I'd like to also see the acrylic test again, just to see how far down they do wick before they start curing, if it's a similar pattern as a dotted/striped blue or if they fill more of the threads. You should also look through Henkel's own chart, blue has some pastes (2422, 2046), a semisolid stick (248), and a tape (249); I'm sure competitors have their own variants of these, probably some specialty products thrown in too. While looking through Henkel's chart, there's also quite a range in viscosity of the liquid products, 246 has the highest outside of the thixotropic liquids (242, 243), though there's no viscosity number for the pastes. Other things to note, blue has an 'ultra high temperature' variant (2422), red has a high lubricity variant (2047), and the 'mil-spec' blue is designed to be removable rather than locking (242) [I assume similar to a nylon lock nut, and/or a thread protector compound?], and the standard blue (243) and red (263) are actually the 'primerless and oil resistant' products; there's also a low strength locker made specifically for plastic fasteners (425). I think a lot of people here would be interested in seeing 249, and likely the pastes and stick as well, just considering application and product retention is simpler with bolts that're harder to get in place. Then on the opposite end of the spectrum, are there any plans to test antiseizes? If you do could you also include a note not to use antiseize on modern spark plugs (unneeded as modern plugs are plated with trivalent chromate or nickel), not to use it as a lubricant (such as how some people mention to use copper antiseize on brake caliper slides, proper lubricants literally exist for this reason), and how it should really only be used as a corrosion preventative (but this, like most supplementary products, depends on temperatures the parts will likely see, for example wheel area and especially brake area bolts get insanely hot, where the grease component can boil off and you can end up with a worse seizing situation).
Our large bottles of Eskonke just came in, and it's the same great gel like stuff amzn.to/3TVlgsz Lots of people asking about the shaker: amzn.to/3Yn2kVb
Feel torque alone doesn't make for a good or bad threadlocker? Us too! This video mainly covers the AFTER effects of 4 topics: heat/engine temps, target tq, vibration testing, and even oil resistance that didn't require any tq value comparisons. Sure, a torque wrench obtains a lot of the resulting data, but that's also how Loctite tests samples too :D
I would have liked to see the harbor freight versions on the list
If you look at the test results for your tests, the ESKONKE brand is the only thread locker that actually created full locking torque with a hand tight fastener. In my opinion this is the only test that matters. The whole point of thread locker is to prevent a loss of life or a catastrophic explosion on mission critical bolts. Airplanes, motorcycles, internal engine parts, suspension parts, seat belt bolts, etc.
It is possible to "forget" to torque a bolt properly. If that bolt loosening could cause a loss of life, then it needs a thread locker that works, even if you forget to torque it properly.
For example, the Suzuki DR650 motorcycle, for almost 20 years, they didn't use thread locker on internal transmission bolts. There are 2 very small bolts inside the transmission case that fall out, potentially locking up the transmission.
The other brands did not work for hand tightened bolts, only Eskonke, and the really cheap $5.00 Amazon stuff that you threw away in the beginning. For life saving bolts, these are the thread lockers that should be employed.
I recently had a rocker keep undoing its self and found only Permatex to use. Failed few times, reapplied it one time at work right before driving home and its been tight ever since. Every other time I let it dry before driving. Cool stuff Guys.
Permatex ftw :D
Will the off-brand threadlockers be consistent over time? Thats my rationale to stay with the name brand. Maybe next year the Amazon seller finds a new cheaper supplier and it’s not the same thing
Best thread locker is rust
fr
Saltwater on every bolt! Much cheaper than permatex.
So hit it with a vinegar and salt mix before torqueing. The project farm way.
Superglue works and cheap.
rust is a red thread locker, should compare it to those
By far the best thread locker I've ever found is the new guy with an impact gun, guaranteed to never come off again. Cross threaded all the way down, break away torque needed for removal will exceed break away torque of the fastener. 2nd runner up is rust.
the use of any kind of special fastener, such as a car's locking wheel nut, just torqued to spec
Ah yes the new guy with impact, only the best of the best threadlocker for my car. Tried taking transmission fluid plug off. Resorted to a ½ driver with a ½→⅜ adatper and a hammer with it's head wrapped around the driver pulling it. It didn't budge, gonna take it to someone with more equipment before i break the transmission case.
Fact of the Decade 😂
@@PlumbCarton5607bet its rust, try n heat it
@@rabbitdrink I don't really have the means to heat it otherwise i would.
You left out flavor in your testing, the taste of genuine loctite can't be beat.
red one is a little tangy, blue is kinda sour and green one tastes pretty good!
I like Loctite paste the best.
@@kisielthe1stit's green apple flavor
@@adamsmiths3016you
@@kisielthe1st lol, but actually all loctites are sweet. They add glucose to the mix so that you will notice if you have some on your hands when you grab a snack.
"Dork Test Channel" according to closed captions
Fax tho, we out here geeking over torque at 7am on a friday 6 minutes after the video came out
Pretty accurate
@@littlejack59remember watching this counts as continuing education and ongoing training.
😂 bro UA-cam throwing shade
Too funny. I admit... I have no life... 😜
Loctite has one enormous advantage over all other brands. It has the system. Everything is researched, tested and compatible. They have databases, specialised advisers and training. Every product has dedicated degreasers, activators and applicators. We pay for all that of course, but in exchange we get repeatable results every time, a warranty and a peace of mind.
Henkel has a loctite formulation for literally every and any application you could conceive of.
I reached out to a rep for a new process we were doing and finding the correct glue for it, and they sent out two people, some various equipment like automated dispensers, and we spent a few hours testing strength and seeing which one worked best for our application.
Their gap filler and 242 'press fit retainer ' has also proven a life safer. It's nice to know there's cheaper options perhaps but long run is it worth the risk? As an employee I always wonder about the liability.... Just like shopping AliExpress no certificate of liability later. It's all on you!
@@Sw-so4zj Loctite in that price offers you that they literally take some part of liability on them.
@@johngriffin618 They're too big for letting potential customers to do some trial and error with their products. It comes with a price, but it's worth it.
UA-cam auto captions said “Welcome back to the Dork test channel” and I’m all for it!
It sure did say”Dork test channel.”
I think we can all agree, Science IS very dorky!
But yea, those auto-captions do produce some real gems. Reminds me of the early days of online text translation software, but specifically running a phrase back and forth in a language a few times _(span->eng->span->eng etc)._ 🤣
That JB weld for the oiled bolt is the kind of “Mechanics Best Kept Secret” that guys spend years of wrenching to learn and only bother to share with their closets friends. I LOVE THE WORK YOU GUYS DO! Thank You for doing these real world tests that are EXTREMELY relevant to not just the pro’s but even the average guy doing his own mechanic work.
The anaerobic polymer chain is activated with free ions. Non-ferrous materials even have issues due to their stability, even your coated fasteners inhibit the monomer kicking over and curing. If you used an activator on that acrylic block it would have even cured there within minutes.
Hell, with the activator, if you're not quick enough it starts to kick before you've threaded the bolt all the way in!
I can confirm this, you need an activator in that scenario per loctite instructions
really??ooh good tip🌊
@@ke6gwf what's the activator?
Something like Loctite 7649, it has the ions that are needed to cure, what would normally be provided by the iron. @@themonsterunderyourbed9408
You should have left the disqualified one on your chart with big bold letters warning anyone not to buy it. I know with other things where I'm considering a tool that's not in your chart, I will actually still consider just trying it.
Absolutely love the video, for the weekend warriors another good test might have been extremely old loctite versus new loctite. I've got some 15-year-old stuff in a drawer if you want it.
My favorite application of thread locker is when the manufacturer applies it to an auto part in such away that it cannot be threaded in without scraping some off. Old gm distributor cap bolts would snap off a corner of the distributor if you did not clean off that huge glob.
I actually have some projects that are not intended to be disassembled so that one would be great for me to use
@@jeremychance6463 That's what the green loctite is for, think of it as a one part epoxy.
The curing also depends on ion exchange, that's why some lockers can only cure in the presence of iron, but even an open bottle never hardens/dries out.
Most are multi metal acting now, they use funny tricks to also cure in the presence of aluminum or titanium.
I’m glad you mentioned that the most holding power isnt the correct metric to be measured by.
And then they ranked it heavily based on holding power. lol
It is at least no metric since it is just to adjust the force to break them free after tightening them the right way. Thats why you - lets stay with Loctite - usw for example stuff like the pink one for guns and fine machinery, stuff should stay in olace but you want to open it without big extra forces. If you want to to stay where it is you choose the green one so no mechanic who „just aants to adjust something“ f*** around with your machine since he will need to get heavier stuff to open it.
They have all the same holding strength except the one for high temp that just holds …more temperature
I would love to see amazon sales data after Friday's TTC releases.
Oops, I skewed that metric by ordering 3 bottles of the Gneoco from Amazon.
Sorry not sorry
I trust the TTC.
Hey, at 12:30 you said that LOCTITE 243 is supposed to be oil resistant.
This is true, but only for most factory oil coasted fasteners, and not all of them (see Product page).
243 is not made for being used in an oily enviorment and is only resistance against minor oil contaminations (see TDS).
Since you have coated the Bolts with a good amount of oil it makes sense that LOCTITE 243 has problems with it.
Yeah, I would have liked to have seen a more reasonable oil contamination test. I'd never ever bother to use a threadlocker on a fastener that has oil pooling on it. What would be beneficial to see is what threadlockers can resist a minor coating of oil or grease that has been wiped off with a rag and generally wiped reasonably dry.
Great stuff here! I feel like it's somewhat important to point out that the 243 line you mostly tested targets the surface insensitive range of blue, which is both oil resistant and generally a newer formula than the 242 range, which is what was tested with Permatex (24200, they use the last two digits to differentiate between package sizes) in this video.
The Permatex product numbers are slightly tricky like that, but Vibra-Tite really pulls a tricky one with theirs, often taking the standard number everyone uses and doing some simple math with it, like the low strength "222" for most threadlocker brands becomes "111" for Vibra-Tite. I think because "242" got an update and +1 for the number, Vibra-Tite started with "121" and then made "122" as their surface insensitive version.
Hey! Great insights.
FYI the lubrication you can get out of a threadlocker or other thread coating is most often not about getting a higher clamping load, but more consistent clamping loads across all bolted joints. Plain bolts can have pretty wildly varying clamping loads, and many applications require a tight, consistent clamping load. There's a particular application that I use a higher grade, pre-applied microcapsule thread locker for this purpose. I need the bolted joints to be within a tight range of clamping load, but I also need them to not back out and to last for 10+ years. Another thread coating, like teflon, would allow me to easily get that tight range of clamp load, but it increases risk of bolts backing out, especially with the light clamping loads we have, so we use a pre-applied thread locker to do both.
Another important function of locking compound is sealing the thread from corrosives that will cause them to seize
@@PaulG.x Also very true! I was mostly focused on sharing the specifics of my application, though, which doesn't share that concern.
Interesting, I never thought about how you could use it to hit specific clamp loads. Thanks for sharing that information! Do you mind sharing what you do?
testing for oil covered bolts to find only JB weld works... you guys really cover all the bases.
The substrate actually matters with threadlocker. Plain steel has has about twice the holding strength compared to stainless steel or zinc plated bolts. Plain steel nuts and bolts also cure faster.
More reasons why i will simply be refering to this stuff as "magic sauce" from now on. If im putting it on, its either because i was told to or because i have a feeling. Thats it.
Interesting
In the shop I keep Lock Tight 243 , 263 and 272 for different jobs
But I also have used a Anti sabotage permanent thread locker that we had to use at work
We got it in plain White tubes with just Permanent on the outside of the tube
After a few days if you wanted to remove the nut , on a 1 1/8" bolt
We would have to torch off the nut
As even with a 1" impact and heating the nut with the with a torch
Or a wrench and 10 foot cheater bar
We never could get the nut off the bolt without twisting the bolt to the breaking point
If you can't even get the nut off with heat...what's the point of bolting the joint together? Just weld the fucker! 😂
The previous owner of my motorcycle must have used that white bottle stuff when he installed the rearsets. It was a nightmare.
not testing the HF brand is sad . Love the content
Rockset is an interesting threadlocker to test. It supposed to function like red, but heat doesn't release it, hot water does. Its used for firearm muzzle devices.
Never had any luck with rocksett
Never tried it but gunsmiths SWEAR by the stuff.
The two drawbacks are it's expensive and it has a very short shelf life. 1 year and unlike most thread lockers once it's expired it's rendered useless.
@@rileyneufeld7001 it's $10/oz on the manufacturer's incredibly old-school website but everyone says you only need a drop or two to get it stuck on there real good
@@rileyneufeld7001 I only order rocksett when I know I'll be putting on suppressor QD interfaces because of how fast it expires. Most muzzle devices have large margins for misalignment and are fine with the uneven pressure imparted by crush washers, and gas blocks can be staked over to secure the set screws without the use of high-temp threadlockers.
@@Dprill95 I've only used it on qd mounts for suppressors, the mount hasn't come off with the can again so I think it's working. I honestly didn't know about the short shelf life, so I guess I have a useless bottle now.
I guess my contention with low/medium strength threadlocker is that I don't need it to be harder to break free than what it was torqued to, I just need it to not loosen. So, ranking blue threadlocker that takes more break free strength as better doesn't really jive with how I think most people are using it.
Take for example Loctite, even on the 300 degree heat cycle, 176 in-lbs still exceeds their listed break free strength on their website, which is listed as 106 in-lbs. Even the fact that Loctite's finger tight 3/8" fastener dropped to 32 in-lbs of break free torque after all the vibration is still fine, as it isn't loosening. The other thing to consider with the heat test is that most ovens will exceed the target heat setting for a short time before settling back to target setting.
Obviously, there's some overlap there with providing a substance that can prevent a fastener from loosening and not creating too much break free torque, but overall, when I'm using threadlocker it isn't to provide extra strength, it's just to maintain the torque I've set.
So, for me, accurate torque value with the threadlocker, along with the fastener not being significantly harder to break free than what I torqued it to is most important. I would have preferred to see the threadlockers do better with the oil test, but I'm not going to use threadlocker on any fastener that coated in oil, so, generally not an issue. So, of the various threadlockers, the Loctite still provides the most beneficial metrics for me personally, accuracy of torque values, consistent resistance to loosening except for liberal oil contamination, and break free values that aren't excessively high.
Thanks for the test, really awesome!
Probably better process control too
Well said.
If I want higher break free torque, I will use red instead of blue lol
Blue is specifically for when I want to ensure that the bolt only comes loose when I want it to, and also to ensure that it will indeed come loose, because it also functions as an anti sieze, protecting from corrosion and binding.
Great reply, I agree completely.
I wouldn't have thought of this as a subject for a video....but it was well worth making a video out of! Surprises all the way around, I hope you end up making a few more videos in this category....
Sad you didn't include Vibra-TITE. This is the best thread locking brand I've used in 30 years of being a mechanic
Vc3 is my go-to.
Project Farm did it like 7 years ago.
@_droid that is how I found out about it
That stuff is way better on small fasteners like firearm scope mounts too
Vibra-Tite in the gallon jug is the best lol.
Should look into old "expired" bottles of Loctite, as well as ones stored in hot/cold extremes (like a garage/vehicle). Does any of that really lead to it not performing as well?
OK, the drill powered paint can shaker is what really got my attention! lol
If you do another episode, you should include Permatex 25210 Orange. That was our favorite in the shop for most applications.
Agreed, I would like to know how the bolts on my 4Runner are going to hold up haha
My go-to is Locktite 290 because you can use it after torquing - it wicks in. Makes a damn fine thread sealant too.
Crazy timing. I was just thinking about buying Some loctite. I told my wife to pick up some this morning, but she said she had already left The store. So now I guess I'll order some ESKONKE
0:10 seeing the drillbit go into the plastic like that gives @theslowmoguys vibes. dope intro
Vibration results on jb and permatex lines up with what I’ve experienced. Thanks for the vid. Good stuff
would like to see vibratite and rocksett tested in the next round!
i love the permatex gel for small fastener (m2.5 and m3)
has enough torque that it doesn't loosen in RC car racing but is still possible to unscrew easily
You are getting into Project Farm territory. And yes that is a compliment
Would love to see you add Vibra-Tite and Rocksett to the test. Both, especially the latter, are loved by gunsmiths for vibration resistance.
Excellent. Thank you. Thread locker is often critical.
Todd at Project Farm would be proud!
Those Amazon brands (that didn’t get DQ’d) did very well. That Esconke in particular.
Ive been using the eskonke for a few years now glad to see that it was worth saving the money and not buying loctite
Gotta love when a cheaper product is just as good or better. We wouldnt have known without you!
Didn't exspect the gel from permatex I use to do so bad 15:20 great testing and video @Torque Test Channel
When I got my PA state safety inspection license it was at local Vo Tech auto shop. There was signs up that said Little bolts < 3/8 to use anti seize on them. Larger bolts use Loctite. It will actually act as an anti seize since it doenst allow corrosion to intrude into the threads.
Yep. I use loctite at the top of the threads for this purpose.
Yeah I've actually switched from using anti-seize in general to almost always using blue thread locker or something more intense like orange or red when necessary. I try to make sure there is some on the threads closest to any environmental exposure so it creates a vapor barrier. Seems to work well to prevent rust to me and less risk of a loose fastener. There are still some bolts I prefer to use anti-seize on, but even then I often have the fancy Nickel stuff.
I seem to remember when Project Farm did this very thing....
EDIT/UPDATE (after watching): I concede, your testing was indeed more different, making BOTH testing videos required watching!
: )
With heat, and oil, and target torque?
About 20 years ago I bought a blister pack of loctite chap still. Various sealants and locking compounds, even some copper grease. It was expired when I bought it. I still use it to this day for the occasional job, thats when I remeber I have it. Still works.
Oh good -- That Eskonke bottle I bought last year seemed to be the right choice for a change XD
I hade a problem with red locktite gel about 5 years ago on a mustang we put aluminum hubs in it from summit and the locktite was required for the wheel studs they thread in instead of press because of the aluminum hubs and after a week we were switching the rims around and it was a mess the lug nuts wouldn't come off because the wheel studs dint lock in turned out the locktite never set up it was just like it was when we put it on a week later. We ended up having to re do everything we used it on we used the regular red liquid and it set up and solved the problem. I'm assuming it was bad but I have never used that gel stuff again we did set some bolts aside and 2 months later it still was only half dry but may have to try that Amazon brand. Thanks for the video love watching your guys videos have a good one!!!!!!
Add Vibra-Tite to the list next time!! And I really appreciated the heat testing!! TY
Unfortunately this data isn't as relevant for practical use. I don't need the strongest blue thread locker. If you have ever done work in the field, a stronger thread locker only makes your life much, much worse. The point of blue thread locker is to keep the bolt from coming loose, not weld it in.
However, the part about torque accuracy is much more relevant.
I'd love to see a myth-busting follow-up, including stuff like using superglue…
So basically, if i walked into a big box store, I'd buy JB Weld threadlocker for threads with oil exposure, Loctite for applications with heat, and either for an application with vibration, like a vehicle chassis. Probably avoid Permatex threadlocked because it's an inferior product.
Everyone's favorite field trip, Harbor Freight of course has some thread locker. I would imagine you're on top of that for a video. :)
Whoever is behind this channel has impressive foresight. Integrity isn’t inexistent, yet rare. The foresight into a niche market, integrity, finding success, is rare.
Go away bot
I operate machinery in very corrosive, high vibration environments. I was trained to always use threadlocker on wheel bolts and antisieze on every other bolt. Several years ago, I resorted to using rtv on all bolts. The antifreeze wears off over time. The threadlocker makes bolts too difficult to remove without breaking them. The rtv seems to seal out moisture and corrosives while simultaneously resisting bolt loosening from vibration. I have never had an issue since I started using rtv sealant instead. It is a perfect replacement for my application.
I like the rage bait acrylic block that makes it look like you can compress fluids.
I usually always use the cleaner primer before applying. It would be cool to see how that affects the results
Another awesome video guys, you really go above and beyond with these tests. Keep up the great work!
I was just looking at options to buy some thread-locker when this came up. Thank you for a complete analyses of the options. This helped me quite a bit.
We had an illegal bottle of loctite that sadly I threw out when it was empty. It was from the days of the presidential helicopter program under Obama. A component manufacturer in the United Kingdom forgot to loctite some bolts. However the loctite they use was illegal for import in the US. So technicians had to be flown across the pond and smuggled in this illegal loctite and my dad escorted them to the presidential helicopter in the hangar at Lockheed Martin where they removed the bolts applied the liquid and reinstalled. They then handed the bottle to my dad with the instructions of disposing. We used it for years.
If you can get it, I would love to see Liqui Moly thread locker. It's a German brand that I use.
And please get the ultra cheap stuff from Temu. Oh, and the Loctite sticks, the glue stick like Loctite stuff is so good to use on smaller bolts.
I have some of that “glue stick” type you’re talking about. It’s called Qiuckstick. I’d like to see them test the Super Glue thread locker too.
I'd like to have seen the Loctite chapstick style lockers tested, they're by far the easiest to apply.
about 20+ years ago i replaced the transmission in my wifes truck. i was young and didnt know any better and didnt use thread locker on the converter bolts. needless to say they backed out and my father in-law tighten them back up using clear fingernail polish. needless to say the bolts are still in place today. im sure it wont match thread lockers status but it would be nice to see where it does fall on the chart
Yes! My stepdad is a 30 yr retired Aviation mechanic, and he used clear nail polish in a pinch on my project car as a kid, would love to see this in the list as well.
I'd like to see you test the Harbor Freight thread lockers too, they're what I tend to go for due to price and unlikely to be fake (while I think a lot of Amazon "loctite" is fake)
I wish harbor freights brand would have been included in this. I pick a bottle up every time I'm in there buying tools and its around $2 for a bottle I believe for the blue stuff. I've been using it as a mechanic for many years. Never had an issue with it.
Woah it's not even a Sunday and I'm getting a great "what's best" video! Thanks for the great content Project Torque Test Channel!
Another great video, with lots of good information.
In general (there are a lot of different applications for various thread lockers), I want a medium or light thread locker to basically stay at 100% to 130% torque over time and conditions (including wet assembly) , not loosen or get stuck. I want the heavy to add a bit more, but still be removable with normal tools and techniques without breaking. To this end, Loctite and their data sheets win for now.
One parameter that is often overlooked with regards to premium thread lockers is their anti-corrosion (anti seize) characteristics. In particular, they prevent moisture etc. from creeping in and oxidizing etc. through capillary action blocking and additives. Again, i would say that Loctite and their data sheets win for now.
I will be looking into the finger tight option however. I feel that Loctite does not really have a good solution for the loose "ny-lock nut" like version of thread locker, as that has not been their mainstay. For example in use in bicycle spokes and nipples, where the assembly torque on the left side is quite loose, but needs to not loosen over time in a high vibration condition, and also be adjustable without disassembly to re-true the wheel.
My preferred flavor is Loctite 246 for things thag don't require red. 246 is just like 243 but rated to withstand upto 450f
Can yall test the red and green stuff. I want to see the penetrating stuff to see how actually helpful it is. I only want to see the red stuff to see people suffer.
Please add VC3 to your tests.
One major advantage to VC3 is it cures into the fastener BEFORE installation so if the nut or receiving side is full of oil no problem.
Additionally, VC3 does not increase the breakaway torque significantly and may be used 2-3 times before reapplying in some cases.
@15:19 small detail, the GENEOCO 16% should be a 4 not 5, as 5 went to 17%. So average would be 2.5 moving it into 2nd place. Thank you for this test, very helpful!
I’ve been using the Permatex Gel on my dirt bike and street bike amongst other things. I like it for ease of use and it’s not messy. I haven’t had any issues with bolts/nuts coming loose either despite its mediocre performance here. Great video once again!!
Fun Fact: Loctite used to own Permatex - they owned it from the 1970s and then after a lot of typical corporate dancing, Loctite got spun out to Henkel in 1997. I still think of them as a single unit, even though they've been separate companies for over 25 years. Used to be 242 instead of 243 blue - and 271 red, and 640 sleeve retainer. They were THE standard (for the reasons shown)
Great to get an update. I must admit, I have a gluestick version of 271 that I really like on high strength jobs.
Lock tite has a glue stick style too, that's my preferred applier for minimal mess when using locktite. No drips or running off.
Thanks for the effort in this. Trying out orange and green colored threadlockers to see how they compare to standard colors, perhaps other myths (CA glue, epoxy, soldering, staking) would be interesting.
The purchasing guy at work just bought the crew sets of Loctite PN 576507, stick applicators. I would like to see some testing on these "lipstick" type applicators vs traditional liquid or gel bottles. At least compare the 248 lipstick to 243. The lipsticks are better to carry in a tool bag than liquid bottles that spill or leak.
I'm curious how Loctite's Glue Stick Blue Threadlocker compares to the liquid stuff as I've been using the glue stick as it's easier to apply and doesn't drip everywhere,
My last purchase was Permatex. That will also be my LAST purchase of Permatex. My Permatex blue and red gels are headed to the trash. I thought I was just imagining that it didn't hold as well as the Loctite I had been using for years. Thank you for this video!!
Same here
Just because it wasn't as good as another product doesn't mean it isn't worth using. I recently used the red gel on a couple bolts holding a driveshaft to a rear pinion. I was interrupted before I tightened them down and the loctite had already cured. I still had to heat the area with a mapp torch to get them loose. Not as good as the next product, but definitely effective.
This permatex tested here is the 242 model number which is comparable with the loctite 242 which is a lower strength medium loctite. For small bolts and screws that strip easily (flat head/Phillips) and especially for knives with small torx screws the 242 strength works great!
@@RK-kn1ud I understand what you are saying. But my original comment said I had noticed a didn't hold as well as my usual choice. The fact is, it didn't hold at all. Some of these products work better on certain metals than on others. I was using it on brass Chicago screws. The Permatex never fully cured. Some of these require at least one of the metals to be ferrous. My normal Loctite cures with any metal according to its label.
I'm curious how the 'glue stick' style of blue locktite works. I like that because of the lower mess, especially with the small M3 fasteners I work with on a 3D printer.
Up next, toothpaste, clear finger nail polish, purple and green "loctite", yellow 3M used on carb screws. Thanks for the shows, and the tests.
To cure properly, loctite requires iron. If you read the data sheet on it, it isn't meant for zinc plated fasteners, as the compound doesn't set up properly. They did a deep dive at my shop and found that loctite doesn't work for many of the applications that we need it for, as we use a lot of zinc fasteners. Since zinc is just a plating, technically running the bolt in will scratch some of that plating, but you won't see the same results as if you had a non coated bolt.
Retaining compound tests would be amazing! Testing them with various press fits/loose fits using precision bearings in aluminum/steel holes is something i absolutely need to see. Theres 0 testing or data on this other than datasheets!!
Would be cool to see the 638 vs 648 vs 538 of all the various brands, though it may be an expensive process
I really just wish it was a rule they had to put each color of thread locker in a matching color bottle! I generally keep a lot of blue, some orange, and some red around. Tend to use blue on a ton of fasteners these days more for rust prevention than anything else. Use the higher grade stuff on super critical fasteners like flywheel bolts, but prefer orange for the easier loosening.
If you end up doing another test like this you should try Rocksett
Definitely need a video on permanent thread lockers!!
I'd like to have seen you add Locktite Stick blue medium strength threadlocker. I suffer from Intention Tremors which basically means my hands shake almost uncontrollably whenever I try to do something with them like putting an expensive threadlocker on a tiny bolt. I work on small engines like you find in grass trimmers and lawn mowers. Small and tiny bolts and nuts seeing in excess of 10,000 rpm are the norm. I was thrilled when I saw that Locktite developed a stick version of Locktite. I'm not getting a rash of come-backs because of loosened bolts ever since I switched to the Stick, but you never know. I'm especially interested to see how the Stick affects torque results. I'm one of those weird guys that actually uses a torque wrench on most fasteners, even spark plugs. I repair a lot of broken studs and stripped out bolt holes that other "mechanics" have broken.
That Permatex gel is great for tiny fasteners on R/C models, just enough to resist coming loose with vibration, and you can still take things apart when needed.
I worked for Loctite (UK) back in the seventies, left after they shrank in size because of Middle East war. Predictable results, but you do need some detailed knowledge on how to apply and which grade, 243 is pretty mild, one interesting thing about these adhesives is the resistive torque increases just after breaking torque, this is the result of the adhesive becoming sand like and galling the threads. There are many other grades that outperform 243, but it’s a good average product. If you don’t want it coming loose then wire lock it! Incidentally Loctite has a fluorescent dye the reacts to UV to check for application. I joined a German business after Loctite who micro encapsulated anaerobic adhesives and pretreated bolts with a paint of the micro capped material of the correct grade for the application. Omnifit as they were known was bought by fellow German company Henkel, Loctite was also bought by Henkel. Eventually
Great company great products I well recall the depth of training we received and th huge tech support operation.
I would love to see you test the threadlock from harbor freight.
Thank you for doing this! I was needing to re-tighten my bed's bolts!
It doesn’t work on plastic or polymers only metal and aluminum. Great video . Did you mention it has an expiration date on loctite. It’s important to check for current dates
It will cause acrylic to crack through chemical degradation of the plastic . Even if you just touch the screw hole as you put the screw with threadlock applied through the hole , this will happen.
This channel gets me torquey.
One of the most unknown yet extremely useful products from Loctite is 660. It can save you a lot of money.
The only concern I'd have for the Esknonke vs. Loc-Tite is consistency across batches. The lower cost option typically also means cutting some corners on quality. Batch to batch differences might generate more variability than a higher quality product like Loc-Tite that has tighter process controls. Good to see that there are some lower cost options that perform as well though.....keeps the big guys on their toes!
This is top quality content. Would be interesting to see how heat cycling over time and multiple cycles of hot/cold would factor in. Thanks for a great video. I just subscribed.
Wait a second, this isn't Project Farm.
If you continue testing threadlockers, I'd really like to see the wicking variants, what Loctite makes in green, which I know is a lower strength even though they're called medium/high; though with the greens specifically, I'd like to also see the acrylic test again, just to see how far down they do wick before they start curing, if it's a similar pattern as a dotted/striped blue or if they fill more of the threads. You should also look through Henkel's own chart, blue has some pastes (2422, 2046), a semisolid stick (248), and a tape (249); I'm sure competitors have their own variants of these, probably some specialty products thrown in too. While looking through Henkel's chart, there's also quite a range in viscosity of the liquid products, 246 has the highest outside of the thixotropic liquids (242, 243), though there's no viscosity number for the pastes. Other things to note, blue has an 'ultra high temperature' variant (2422), red has a high lubricity variant (2047), and the 'mil-spec' blue is designed to be removable rather than locking (242) [I assume similar to a nylon lock nut, and/or a thread protector compound?], and the standard blue (243) and red (263) are actually the 'primerless and oil resistant' products; there's also a low strength locker made specifically for plastic fasteners (425). I think a lot of people here would be interested in seeing 249, and likely the pastes and stick as well, just considering application and product retention is simpler with bolts that're harder to get in place.
Then on the opposite end of the spectrum, are there any plans to test antiseizes? If you do could you also include a note not to use antiseize on modern spark plugs (unneeded as modern plugs are plated with trivalent chromate or nickel), not to use it as a lubricant (such as how some people mention to use copper antiseize on brake caliper slides, proper lubricants literally exist for this reason), and how it should really only be used as a corrosion preventative (but this, like most supplementary products, depends on temperatures the parts will likely see, for example wheel area and especially brake area bolts get insanely hot, where the grease component can boil off and you can end up with a worse seizing situation).
I would absolutely want to see the permanent loctite comparisons.
I like the permatex gel in the heavy red stuff.
That twist applicator is hard to beat and apply when youre working on stuff.
Eric O from South Main Auto spoke about this video and your channel on his video today, movin' on up!
A test of different types of concrete fasteners and expansion bolts would be great
Regarding setting time test: Thread lock is designed for a metal on metal thread. The compound only sets when in direct contact with metal.