Thread sealant

[GoatBoy]

So what kind of sealant do they put on macroline fittings? The light beige colored stuff. I tend to like that stuff better than teflon tape. Where do you buy that stuff, and are there any tips on how to use it?

[Hilltop Customs]

teflon tape, 1.5-2 wraps, tighten it down and forget about it....

[wimag]

teflon tape, 1.5-2 wraps, tighten it down and forget about it....

ditto

[Ninjeff]

ditto


ditto on the ditto.


double ditto.


sounds dirty....

[georgeyew]

I use blue loctite on my threads because it is much cleaner than teflon tape. Whenever I get paint on the teflon tape, it absorbs the color :(

[Dirge]

I use blue loctite on my threads because it is much cleaner than teflon tape. Whenever I get paint on the teflon tape, it absorbs the color :(

Ditto.

[BigEvil]

Go to the plumbing section of HomeDepot, its a white paste that plumbers use. I forget exactly what its called but it is the same thing.

[Temo Vryce]

Go to the plumbing section of HomeDepot, its a white paste that plumbers use. I forget exactly what its called but it is the same thing.


Pipe Dope or Plumber's Dope. It's basically liquid Teflon. Wonderful stuff for plumbing.

[Enemy]

liquid teflon just remember to let it sit for a long while i think its 4 minimum before putting air to the fitting.

[rawbutter]

just remember to let it sit for a long while i think its 4 minimum before putting air to the fitting.

When he says to wait four minutes, he's meaning to wait AFTER you screw in the fittings with the thread sealant on there. ;)

By the way... just to give you a picture in your head, this is what most people use.

http://www.amazon.com/Loctite-Threadlocker-Resistant-Medium-Strength/dp/B0002KKTHW

[GoatBoy]

Thanks guys. Like I said, I've always kind of considered teflon tape a bit... sloppy.

I think the stuff's common name is "pipe joint compound".


I won't get into the Loctite thing, aside from saying it's not recommended for use as a thread sealant.

[NU_METAL]

G.B. ,
ive tryed just about everything out thier ,and Teflon tape is the way to go
a: no leaks
b: you can remove fittings w/out them being in their for life :rolleyes:
you know ,for the guys that love to use lock tight and epoxy :confused:
c: to make it look good ,and functional ,razor blade or exacto the tape down the center cuting it into two long strips, then put it on @ the tip of the fitting ,two wraps or so ,and wallah ,..not tape sticking out to turn pink from hellfire :rolleyes:
alot of people also forget to wrap it in the direction of tightening ,that helps it from unraveling out of the pipe thread tap also

[drg]

G.B. ,
ive tryed just about everything out thier ,and Teflon tape is the way to go
a: no leaks
b: you can remove fittings w/out them being in their for life :rolleyes:
you know ,for the guys that love to use lock tight and epoxy :confused:
c: to make it look good ,and functional ,razor blade or exacto the tape down the center cuting it into two long strips, then put it on @ the tip of the fitting ,two wraps or so ,and wallah ,..not tape sticking out to turn pink from hellfire :rolleyes:
alot of people also forget to wrap it in the direction of tightening ,that helps it from unraveling out of the pipe thread tap also

I must agree. Liquid thread sealant can separate and waiting sucks ...

[Kodiak]

Thanks guys. Like I said, I've always kind of considered teflon tape a bit... sloppy.

I think the stuff's common name is "pipe joint compound".


I won't get into the Loctite thing, aside from saying it's not recommended for use as a thread sealant.
Actually that is not true. Blue Loctite (242) is a thread locker and sealant along with several other Loctite products.

Loctite 242 (http://www.loctite.us/cps/rde/xchg/henkel_us/hs.xsl/1554_USE_HTML.htm?countryCode=us&BU=ut&parentredDotUID=productfinder&redDotUID=0000000HWW)

My favorite to use on air fittings is Loctite® 567™ PST® Thread Sealant.

Loctite® 567™ PST® Thread Sealant withstands temperatures to 400°F with excellent solvent resistance. Locks and seals tapered pipe threads and fittings, including high pressure applications. Disassembles with hand tools.

[Hilltop Customs]

I'm with NU_METAL, if you want it to be pretty just cut the teflon tape in half lengthwise and apply it lower on the threads.....or if your good, stretch and angle the tape so it becomes narrow and apply low on the threads. You can also fold the tape in half lengthwise, but then your doubling the thickness and only need to apply 1 whole wrap.

advantages of tape:
instant
no chance of mess
great storage....dont ever have to worry about a tube getting squeezed by accident
just as clean if you do it right.

[luke]

I use "Loctite 222 MS Thread Lock and Sealant".

Tape does work, but it is a very bad product and I don't recommend it on a Mag valve. The problem with tape is that strings of Teflon can end up in your valve. If you have to use tape never tape the first few threads (especially the very end) because that tape can end up in the valve.

If you remove a fitting that has been taped, make sure to use a pick and remove every trace of tape that was left behind, both in the hole and on the fitting.

[punkncat]

There should be some instructional video with the teflon tape....lol.

Biggest problem as Luke pointed out is that most folks don't clean the old tape out, it ends up getting into a port or something and causes problems.
The other would be most folks just use too much. It only takes about two wraps around the threads assuming that everything is in the proper condition and it will seal just fine.

I also use loktite according to the situation. Especially on small barb fittings I prefer to use a loktite as it is easier to apply and after curing will not leak to have to be done over. Just make sure not to use so much that it drips inside your micro rock....don't ask me how I know. :cry:

[Hilltop Customs]

punkncat you just reminded me of my old friend who would literally warp teflon tape around the threads about 8 or 9 times.....it would be so thick instead of threading in, the tape would just push up the threads and wouldnt seal :rofl:

I keep a dental pick handy....takes like 15 seconds to stick it in the threads and pull out anything in a female port.....for male threads a small wire brush works wonders. Dental pick is awesome for removing o-rings too.

[NU_METAL]

I use "Loctite 222 MS Thread Lock and Sealant".

Tape does work, but it is a very bad product and I don't recommend it on a Mag valve. The problem with tape is that strings of Teflon can end up in your valve. If you have to use tape never tape the first few threads (especially the very end) because that tape can end up in the valve.

If you remove a fitting that has been taped, make sure to use a pick and remove every trace of tape that was left behind, both in the hole and on the fitting.

ops i forgot to mention cleaning out all the old tape(thats very important ) because luke is absolutely correct ,i cant tell you how many times i found all sorts of lovley "stuff"up in the valve that air push'es through
i forget sometimes because im a tech that i feel like everyone i talk to on here is one
and as far as the lock tight goes ,im always the poor slob thats got to remove something w/ that stuff on it ,so im not a big fan as you can imagine ,..now don't get me wrong ,it seals great once it dry's ,....but what about when it comes time to take something apart ?
but this is just my experience's talking ;)

[FiXeL]

O-ring pick FTW! The next best thing to have besides allen keys.

I've been using teflon tape when i started, didn't like it, turned to locktite, and went back to teflon tape. Why? Teflon is much easier to use, makes a instant seal and with some practice you can make clean seals without lots of teflon sticking out. Caution should indeed be taken to prevent it entering the gun, but practice makes perfect.

I do sometimes still use locktite (the blue one) for sealing, but it has 2 backdraws to it that i don't like. The first one is that it needs to cure, sometimes up to 24hrs before it seals. The other one is that this method does not have a 100% succes rate, sometimes seals have a small leak and you have to do it all over again. :mad:

Sure, teflon makes a mess when removing, but for that we have the holy o-ring pick and a quick blast with the air pistol and we're good to go! :clap: