loctite problem

[capt spank]

So whoever I bought my xvalve from used something other than teflon tape to seal a macro fitting in. I'm assuming he used loctite but who knows. Anything I should know or do before I take a torch and see if I can loosen her up? I should probably take it completely apart first, right?

[Laku]

Can you see what color of something he/she used? Anyway yeah, take off all the o-rings and stuff that could melt before heating.

[capt spank]

Can you see what color of something he/she used? Anyway yeah, take off all the o-rings and stuff that could melt before heating.

sadly no. but it can't be blue. i went at the fitting with a wrench and ended up stripping it pretty good.

[Nobody]

you can try a couple of different methods. 1) boil it. water is less invasive than a direct flame. 2) hair dryer. again less invasive than the flame. 3) freeze it, then use heat to expand the metal around it. regardless of the method you try, strip it down as far as you can so lessen any possible damage to other parts. if the fitting is stripped, use a good set of vice grips and sacrifice the fitting to turn it out.

[athomas]

If it is loctite, boiling won't help. Water only reaches 100C when it boils. It takes more than 100C to break the bond. Most loctite thread lockers take more than 200C to break the bond, which means you need an oven, heat gun, or some other means of supplying direct heat.

[vintage]

X-valve is aluminum, so how much heat can it take before it warps?

[athomas]

Aluminum can take alot of heat before it is in danger of warping. 200C is way below any heat temperature that will affect the shape of the metal.

Don't heat it until it is red hot. But you'll need a furnace or acetylene torch for that anyway, so it unlikely you will hurt it.

[Runamok]

It sounds like red loctite,and it a "B". If you take a torch to it be ready to move fast once it's heated and HEAT THE FITTING,not the body. You can stand to loose a fitting better then the valve. I've had to strip down an rt pro valve and do the same. Pad a vice with leather and put the valve body in it, then light up the fitting and have your pliers ready. Heat alittle then try twisting out the fitting and keep trying this until it moves then get it outa there quick. Go easy as you can with the heat, Patience is the key.

[athomas]

I looked up the temp for dissassembly. Its 250C for blue loctite, and 260C for red loctite. If you apply heat to the fitting, it is the best way to do it, because the fitting will heat up first as it transfers heat through the loctite to the valve body. It actually doesn't take much heat to reach that temp. A propane torch has a flame temperature of about 2000C.

If you want a more cautious approach, use a toaster oven. That way, you aren't heating the valve hotter in one spot than in another. It is a more stable approach if you are worried about warping. Heat it up to 275C with the valve in it. 275C isn't hot when it comes to a solid body of metal, anyway. Remove the valve and immediately remove the fitting.

[OPBN]

What if you used a soldering iron pressed to the fitting as close to the valve as possible? Would the heat transfer enough to the other side of the fitting to help loosen it?

[BigEvil]

Dan, just come by the garage and bring it and some bacon for me as payment. :)

[capt spank]

Dan, just come by the garage and bring it and some bacon for me as payment. :)

I'm Randy :p. Dan would just buy another one :rofl: I may take you up on that offer since you're just a quick trip over the verazano.

Thanks for all the tips guys. I'll give a shot first chance I get.

[BigEvil]

I'm Randy :p. Dan would just buy another one :rofl: I may take you up on that offer since you're just a quick trip over the verazano.

Thanks for all the tips guys. I'll give a shot first chance I get.


oops, I get you're screen names mixed up all the time.

None of that maple glazed crap either :P