Loctite Disolver ?

Heat to about 150 deg C and most Loctite type sealers break down

AWEM

It also mentions Methlene Chloride. I think paint strippers contain Methlene Chloride - but don't trust me - check it out first!

Some text from the above link:

"There are all sorts of myths about how to remove fasteners held by thread-locking adhesives. Here's what it says on Loctite's own website: The application of heat is needed to remove a fastener that can't be removed with a hand tool. Temperatures of 325F and above is needed to break down a standard [thread locking adhesive], 500F for high temperature [thread locking adhesives]. A heat gun or propane torch is commonly used to do this process, and careful disassembly should occur while parts are still hot. Once apart, and cooled, use methylene chloride (Chisel #79040) to remove cured excess material. Always wipe down the fasteners with clean up solvent to remove the wax film that Chisel #79040 leaves on the surface. (350F =

Chisel #79040 is a solvent product that Loctite sells specifically for removing their thread locking adhesives. It's a somewhat hazardous material and I've never seen it offered for retail, consumer sales. Methylene chloride, the major active ingredient in Chisel #79040, is available for retail purchase at automotive supply, painting, and home center stores. It's a nasty solvent chemical, so be careful using it. Follow all the labeled cautions and directions. Wear eye protection that completely seals around your eyes; common glasses aren't good enough because the chemical and splash around the sides and this stuff can permanently blind you if it gets in your eyes; please take no chances on this (my website is not yet available in Braille). Wear gloves. And work outdoors or in some other well-ventilated area. Be especially careful with methylene chloride on any balisong that has exotic insert materials or that has painted or coated handles. Even blade coatings could be attacked by this stuff. Methylene chloride is a nasty, powerful solvent; please be very careful with it. "

"Andrew Mawson" fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@bt.com:

It should be mentioned that it doesn't just "go away" at that temperature. It starts to soften, then decompose. Remove the locked item as SOON as the material softens.

If you wait too long, the decomposition products become hard, and will "re-glue" the lock.

I use replacable tips on several pyrotechnic punches and presses. They wear fast, and machining new press pins is labor intensive. Tips take but a few minutes to make.

I LocTite them in place (med-strength blue). When time to replace, I chuck up the main pin, clamp a pair of locking pliers on the tip, then heat with a torch until it moves. I then turn the chuck to briskly unscrew the tip before the mass cools or the loctite decomposes completely. Clean the residues with methylene chloride, or a long soak in acetone followed by brushing.

LLoyd

For what it's worth, when I was doing gunsmith work, I used a soldering iron placed on the head of Loctited screws to heat them enough for the Loctite to break down. Worked every time for me without overheating the surrounding material. Takes a decent size iron, though, not one of the tiny pencils

I have a few friends in the "plexi-glas" forming business. Methylene Chloride is the "glue" of choice, as it is rapid solvent and really rapid evaporative. They apply it to/along a joint with a squeeze bottle having a needle tip, and it is "glued" almost instantly and cured within a minute tops. Most any neat specialty products where you can't see any heat or glue lines were probably done this way.

Anyway, I'm just writing to say that in my own limited experience, get the Methylene Chloride on the day you want to use it, and keep it closed until ready to use. I've "borrowed" some a number of times from the above mentioned friends. I can't recall how they store/stock the stuff in the bulk quantities they use, but even in a closed bottle they put my few ounces in its GONE by magic within a month, long before the day I've ever wanted to use it.

Brian Lawson, Bothwell, Ontario. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:27:47 +0800, "Robbo" wrote: SNIP

MORE SNIP

I've had good results using fingernail polish remover and time when it wasn't practical to use heat.

For some unknown, and possibly unknowable, reason the folks who assemble Quickie wheelchairs thread lock _everything_, even screws with nylon locking nuts on them. Worse, they'll put 1/4-28 steel socket head screws into blind holes countersunk in aluminum and thread lock those! These are almost always Allen head on seating, wheel lock, and footrest assemblies. We've ground or drilled the heads off more than a few dozen of those

The chairs' overall quality is about the best in the business, but they're hell to repair sometimes. What that method will do to an Allen wrench _and/or_ the bolt heads shouldn't happen to a rabid Satanist chipmunk with gonorrhea.

Our manufacturer rep tells the story of being sent out on a rush to demo their "growable" seating system. Just remove a few bolts and screws and slide it apart or together to change width and depth then bolt it back together.

Only problem was: the assemblers had thread locked all the screws and bolts and the rep couldn't get them loose to demonstrate how "easy" they would be to change.

Oops.

Good to know! I've heard about using heat, but not about the re-gluing. I can see the potential for a very frustrating situation!

Thanks for the heads-up, Bob

Brian Lawson fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I can't recall how they store/stock

Brian, there's a trick to keeping methylene or ethylene chloride. It does have a very high vapor pressure, and will even evaporated out of the bottle if kept in your freezer.

I've kept a gallon in my unconditioned barn for over five years, and have lost only about a quart to evaporation in that time. Here's the trick:

I bought a five gallon blue gas can (to visually distinguish it from my red gas and yellow diesel cans). Put the methylene chloride in, not more than half full. Gently fill the container to near the top with clean water.

Surprisingly, methylene chloride is quite a bit more dense than water, and almost totally immiscible with it. The methylene chloride stays on the bottom, and water "cap" exerts enough hydraulic pressure and enough passivation to the interface to almost totally prevent evaporation.

When I wish to dispense it, I merely invert the can so the air bleed cap is bottom-most, then give it a gentle shake to float any water beads out of the cap recess. Crack the cap, and the clean methylene chloride flows out (under pressure, no less) into my working vessel.

Your can will swell in warm weather. It will collapse in the cold if you don't replenish the used amounts with more water.

LLoyd

Hey Lloyd,

Good trick. I will never see any quantity of it in gallons, or even litres, but I'm sure the principle would apply for even very small 1 or 2 OZ amounts.

And speaking of "weight", we used Chlorothene Nu and Chlorothene EC for cleaning large elevator control panels in the old days. (Probably wouldn't be allowed today, and besides all the new ones are primarily on PC boards.) It always surprised me how heavy the containers were to pick up, much heavier than water or oil or varsol, whether in a 1 gallon jug or a 5 gallon pail. Just a surprise when grabbed without thinking.

Take care.

Brian Laws>Brian Lawson fired this volley in

This seems like my best bet. I should have mentioned that the gear I removed is plastic on an aluminum bushing. I was thinking of creating an after-market product that would require this gear to be removed, but now I think I need a different solution. I'm going to try the soldering iron approach on the 2nd motor, though - seems like it has a chance !

Thanks to *everyone* that replied to this ! JCDeen

Wow! *Lots* of good info from everyone. Thanks to *everyone* that replied to this ! JCDeen

Would that loosen up the Red Loctite stuff too? It used to be the permanent locker stuff and came with a Bushnell scope mount.

I foolishly used some on the screws by the hammer on a Super Blackhawk years ago. I've wondered off/on if there was a reasonable way to get them out again someday. I must say though, they haven't shook loose again :)