Hi Crew,
Ive got an older board i love to ride. But footstrap screw inserts are worn n screws constantly loosen every few sessions. Is it advisable to use LOCTITE to prevent them from loosening?
Cheers Darkman.
Hello, Olskool,
Loctite will not work on the plastic/nylon inserts. Suggest you go to a specialist bolt bar and get the same length screws as current, but the next width up in size.
Also, these screws need to be especially suitable for use in plastics (sorry, I've forgotten their technical name but someone else might know it and advise) . Do not use self-tappers.
Hope this helps.
i use an RTV adhesive on plastic inserts similar to this ;
www.permatex.com/products/adhesives-sealants/sealants/permatex-clear-rtv-silicone-adhesive-sealant/
Back again,
The following might help: "Screws for plastics have a thread that is designed to be used in soft materials. It generally has a 30 degree flank angle thread that slices through plastic materials without inducing high stress levels and offers high pull out performance".
From memory, I think they are called "PT" screws and they need to be of stainless steel material.
Just use cyanoacrylate or super glue with a drop placed on the screw just before tightening up. Old trick from my RC helicopter days and nothing came loose. If its a real sloppy screw fit then try new screws which will stop you having that perfect session cut short which you know will happen.
Hardcarve1, so if i use superglue. Can it be undone if necessary?
Yup, the glue just forms a plastic film that flakes off when you undo the screw. You will feel the screw crack the bond when undoing them.
I actually use Cyano on any metal to plastic thread use out of habit. Don't worry it wont bond so tight that you cannot undo them.
^+1 I often put dental floss or plumbing tape to help tighten screws
although i have not tried this with footstrap screws
asked local shop what to do with loosening footstraps
he said tighten the crap out of it
that has worked for me so far ...
(yeah - i know - now i just have to get in em and stay there)
Stick a bit of whipper snipper line in each hole and use same screws.
Sweet! , Mark youre always coming up with cutting edge tweaks. Whats your day job? Hehe...![]()
Bigger screws first. If thread is messed up then I've used a plastic wall anchor. I epoxied it inside after roughening up/slicing cuts in it for the epoxy to bind. Then, I use a washer under the strap so that it prevents the anchor from coming out when tightening.
The anchor needs to be a tight fit, I hammered (gently) it in the insert. Anyway, worked well but I don't need to unscrew strap often unless I need to replace torn straps.
Go slow when tightening or unscrewing as heat will soften the anchor.