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03-20-2016, 05:17 PM
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#1
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3 Rivet Member
2011 Interstate Coach
Evansville
, Indiana
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 239
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Loose screws and thread locker
NOT looking to start another airstream quality thread, just need some advice. Our 2011 had numerous screws working loose that I tightened today. Mostly the small black screws that fasten the cabinet liners, the white ones that secure the cabinet door hinges, and the big ones inside the overhead cab storage compartment. After tightening 25+ screws, it occurred to me that they will work lose again with normal vibration. Is there any reason why I couldn't use a low strength thread locker fluid to keep them in "permanently"? Thanks
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03-20-2016, 05:31 PM
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#2
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Rivet Master
2006 23' Safari SE
Biloxi
, Mississippi
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 8,278
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I do not use thread locker on interior fittings. Occasionally I make the rounds inside and out with a Phillips screwdriver in hand. Part of my preventative maintenance and mental health program. Can always find a couple of screws that need a twist.
__________________
MICHAEL
Do you know what a learning experience is? A learning experience is one of those things that says "You know that thing that you just did? Don't do that."
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03-20-2016, 05:46 PM
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#3
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"Cloudsplitter"
2003 25' Classic
Houstatlantavegas
, Malebolgia
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 20,000
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Welcome Aboard....
WOOD SCREWS???
I have used Elmers white glue and toothpicks to re-secure loose wood screws, Marine-Tex with T-pics to repair completely stripped WS's. I recently used Gorilla Glue and pic's to repair a stripped kitchen cabinet door....seems to work very well, POI....a little goes a long way.
I have not removed any repaired screw...
Bob
DIY Mag....
"Use Wood Toothpicks"
"Use wood toothpicks to repair a stripped screw hole is our preferred method when a longer screw doesn’t address the issue.
Using wood toothpicks, cut the toothpick to length for the given screw depth. (i) Add at least two toothpicks, with the tapered points facing out, if applicable. The taper allows the screw to have an easier starting point.
IMPORTANT: Fill the hole with wood glue. (i) This step is very crucial in bonding the wood pieces together. When re-inserting the screw you will be grinding the wood filler pieces into fragments. Without the glue as a bonding agent, you will just create loose sawdust and have nothing for the screw to attach itself to. Wood glue from: Titebond (original red label is fine), Elmers, or Gorilla, will all work fine.
Add the splinters of wood or toothpicks.
Re-insert the screw before the glue sets up. (i) Tighten the screw by hand to avoid over tightening. (ii) Note: The glue will not adhere to the metal screw; causing it to seal into the hole. You will be able to remove the screw once the glue is dry, and the wood has adhered.
Follow the glue manufacturers dry time instructions.
Once the glue has dried, you may adjust the screws torque if necessary. The screw should be able to be removed, and re-installed, without issue."
__________________
I’m done with ‘adulting’…Let’s go find Bigfoot.
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03-20-2016, 07:23 PM
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#4
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Rivet Master
2011 Interstate Coach
Overland Park
, Kansas
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,798
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BurntAsphalt
Is there any reason why I couldn't use a low strength thread locker fluid to keep them in "permanently"? Thanks
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Short answer - no. Toothpick and glue are good fixes for when the wood threads have stripped tho. Since you probably already have some glue, it would probably work as well as Loctite and be a lot cheaper.
IIRC, most thread-lockers are anaerobic and might not cure in wood anyway.
__________________
Glass half full or half empty to an engineer is the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
2011 Interstate SOLD! Upfitted 2017 Transit 350. SOLD!
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03-20-2016, 07:50 PM
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#5
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Rivet Master
2006 25' Safari FB SE
Currently Looking...
Durango
, Colorado
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,112
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An even better fix is golf tee's instead of toothpicks for larger screws. Be very careful using Gorilla glue as activists are starting to call for boycotts of hardware stores that carry the product. Do you even know how many gorilla's are killed every year to make tape and glue?
__________________
If you don't go first class, your heirs will!
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03-20-2016, 08:10 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
2024 Interstate 19
Fulton
, Maryland
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,872
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BurntAsphalt
NOT looking to start another airstream quality thread, just need some advice. Our 2011 had numerous screws working loose that I tightened today. Mostly the small black screws that fasten the cabinet liners, the white ones that secure the cabinet door hinges, and the big ones inside the overhead cab storage compartment. After tightening 25+ screws, it occurred to me that they will work lose again with normal vibration. Is there any reason why I couldn't use a low strength thread locker fluid to keep them in "permanently"? Thanks
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I don't think you want to use the thread locker on wood based cabinets, it probably wont work as 73shark pointed out.
I have had one upper cabinet door come off when I opened it and another came off due to a load shift as I made a sharp corner. I discovered most of the screws holding those cabinet door are too short. I think most of mine were 1/2" or 5/8" long. I changed them all to 3/4" length and applied Gorilla glue to keep them tight. That was two years ago and they have not come loose since.
I often use Gorilla glue, a polyurethane waterproof glue, to keep screws tight in wood. It seems to work well because the glue expands as it dries and makes the screws tight. It also helps to make the screw and wood a little wet with water as it speeds the cure of Gorilla glue. It also comes in two colors, light and dark.
Hope this helps,
- - Mike
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03-20-2016, 08:36 PM
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#7
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3 Rivet Member
2011 Interstate Coach
Evansville
, Indiana
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 239
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Thanks for all the excellent suggestions. The collective wisdom of Airforums never ceases to amaze me!
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03-20-2016, 10:20 PM
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#8
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Rivet Master
2007 22' International CCD
Corona
, California
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,180
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Denis4x4
An even better fix is golf tee's instead of toothpicks for larger screws. Be very careful using Gorilla glue as activists are starting to call for boycotts of hardware stores that carry the product. Do you even know how many gorilla's are killed every year to make tape and glue?
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And let's NOT talk about 'baby oil' in polite company either....😉
__________________
Rich, KE4GNK/AE, Overkill Engineering Dept.
'The Silver HamShack' ('07 International 22FB CCD 75th Anniversary)
Multiple Yaesu Ham Radios inside and many antennae sprouting from roof, ProPride hitch, Prodigy P2 controller.
2012 shortbed CrewMax 4x4 Toyota Tacoma TV with more antennae on it.
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03-21-2016, 12:43 PM
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#9
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New Member
Charleston
, South Carolina
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 4
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I was an engineer for Loctite back in the early 90's and worked a lot with anaerobic adhesives. They should not be used on any substrate other than metal or they will probably not work. They cure in the absence of air and the presence of metal. I would recommend the low strength thread locker for applications where you have fasteners working loose metal on metal It's easy to disassemble but won't allow vibration to rattle them apart. Wood glue and toothpicks are a good option for wood screws.
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03-21-2016, 01:59 PM
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#10
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Rivet Master
2015 25' Flying Cloud
2016 30' Flying Cloud
Blenheim Ontario
, Ontario
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 1,263
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robert cross
wood screws???
I have used elmers white glue and toothpicks to re-secure loose wood screws, marine-tex with t-pics to repair completely stripped ws's. I recently used gorilla glue and pic's to repair a stripped kitchen cabinet door....seems to work very well, poi....a little goes a long way.
I have not removed any repaired screw...
Bob
Diy mag....
"use wood toothpicks"
"use wood toothpicks to repair a stripped screw hole is our preferred method when a longer screw doesn’t address the issue.
Using wood toothpicks, cut the toothpick to length for the given screw depth. (i) add at least two toothpicks, with the tapered points facing out, if applicable. The taper allows the screw to have an easier starting point.
Important: Fill the hole with wood glue. (i) this step is very crucial in bonding the wood pieces together. When re-inserting the screw you will be grinding the wood filler pieces into fragments. Without the glue as a bonding agent, you will just create loose sawdust and have nothing for the screw to attach itself to. Wood glue from: Titebond (original red label is fine), elmers, or gorilla, will all work fine.
Add the splinters of wood or toothpicks.
Re-insert the screw before the glue sets up. (i) tighten the screw by hand to avoid over tightening. (ii) note: The glue will not adhere to the metal screw; causing it to seal into the hole. You will be able to remove the screw once the glue is dry, and the wood has adhered.
Follow the glue manufacturers dry time instructions.
Once the glue has dried, you may adjust the screws torque if necessary. The screw should be able to be removed, and re-installed, without issue."
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ditto!:d
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03-21-2016, 02:02 PM
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#11
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Rivet Master
2015 25' Flying Cloud
2016 30' Flying Cloud
Blenheim Ontario
, Ontario
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 1,263
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BurntAsphalt
NOT looking to start another airstream quality thread, just need some advice. Our 2011 had numerous screws working loose that I tightened today. Mostly the small black screws that fasten the cabinet liners, the white ones that secure the cabinet door hinges, and the big ones inside the overhead cab storage compartment. After tightening 25+ screws, it occurred to me that they will work lose again with normal vibration. Is there any reason why I couldn't use a low strength thread locker fluid to keep them in "permanently"? Thanks
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Always a good idea to ask for advice when not sure.
There are some good ideas in this thread.
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03-21-2016, 03:53 PM
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#12
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3 Rivet Member
1989 32' Excella
Sharon Springs
, New York
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 172
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Haven't found a loose screw on my old 1989 AS (except for the rotted floor part, not loose, just no OSB left to attach to, LOL). However, if you have continued issues with things loosening up, you might want to take a look at your suspension. If you had one or two loose screws that is one thing but twenty-five might be something more. Hope that is not the case but something to think about. I agree with the suggestions for a fix though. Good Luck
Regards,
JDB
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03-21-2016, 06:08 PM
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#13
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2 Rivet Member
2008 27' Classic FB
Coppell
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 32
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For metal thread applications where you don't want a tight bond, I use a product called Vibratite. It keeps all sizes of fasteners in place. It does not harden so works well for fasteners that are removed and replaced.
David
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03-21-2016, 11:26 PM
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#14
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3 Rivet Member
2016 30' Classic
Santa Rosa
, California
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 145
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmkrum
And let's NOT talk about 'baby oil' in polite company either....😉
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Not to mention "duck" tape....
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03-21-2016, 11:54 PM
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#15
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Rivet Master
2005 25' Safari
Salem
, Oregon
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,369
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Longer screws.
Hi, my bathroom door was coming loose. Airstream used 1/2" screws to hold the piano hinge onto a half inch piece of wood that was brad nailed to the bathroom wall. I used 1 1/4" Kreg screws that went though the piano hinge, though the 1/2" piece of wood, and close to 3/4" into the wall. In some places, I have found that Airstream uses screws that are too short and will eventually strip out. [Longer screws is the answer]
Also I had a bathroom corner wall that was coming loose. It was also held together with brads or air-nails. I used six screws and plastic screw caps/covers. My fixes have never come loose again.
__________________
Bob 2005 Safari 25-B
"Le Petit Chateau Argent" Small Silver Castle
2000 Navigator / 2014 F-150 Eco-Boost / Equal-i-zer / P-3
YAMAHA 2400 / AIR #12144
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03-22-2016, 09:39 AM
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#16
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4 Rivet Member
2006 19' Safari
Anaheim
, California
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 267
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I replaced all of the "repeat offenders" with brass inserts, problems solved. Check them out here: www.ezlok.com
Can be purchased at Rockler.
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