Loctite or Draper? Much difference?

I would like some Loctite 542 but over here a small 50ml bottle is around £40. I can get Draper from the UK much cheaper, will there be much difference?

In our world probably no practical difference.

At the higher end where specification details matter Loctite probably has the edge.

Have you checked Amazon prices. Draper and Loctite appear pretty similar in the UK.

On a side note I opened one of the inexpensive LiDL "Pattex" own brand (?) bottles of cyanoacrylate adhesive because the delivery tube appeared to have become blocked and found a tube of a good specification Loctite adhesive inside. The "bottle" turned out to be a well thought out tube holder with an effective squeezer mechanism.

My delivery tube wasn't blocked. The tube was completely empty.

Clive

542 is a high spec. hydraulic / pneumatic pipe sealant, if you just need a 'general purpose' thread lock and sealant for machinery assembly, use 243 which is (much) cheaper.

If you need it for HP pipework in an extreme environment then you can check the suitability of equivalents from the manufacturer's datasheet.

If you do just need it for general assembly, then as Clive says, any similar medium strength ('blue' ) lock'n'seal type products ought to do the job.

Edited By DiogenesII on 11/04/2021 18:28:39

ArcEurotrade list equivalents in small bottles.

There are sellers on fleabay who will ship 50ml of loctite 542 to italy for £25. I would have thought there would be local sellers who could match/beat that price.

If you are planning to use it to try to remove the bearing I think it is not the correct grade. For that i suggest 638

Les.

No, remember I live in Italy. Many suppliers still have a min. charge and most don't have websites. Easier to buy from UK or Germany, even Japan.

It's for pneumatic connections. I could go back to tape but 542 so much easier.

Edited By pgrbff on 11/04/2021 21:29:36

Since Jan 1st buying anything from the UK, except maybe Amazon, who no longer ship a vast number of products to the EU, has been a nightmare. Parts ordered from Ebay and major online suppliers can easily take 6-12 weeks.

Just to remember, if someone doesn't know: Pattex is a brand from Henkel, and Loctite is (today) also a brand from Henkel

Regards,
Hans

That.

When we did the nose wheel modification on a Cessna Caravan, £20 on a new bottle of the specified Loctite was a trivial part of a £5000 job on a £1.5 million aeroplane. It also meant the paper trail was correct.

When I made an fitted a new headstock bolt for this clapper

fitted to a 250kg bell, the gudgeon pin and bolt got a smear of the generic £3/bottle medium-strength stuff that I've had for years.

Surely the local car parts stores in Italy carry threadlockers and sealants etc in various brands same as anywhere else? Or are you in lockdown?

It is a very different world. To some extent it is because I am in a fairly remote area, I do a 70km round trip to go to the supermarket, but mostly it is just different.

I needed a backplate recently for a Mitutoyo gauge. I found it online, which is rare enough here, and the price was less than £1. When I called them I needed both a VAT number and minimum order value of 50 euro. I found a pulley I needed for my bandsaw online, on the manufacturer's website, I asked them where I could order it and whilst they did answer, they couldn't tell me who to go to. I could go on.

I'm fairly fluent in Italian but there is much less of a culture of DIYers. If you want silver steel you won't find anyone who'll sell you a short piece, you need to buy a length. Same with copper pipe for plumbing, 6m is minimum length.

It's easier, quicker and cheaper to order from abroad. Unfortunately, Brexit has now ruled out the UK as shipping is taking months and you get charged a minimum of 18 euro or 2% in charges on top of VAT and duty.

I found the Draper 542 on Amazon and they are still shipping non-food items to Italy at reasonable cost.

People in Italy are far less likely to do things for themselves.

For a driving licence or car tax there is an agent in virtually every town who will apply for you. When I bought my first car here the dealer used an agent for the paperwork. The agent wouldn't sign off because I hadn't registered for residence in Italy, but was registered as an Italian living abroad, which is enough to own a car registered in Italy. Although the vehicle tax office was only 4km from the dealer, I had to drive 140km to check it out. Having paid for the car in full they still wouldn't give it to me.

Same for property tax, even if you have no income or retired you need an accountant or "union" to work out what you owe in taxes.

The rules are so complicated and changing constantly. Ask 5 Italians the same question and you will get 5 different answers.

Thanks Hans. I certainly didn't know that.

What got me was that the Pattex version in its nice little squeezer "bottle" was about half the price of the same tube of Loctite from the usual sources.

Crazy world.

Clive

While we are on the subject, it's worth noting there is a LOT of fake loctite around at the minute. I'd be wary of buying from ebay or amazon!

With that in mind what other brands do people prefer?

Your intriguing revelation reminds me of the supposed practice in the old fashioned grocery trade of offering Ordinary and Best Paraffin both supplied by pipe from the same tank in the roof.

EGA Business is business, my boy ! What they dont know wont bother them.

I agree. There do seem to be too many variations on eBay and Amazon. One reason I thought the Draper might be safer.

Oddly enough, the last threadlock I bought was "Loxeal" brand. Made in Italy. Might be worth a look.