Which Loctite

I need to glue a brass plug into a gunmetal hole. I have Loctite's 603, 609 and 638 - which would be the best for this application ?

I would use 603, if it’s going to get hot, ie steam engine etc I would go for 638

Not an expert but, looking at the Henkel website, it appears 603 won't fill gaps larger than 0.15mm (638 covers 0.15 -0.25mm), 638 is stronger and resists slightly higher temps, but cures more quickly. 603 appears to be pretty much the same as 609.

I'd go with 638 unless I needed longer to assemble the parts.

Rob

Baz types quicker than me

Edited By Grindstone Cowboy on 26/02/2023 22:09:59

Grindstone cowboy, Baz didn’t have as much to type as you!

Good morning all.

I would use 638 because it's more of a retainer as opposed to a thread locker. Although such products look the same and smell the same, they have widely different properties. Clever buggers these chemistry types eh!

Cheers.

Stewart.

603 and 609 are retainers not thread lockers

So they are!

I'm well out of touch with Loctite products, as I haven't used them for years. I used to use 638 as a bearing retainer usually when the bearings in motorbike wheels were a touch floppy.

I switched to Loxeal products for such things. They're as good as Loctite, and a lot more pocket friendly.

Cheers.

Stewart.

Thanks folks, I'll go with the 638 and see what happens.

Way back I asked a Loctite rep at an exhibition what the difference between thread lockers and retainers was. He grinned and said "often it's pretty much just the data sheet"!

In such cases the stuff inside was effectively the same but trying to dual standard the data sheets would have been just too confusing.

But many are distinctly different, largely when it comes to gap filling and installation details.

I made my excuses and left before he really got going!

If you start reading data sheets for retainers, best practice for installation to get good results and what happens if best practice isn't followed it doesn't take long before your brain overload safety kicks in. For an awful lot of Loctite products there are quite a few ways of getting very similar ultimate strengths. But the installation conditions to get the best can vary widely.

Clive

Somewhere I have a lot of data sheets for Loctite products picked up at a trade show many years ago. However my go to is an old Arc Eurotrade catalogue giving cross reference lists. So much easier on the pocket for cost and seem to last well over the given shelf life.