Thread Locker: Blue V. Red

[97ranger4x4]

Just curious but sometimes I notice people talk about using a specific color thread locker. Is one made for certain conditions over the other. Also if you dont mind, what are general uses you use each one for?

Because Ill be honest, I really dont know what types of general things I should be using thread locker for. Inless it says so in the directions.

Thanks,
Keith

 

[blue83ranger]

all i know is the red is stronger. and i think you have to heat the parts up to get it loose again. and blue you can break loose with hand tools.

 

[mjonesjr]

Red is stronger, but it doesn't require heat to break. A good air tool will break red thread locker.

 

[97ranger4x4]

okay thats good to know.

 

[milje]

Why does red threadlocker come in a blue bottle and blue threadlocker comes in a red bottle? That one has almost bit me in the ass a few times.

 

[mjonesjr]

Why does red threadlocker come in a blue bottle and blue threadlocker comes in a red bottle? That one has almost bit me in the ass a few times.

I have never seen it that way. Around here it is red in red and blue in blue.

 

[milje]

I have never seen it that way. Around here it is red in red and blue in blue.

Almost any red stuff I've seen is in a blue bottle. Looking for pictures of blue in a red bottle and there aren't many, I could have sworn I had one though. I know I have red in a blue bottle though.

 

[redneckracerx]

I have seen blue in a red bottle or blue bottle. But always red in a blue bottle. Go figure

Blue is for stuff you don't want to come loose but want to take apart later fairly easily (hand tools)

Red is for Stuff you are not likely to take apart but can if need be (air tools)

Green is the nasty stuff for parts you never want to take apart (heat+airtools)

 

[MAKG]

You can take the red stuff out with hand tools. It's just harder.

There is also green stuff, which is useful for simulating certain kinds of leaks. It supposedly locks threads, and I guess it might keep a stray rodent from backing your bolts out.

Red isn't so much for stuff you aren't likely to take out. It's for stuff you REALLY don't want to back out (like flywheel bolts or pinion nuts), and has big enough bolts on it that they can tolerate the extra stress on removal.

FYI, bolts should always have SOMEthing on them. Maybe threadlocker, maybe sealant (some bolts go into things like water jackets), or perhaps oil (most internal engine bolts) or Nev-R-Seez.

 

[Captain Ledd]

Why does red threadlocker come in a blue bottle and blue threadlocker comes in a red bottle? That one has almost bit me in the ass a few times.

I HATE THAT! I have a number of bolts that now have red thread locker on them that I never intended...

I even had 2 different brands of thread lock and both of them are backwards...

*edit: I've always heard Green was the weakest..

 

[blackbronc]

All of mine are in red bottles regardless of green, blue or red strengths. May be cause mine are all industrial supplied though. They have the green in several applications, hydraulic fitting sealer, bearing installation and small screw/bolt/assembled fasteners formulations. It may be the same stuff with different product numbers.

 

[projectnitemare]

Industial thread lockers usually area all in the same type bottle with different part numbers. The coloring is different to help distinguish the application to prevent goof ups. The there are many degrees of chemical thread locking stregnth from low to perminant. Usually you want to pick the correct one for bolt diameter like not using high stregnth on a 3/32 bolt; you are guranteed to take the head of when you try to remove it. Blue is medium stregnth, red high stregnth and there are many degrees to each of them. Green is usually a retaining compound but I have seen some thread locking compound that was green as well.

Matt

 

[swamprat]

I used green in the die shop. We had to use heat to break it loose. Sometimes a newb will grab the wrong bottle and put green on the wrong application.

Be careful about putting Loctight on screws in aluminum. I have pulled threads out of the hole using red and blue.

 

[srteach]

If the thread lock is gold, it's as permanent as it gets. Gold also will lock an already assembled bolt & nut. I've seen a 1 inch bolt gold locked that had to be torched off.

 

[AllanD]

Refering to Loctite by color would get you into Deep trouble in my shop.

As I have two kinds of red three different kinds of "blue", three different
kinds of Green and one that is actually purple.

And the three kinds of green are for completely different applications.

There's the RC680 which is intended for gluing bearing races into place.

Another kind usually sold as "Wick 'N Lock" is a super fluid type that will
actually wick into assembled fasteners. (this was green years ago but
nothing prevents them from changing the color, it's only a dye)

the funny thing is that it was actually originally developed as a porosity
sealant for aluminum castings in the aircraft industry.

I actually had access to enough of it at one place I worked
that I was able to "vacuum soak" a pair of virgin aluminum
cylinder head castings for several days (including several helium
flush cycles) then have them submerged in a tank of Loctite porosity
sealant when the vacuum was collapased... I still have those heads.

When I say "blue" I'm usually refering to 240 or 242
"red" generally refers to 262 or 271
"Green" usually RC680, though I have a big bottle of RC609 too.

the "purple" is (I forget the number) is specifically for small fasteners
And when I say "small" I mean REALLY small, 4-40, 2-56 or 0-80 screws

In a lot of applications I avoid using locking compounds by installing
prevailing torque threads, usually by installing helicoils with their "Locking coils"

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