I had to disassemble a 442 Airweight and upon doing so I noticed that one of the three screws that secures that frame had Loc-Tite on it (two others had none). I believe this screw, the larger of the three, is for the Yoke. In any event some of this Loc-Tite came off when removing the screw. Prior to reassembly should I put more LockTite on there or just keep a handful of these screws on-hand? Thank you.

I would certainly replace the lock-tite. However, make certain you use BLUE loc-tite (it is relatively easy to remove the screw but WILL hold it). Be very careful - I put one drop on the screw threads, then wick the excess away with the edge of a torn paper towel. You only need the threads wet with loc-tite - you DO NOT want a glob of loc-tite around the scew head. Do NOT get loc-tite on the screw head - it may make it nearly impossible to remove the screw.

If you don't want to take those precautions, use lacquer instead (clear nail polish). It holds well but will NOT permanently lock the screw in. You MUST be careful with these small screws...

FWIW
Dale53

Dale, many thanks. You said to use blue loc-tite yet the screw I removed has red loctite which is interesting considering that (from the Web) "Loctite® Red Threadlocker is the highest strength. This product cures fully in 24 hours and is available in both a liquid and as a semisolid anaerobic. The red products are so powerful that they require heat to be disassembled.". Heat to disassemble? There's red loctite on it now and I was able to remove it with a screwdriver. That said, there was a noticeable 'crack' sound when loosening it.

The best Loctite for you to use is purple #222. It's designed to hold, not lock, screws of 1/4" or less. The problem is that it's not stocked at my Lowes or Home Depot so you may have to order it online. The Good news is that a few ml will last forever. Red #271 is for locking large screws and you risk buggering the the small S&W screw up trying to remove it.

No offense but are you sure it is thread lock? Is this a new or used gun? I have a colt saa that I bought used that upon teardown would have sworn that it was covered in red loctite, it was red fingernail polish

I don't use any loctite on any of my guns and never needed to.
It's just part of my maintenance to check the screws.
After a trip to the range, I clean my guns and check the screws.
After getting home, I wipe down my carry snubby and check the screws.
The only time I had any loose screws was when I intentionally loosened them for some reason.

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Keep on Chooglin'

The weapon is new. I've noticed in looking at photographs at various websites of the screw in question that they all have it...and now that I think of it that makes zero sense. They wouldn't ship it with this on it. See attached, from Brownells if I recall. That is not *the* screw, btw, as the one I'm talking about has a tapered end. Still trying to locate a schematic of the 442 but so far no luck. General schematics, yes, but can't find one of that specific model. (In watching a video last night of the disassembly of a 442 he made it clear to not lose the lanyard, which sits in the grip. I never saw one and I was very careful taking the grips off lest the lanyard fall onto the floor. Not there.

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Just because it is red and on threads doesn't mean it is "red Loc-tite". Loc-tite is a brand name. So the color designations only apply to real Loc-tite.

Also for what it is worth, the 442 doesn't have a lanyard pin, or the groove to utilize it. Ed

Yeah it seems that all the new j frames I have taken apart have it on the yoke screw. I don't reapply any myself. Just my personal preference. Plenty of rounds through my 642 and it's still exactly where I left it. I take cleaning time after shooting it as a time to look over all the screws and such too.

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Jim

Thanks Ed! Appreciate the information.

Thanks Jim. I had read that the loctite should be used lest that screw come loose. You've had no problems though so I'll put a good amount of rounds through it as well.

Thanks! Appreciate the input, it's a big help.

Red Loctite is considered permanent and as such is a poor choice for the yoke screw. Many people routinely loosen this screw during cleaning. I would suggest no Loctite at all but if you are convinced you need it, then use the Blue Loctite.

If you do choose to use Loctite then you must clean all the Loctite off the screw before reapplying it. Acetone is the most effective thing to use to remove the old Loctite but beware that it is highly flammable (no smoking) and it will rot your brain (use outdoors.)

When using Loctite in an application like this, I prefer to use a toothpick to apply a drop to the female threads (just a drop will do.) I believe it contains the Loctite better than applying it to the male threads. Less chance of getting Loctite somewhere where you don't want it.

One more thing:
I suggest asking this question in the gunsmithing forum on here. There are some very knowledgeable people on there who would know what that stuff you found is. I have my doubts it is red Loctite.

Many thanks, I'll do that as well.

^^^^^^^ This. Blue sometimes takes a little/or a lot of heat to break loose, while red sometimes has to be drilled.

Purple will not come loose and will always break loose with just a little effort. Use with confidence on heavy recoiling firearms, scope mounts & rings etc.

Thanks. I just got off the phone with S&W and they're using a material on the threads called Nylock and not Loctite as I thought. Perhaps six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Nylock generally refers to a hard plastic compound that is applied by the fastener manufacturer and is visible on assembly. It is often blue in color. True Loctite products need to be applied after a thorough cleaning as noted above. Red, blue and purple all have specific applications. They only work on clean surfaces in the gap between the threads. Thus, the anaerobic designation. Use red with caution as it requires heat to remove if applied correctly.

Agreed, but he was quite adamant that it was Nylock. Thanks for your time and input, appreciated.

Use the removable screw loctite for small screws. There is a removable loctite too. It will hold yet come loose when you turn the screw.
Test the removable loctite? Post the results. If you do some research nylon is maybe a thread binder. I takes up the gap between the threads.

DO NOT USE THE FOREVER LOCTITE

DO NOT USE THE CYLINDERICAL LOCTITE

Please use the correct thread locker. Don't get the red hydraulic loctite mixed up with the red thread locker.

I notice on the m14 site there using a thread locker to hold the oprod guide block. I used the cylindrical 620 loctite on mine. Then I resized the pin that secures the block too. The block never moved while installing the new towel pin. The loctite people came to our engineering group and educated us about there products. Don't forget to prep the area to be loctite too make sure it's clean from all oils.

I knew loctite was good but my m14 loose op-rod guide block really surprised me they way it held up with no dowel pin in it. I gave it a good shot and it never broke free.

The loctite 620 for cylindrical mating parts allows up to .015" gap between the parts. I tested it on a piece of drive equipment that had a poorly fitting tapered shaft. I filed, sanded and lapped in the contact mating surface then I applied the cleaner and the 620 loctite. There was a 4,000lb weight on this tapered coupling as it was a simulator on a dynamometer. Here 20 years later she i still tight. It has a 1 1/8" key too. I increased the contact area on the tapered surface to about 97% by fitting it. It had craters and dings in the shafts surface when I started. Where talking a 8" diameter shaft. Some dc electric motors I worked on had the power of 27 427 Chevy engines and the weight was 30k to 50k.

I trust loctite when it's applied and used correctly.

If you can't find the loctite your looking for try, www.mcmaster.com

There are a couple of Loctite products formulated specifically for guns use. 222ms - low strength purple, and #163 are formulated to be easily removed from guns. I have used both, and they have never loosened even after a 400 rd count day of tactical training or competition, or a weekend in the desert. In a pinch, clear nail polish works well.

Rick

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NRA & CRPA Life Member

The red substance on your screw is some sort of thread locker that S&W uses but it's not Locktite. IMHO NO Locktite (or locker) should be used on a S&W Revolver. In the 35+ years I've been shooting and working on them I've NEVER had a properly tightened Yoke screw loosen up unintentionally.

The Yoke screw comes out every time one of my Smiths gets cleaned so the cylinder can come out. i find it much easier to clean it when it is out of the revolver. It does NOT need "Gorilla tightening" or Locktite and has NEVER come loose. IMHO thread lockers can cause more harm than good on revolvers. Some here might not agree, it's just my opinion and experience for 35+ years.

I use blue loctite on ejector rods to prevent them unscrewing and tying up the revolver. But not on sideplate screws...

Red loctite is a bear to break loose. I found out the hard way many years ago. Blue is good if you want it to hold but expect to have to remove it in the future. I like the green (wicking) stuff for torquing/adjusting screws and you want them to keep that setting.

The purple sounds interesting. Might have to try it.

SOME red loctite can be released by heating to 200*f. Using a hair dryer or torch if the finish does not matter.

There is more than one red loctite. Blue (242) is made to keep things from vibrating apart. Red is for permanent. I would not use it on a gun unless its a sight screw that keeps coming loose.

David

I agree, thanks for the input!

Thanks to everyone here for your great input, very much appreciated.

Lyman