Thumb Piece nut problem.

[Milton]

I shoot my model 67 quiet a bit and about every 300 to 400 rounds the thumb piece nut comes loose.Anyone have any tricks to keeping this thing tight? I thought about Loctite but it is not an easy application without getting into moving parts.

 

[Protocall_Design]

Make sure the male threads aren't stripped. If they are, you need a new part.

Use blue. Screw the nut on one thread. Drip a drop through the slot in the nut. Screw down. Clean off excess. The point of screwing the parts together keeps the loctite in the nut. Any excess comes out the slot. This method works for me. YMMV.

 

[Milton]

I'll give it a try ,my old hands are not as steady as they once were!

 

[armorer951]

Nooooo. Please don't do this......this is a very bad idea. Dropping "a few drops" of Loctite or any other threadlocker "through the slot in the nut" will lock the gun up like Ft. Knox. In fact, you may never get it open.

If the thumbpiece nut is routinely coming off, here's the solution......remove the nut and thumbpiece, completely degrease the threads on the bolt stem, and the threads inside the nut. Re-assemble and fully tighten with the correct size screwdriver.

If the nut comes loose again, repeat the above, and before re-assembly, use a toothpick to place a small amount of blue threadlocker on the threads that are inside the nut. A small amount (less than a drop) will do. Reassemble the parts and place the gun thumbpiece side down overnight. This will assure that none of the threadlocker wicks down inside the frame and gets on the bolt or internals. Be sure not to get threadlocker on the exterior of the nut, or on the thumbpiece......only on the threads inside the nut itself.

 

[Ribwizzard]

Look inside the nut and make sure there is no **** caked up in there. Old lock tire or lint caked up inside the nut could be keeping it from tightening properly.
Fyi, they make thread lock in paste form for when you cant let it drip

 

[Milton]

Thank you,nothing caked up.I have already had the revolver apart several times in the past and degreased the stud on the bolt and the screw but I still am having problems.I will probably try to find a new bolt and screw and just replace them.

 

[lefty_jake]

In cases where thead locker is required, there are other options besides loctite.

There is a thread locker called Vibra-tite VC-3, which is applied very differently than loctite. With VC-3, you apply it to the part, and then let it dry before attaching the parts. After it dries, it leaves a slightly rubbery material on the threads. Then when when you re-attach the parts, you feel some resistance, and the parts are resistant to vibrating apart. VC-3 is also designed to allow moving and re-adjusting the parts a few times without losing its properties.

So VC-3 is very different from loc-tite, since loc-tite only hardens in an-aerobic environments, and remains liquid if it is not in a tight space like screw threads.

I should say that I am not giving a complete endorsement of VC-3. I have found that with some threads, it does not get much bite, and in other cases, it can almost hold too tight. I have not determined exactly what causes these behaviors, so I use it cautiously. Nonetheless, I find it to be a useful addition to my toolkit. VC-3 is my first choice when some of the following criterion apply: the product must not migrate, the parts may need to be adjusted, a moderate (not high) strength bond is acceptable.

I first became aware of VC-3 in an article by Grant Cunningham. Here is a link to an article where he mentions it.

Revolver malfunctions, Part Two: maintenance-induced failures. - www.GrantCunningham.com www.GrantCunningham.com

I should also mention, whenever I get a new type of thread locker, I try it out on a few spare nuts and bolts. Then I try to break the bond after the product has cured. This method has served me well, and I personally would never use a product on parts I cared about without testing it on junk parts first.

 

[ContinentalOp]

I agree with those who say to make sure the threads are clean and degreased.

If the nut comes loose again, repeat the above, and before re-assembly, use a toothpick to place a small amount of blue threadlocker on the threads that are inside the nut. A small amount (less than a drop) will do. Reassemble the parts and place the gun thumbpiece side down overnight. This will assure that none of the threadlocker wicks down inside the frame and gets on the bolt or internals. Be sure not to get threadlocker on the exterior of the nut, or on the thumbpiece......only on the threads inside the nut itself.

This is the exact method I used when I ran into this problem. It worked and there were no functional issues.

 

[BMCM]

Assuming degreasing and properly tightening does not relieve the problem and also assuming the threads have not been deformed from overtighteneing.....

A tiny and I do mean TINY drop of Loctite 222 or 222MS. A drop the size that would fit in this circle "o" and no more. Loctite 222/222MS is low strength for small non-stressed fasteners. Apply the adhesive drop up inside the nut and not on the threaded bolt shank, this way any excess that squeezes out will not squirt inside the guns lockwork.

Cheers
Bill

 

[stang1911]

Make sure the male threads aren't stripped. If they are, you need a new part.

Use blue. Screw the nut on one thread. Drip a drop through the slot in the nut. Screw down. Clean off excess. The point of screwing the parts together keeps the loctite in the nut. Any excess comes out the slot. This method works for me. YMMV.

All nuts are not slotted deep enough as to reach the threads.