texan79
Well-Known Member
I have used the blue locktite on my bases for years. (base to action only). I wanted to get opinions on this practice. Whats yours?
Do you Loktite your bases?
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geargrinder
Well-Known Member
Yes, also with blue.
outofayr
Well-Known Member
+1 on the blue LocTite. Although I did run out one time and resorted to using some of my wife's red nailpolish....
Brian
Brian
shortgrass
Well-Known Member
Clean and dry, both the threaded hole and the screw. Cleaned with denatured alcohol or GunScrubber (or some other fast evaporating de-oiling cleaner). Torqued with a 'torque screwdriver' (Wera Tool Co.). Torque 6-48 tpi (std, base screws to 18 inch pounds, ring screws (8-40 tpi.) to 29 inch pounds.
jmden
Well-Known Member
In 'Accurizing the Factory Rifle' by M.L. McPherson, he reccomends and illustrates the use of Loctite 609 (a 'Retaining Compound') for this. It's not a thread locker compound.
There's many different Loctite products beyond the well known 'thread lockers', so you have to be careful when using the term 'Loctite'. I've used 609 a couple of times, it helps fill in voids and does some 'retaining', but it's almost like a cheap, easy bedding job for your bases. But now I don't use anything and haven't noticed any ill effects and it'll make life a lot easier when I need to remove the rail.
Problem with all this stuff is when you go to remove it...I think I found that rubbing the stuff with Gun Scrubber was about the best 'solvent' I could find even after calling Loctite directly and asking what they reccomended for this.
They, of course, reccomended another Loctite product, a gasket remover in an aerosol can, I believe that cost a whopping $20 and didn't do squat. Usually between acetone, paint thinner, lacquer thinner, toluene, gun scrubber, etc. you can find something that will work on this kind of thing.
First use 400 paper then steel 000 steel wool and acetone and rough the contact area of the receiver and then do the same to the contact area of the base.
Use a cotton ball with acetone to clean any residual off of the receiver contact area and the base or bases. Set aside the base and be careful not to touch the clean areas. Use a little paste wax on the tip of a toothpick to apply into the threaded areas on the receiver. Apply a very thin layer to the screw threads and to the bottom half of the screw head. Set screws on a clean shop towel -- you get the idea.
Now use JB Weld (regular not the quick set as it for what ever reason does not work as well) because it can be heated and removed easier should you want to remove this later on. Mix it and use just a little die if you have it to more closely match the color of the bases and receiver. After mixing on your little piece of cardboard or index card set aside for a few minutes.
Get your propane torch and heat the contact area of the receiver and the contact area of the bases just enough to bring out any moisture that may be present on the surface. When the bases and receiver have cooled back to less than 100 degrees (this will not take long because you did not heat them up that much) using the toothpick that you used to mix the JB put a small amount on the receiver mating surface and on the base mating surface. Don't worry about it oozing now carefully place the bases lining up the screw holes as closely as possible and gingerly set the base on the receiver---immediately place the screws in the holes and get all of them started a few turns.
Now that the screws are started give a turn to one and move to the next screw. Repeat process until they are all snug then tighten each one to its final tension. This is important-----DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN. We do not want all of the epoxy to be completely squeezed out.
Now leave the rifle in the vise and let sit for 5 minutes or so (I use rubber inserts so that the barrel can be clamped in) and get your capful of WD 40, cotton balls and Q-tips. First use dry q tips to remove most of the excess then take a cotton ball and dip a small portion in the WD 40 and very gingerly wipe down the areas you just removed the excess JB. You will notice that it comes of very easy but make sure not to press to hard on the edges where the base and receiver meet we don't want to disturb that line.
Use the q tip or the tip of a toothpick with WD 40 on it to clean out any of the epoxy that migrated through the top of the screw holes an also into the openings of any of the screws.
Now look at the underside of the bases where any excess JB could have migrated into the opening of the receiver or just on top of the receiver for example. Note where a one piece base is used it likes to hide underneath. For this area use the q tip with some WD 40 applied to remove.
Now go off and have lunch about an hour and use the q tips soaked with WD 40 to smooth (gently) the lines where the base and receiver meet. If you have done everything correctly it should look like one piece of metal!!!
In 24 hours or 6 using a light to position over the bases to heat them you are ready to mount your scope.
A final note here make sure to pre fit everything because it will really suck if you find out a base screw is too long and the rifle will not operate!!! Also make sure the base is level on the action---placing a base or a scope in a bind is bad juju for accuracy.
If you ever bought a rifle from Speedy Gonzalez and had him glue on the base this is the way it was done.
__________________
NRA Life Member And "Low Fencer
Use a cotton ball with acetone to clean any residual off of the receiver contact area and the base or bases. Set aside the base and be careful not to touch the clean areas. Use a little paste wax on the tip of a toothpick to apply into the threaded areas on the receiver. Apply a very thin layer to the screw threads and to the bottom half of the screw head. Set screws on a clean shop towel -- you get the idea.
Now use JB Weld (regular not the quick set as it for what ever reason does not work as well) because it can be heated and removed easier should you want to remove this later on. Mix it and use just a little die if you have it to more closely match the color of the bases and receiver. After mixing on your little piece of cardboard or index card set aside for a few minutes.
Get your propane torch and heat the contact area of the receiver and the contact area of the bases just enough to bring out any moisture that may be present on the surface. When the bases and receiver have cooled back to less than 100 degrees (this will not take long because you did not heat them up that much) using the toothpick that you used to mix the JB put a small amount on the receiver mating surface and on the base mating surface. Don't worry about it oozing now carefully place the bases lining up the screw holes as closely as possible and gingerly set the base on the receiver---immediately place the screws in the holes and get all of them started a few turns.
Now that the screws are started give a turn to one and move to the next screw. Repeat process until they are all snug then tighten each one to its final tension. This is important-----DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN. We do not want all of the epoxy to be completely squeezed out.
Now leave the rifle in the vise and let sit for 5 minutes or so (I use rubber inserts so that the barrel can be clamped in) and get your capful of WD 40, cotton balls and Q-tips. First use dry q tips to remove most of the excess then take a cotton ball and dip a small portion in the WD 40 and very gingerly wipe down the areas you just removed the excess JB. You will notice that it comes of very easy but make sure not to press to hard on the edges where the base and receiver meet we don't want to disturb that line.
Use the q tip or the tip of a toothpick with WD 40 on it to clean out any of the epoxy that migrated through the top of the screw holes an also into the openings of any of the screws.
Now look at the underside of the bases where any excess JB could have migrated into the opening of the receiver or just on top of the receiver for example. Note where a one piece base is used it likes to hide underneath. For this area use the q tip with some WD 40 applied to remove.
Now go off and have lunch about an hour and use the q tips soaked with WD 40 to smooth (gently) the lines where the base and receiver meet. If you have done everything correctly it should look like one piece of metal!!!
In 24 hours or 6 using a light to position over the bases to heat them you are ready to mount your scope.
A final note here make sure to pre fit everything because it will really suck if you find out a base screw is too long and the rifle will not operate!!! Also make sure the base is level on the action---placing a base or a scope in a bind is bad juju for accuracy.
If you ever bought a rifle from Speedy Gonzalez and had him glue on the base this is the way it was done.
__________________
NRA Life Member And "Low Fencer
jmden
Well-Known Member
Boss,
What happens to the paste was in the receiver threads? Is this a concern in that you're not using a threadlocker compound of some type here?
So, the JB comes off with some heat? What kind of heat?
What do you think about using a single layer of approx 400 grit paper, grit up, wrapped tightly around the receiver and gently moving the rail back and forth over the reciever (forwards and backwards) until about 1/2 the mating surface on the rail is a little scuffed up to give it a more custom fit before installation due to possible (likely) machining errors on the mating surfaces of receiver and rail? That's another thing M.L. mentioned that I've done a couple of times.
Interesting procedure. Might try it some time if I can get my head around the above answers to my questions. Or, buy a BAT action with the rail machined into that action already!
specweldtom
Well-Known Member
I don't use loctite on the base screws. Clean and tight has worked for me. However, I have had an infrequent case of action screws working loose. I used to race go-carts and we used red spray paint on bolts and screws that tended to vibrate loose. Worked then and has worked on the action screws. Spray it on the threaded part of the screw, give it a minute, screw it in and leave it overnite. On little screws, spray a little paint into the cap, dip a toothpick in it and touch the threads. Some will flow over onto them. Seems to stop screws from vibrating loose and still can be unscrewed without any trauma. I don't always have the right loctite, but I always have some red spray paint.
Tom
Tom
Boss,
What happens to the paste was in the receiver threads? Is this a concern in that you're not using a threadlocker compound of some type here?
So, the JB comes off with some heat? What kind of heat?
What do you think about using a single layer of approx 400 grit paper, grit up, wrapped tightly around the receiver and gently moving the rail back and forth over the reciever (forwards and backwards) until about 1/2 the mating surface on the rail is a little scuffed up to give it a more custom fit before installation due to possible (likely) machining errors on the mating surfaces of receiver and rail? That's another thing M.L. mentioned that I've done a couple of times.
Interesting procedure. Might try it some time if I can get my head around the above answers to my questions. Or, buy a BAT action with the rail machined into that action already!
The paste wax in the threads are of no concern because the screws are now only doing a fractional part of work they previously did. DO not over tighten them..
If you have to remove the bases I use a torch or you can use a iron just takes a long time but apply heat to the base just enough to make the adhesive let go---then heat the tip of a screwdriver to gently remove the material on the reciever and bases that remains. In fact my BAT repeaters have the one piece bases put on this way.
You do not want the surface completely smooth-----bad idea because there is less surface area for the adhesive to adhere to--think about it.
jmden
Well-Known Member
Got it, and thank you, but not sure what you mean by above. I wasn't advocating smoothing anything.
