laptop screws: threadlocker/loctite applicator?

16k_zx81

16k_zx81

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Anyone got a good trick for applying loctite or threadlocker to tiny laptop screws? I have been putting a blob on a piece of packing tape and dipping the screws in it but Im kind of over it (messy, imprecise). Tried using a syringe (with and without needle) but didnt get much joy.

Any suggestions welcome
 
umm why would you want to lock the screws in? What if the machine comes back for repair and you have a hell of a time trying to get the screws off?
 
Pc Fixed Right said:
umm why would you want to lock the screws in? What if the machine comes back for repair and you have a hell of a time trying to get the screws off?
Click to expand...


+1 for that!

I'll never understand why techs use glue on the DC jacks, Threadlock on screws....I even had a PC come in that had the heatsink SUPERGLUED to the CPU!! Silly person..... Fixing PCs is for technicians!
 
I'm with the guys above. It's not like the screws tend to come undone on their own anyway. I guess if you had a specific problem with it then you could use a spot of glue but I'd be more inclined to use something like a tiny dab of rubber cement as this will come off again easily. But it's never come up.
 
I use loctite and it does not lock the screws permanently. If you look at most screws from any laptop you will see they have either a red/brown or a blue substance on them. Its a resin compound thats designed to stop the screws from dislodging due to vibration.

From experience you would also know that these screws are removable. As are screws with a subsequent application of Loctite. I use blue and it works fine. Red wouldnt be such a good idea :)

Loctite® Threadlocker Blue 242® is designed for the locking and sealing of threaded fasteners which require normal disassembly with standard hand tools. The product cures when confined in the absence of air between close fitting metal surfaces. It protects threads from rust and corrosion and prevents loosening from shock and vibration. Loctite® Threadlocker Blue 242® is particularly suited for applications on less active substrates such as stainless steel and plated surfaces, where disassembly is required for servicing.
Click to expand...

The question wasnt whether or not to use the product. The question was about the issue of application :)
 
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interesting topic, I never knew about that blue stuff and thought they are just some special markers to mark certain screw types.

I don't see an awful need of relocking the screws however.

as of the DC jacks, if they come off they just come off so there is not much point in gluing that either. But one project I did (for my brother's laptop) was to find a ready replacement from radio shack and finish within a day so I won't have to source parts. I used a panel mount jack like this one http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102486 , enlarged the hole on the laptop chassis to fit that and locked it onto the chassis. Then I ran the wire to the motherboard's DC contact point. It's been 3 years and the jack is still working perfectly fine.
 
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I use Threadlock blue http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/10/15/t_lkr_blue/overview/Loctite-Threadlocker-Blue-242.htm to fit laptop screws into the bottom of the laptop since I had a dell laptop come in for repair because it would not boot, I found out that they had lost the convertor between the HDD and the motherboard because the screws holding the HDD into the chassis had dropped out and the user had lost it but never bothered to tell me.

Threadlock Blue does not cause any major problems removing the screws it just stops them vibrating loose during normal day to day useage.

in regards to coating the screws I put a small amount on a piece of plastic then use a cocktail stick to run a small amount of threadlock against the thread of the screw.
 
I would only use it on internal screws to prevent any from coming and resting on the systemboard. Other than that I really don't see the need. I have seen way to many stripped screw heads on some of the smallers screws. Having to drill out a small screw is not a very good use of time.
 
I didn't even read anything but the first post:

DON'T EVER DO THAT! EVER!

The ONLY time you even want to think of using adhesives or anything of that matter is when you are replacing a screen and wanting to rubber cement (not superglue!!!!!) them back into place.

There is just no reason for it, in any scenario that i can ever think of besides absolutely screwing yourself later.
 
Once again. Its not a question of whether or not to use the product. Im not asking for advice or opinion on that subject.

If you want to debate whether or not to use it, please start another thread.

Anyone thats familiar with the product, understands the reasons and applications for its use, and can contribute to the original question - your input is appreciated.

For anyone else who didnt bother to read the question or just felt like jumping in and having a rant-

the question is on the subject of how to apply threadlocking resin to laptop screws.

Thanks
 
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I think the problem was that most people associate the word Loctite with Superglue rather than their screw product.
 
MobileTechie said:
I think the problem was that most people associate the word Loctite with Superglue rather than their screw product.
Click to expand...

Yep. I reckon thats exactly whats occurring :)

[edit] In Oz (where I am) we call superglue superglue and the word Loctite is generally a reference to thread locking compound. It hadnt occurred to me that people would assume threadlocker and superglue are the same thing.

But there you go...

'nuf said.
 
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They do sell loctite in a stick form. You rub the stick over the screw. The texture of the stick is like that of lip stick. It is way less messy. I would try to fasten the stick somehow to a heavier base to enable you to use one hand just swiping the screw across the stick.
Peace,,
kozman
 
kozman said:
They do sell loctite in a stick form. You rub the stick over the screw. The texture of the stick is like that of lip stick. It is way less messy. I would try to fasten the stick somehow to a heavier base to enable you to use one hand just swiping the screw across the stick.
Peace,,
kozman
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I wasnt aware it was available in that medium.

Will try that approach and the cocktail-stick idea.

Thanks to those who contributed.
 
OKay I understand now =) ... there is red and blue loctite on most laptops I service. I guess it depends on the quantity and strength of loctite applied. I can see the uses for it for laptops but I have never applied any to the machines I have serviced in the past.
 
IncrediblePCSolutions said:
+1 for that!

I'll never understand why techs use glue on the DC jacks, Threadlock on screws....I even had a PC come in that had the heatsink SUPERGLUED to the CPU!! Silly person..... Fixing PCs is for technicians!
Click to expand...
I've used various adhesives on DC jacks.
 
At work, we always assemble laptops with new screws... We buy them in boxes by the 1,000 each and have about 10 different sizes.

We read a document like this:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/latd530/en/sm/palmrest.htm#wp1180224

We will pull 14 #M2.5 8mm screws from a box

We use only #242, blue thread locker. We apply it with a syringe with an 18-gauge (nonsharp) needle... there are no measurements on the syringes either.


Here is what may surprise you... We put about 1 drop in the female part NOT on the screw. To do it, you touch the needle to the threads and just tap the plunger without moving it... the surface tension spreads the Loctite...

It won't set in an Oxygen environment, so we would do all 14 of them on the D530 then put the screws in snug (not tight).
 
Hey, I was just at a customer site that's an autobody shop. While I was waiting around for the owner (who never showed up - doh!) I was looking at some of the items they had on their shelves and thought about this thread. They were selling packages of plastic-stick applicators with the tiniest little painting tip you've ever seen, may 1-2mm. I thought it looked perfect for applying Loctite to screws.

They're call EZ Dabbers and you can find them here: http://www.ezmix.com/touchup.htm
 
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