[Public-List] Damn screws

[Gordon Laco]

Hello friends… 

In our Voyager self steering vanes, we have stainless steel machine screws in our cast aluminium bodies… we bed the screws in waxy grease… we’ve tried many specialized compounds but have settled on what the Navy uses… that is the waxy grease that comes from the hardware store in the form of the donut used to seal toilet installations.  That stuff is incredibly tenacious… works very well for a long time.

Gordon Laco
www.gordonlaco.com




> On Jun 1, 2018, at 9:49 AM, George Dinwiddie via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Gord and Hans,
> 
> On 6/1/18 9:06 AM, Hans Thomas wrote:
>> Penetrating oil and a hammer screw drive (the battery operated ones
> > work great but make sure the drive is well fitted to the screw).
> 
> I tried my 1/2" hand impact tool, but don't have a bit small enough to fit the screw
> 
> 
>> When you reassemble use never seize or some other anti seize compound on screws.
> 
> I generally like to do this, but wonder about the addition of more metals to the mix. I've also used RTV caulk or Vaseline in a pinch. I've never found anything that seems to work between stainless and aluminum.
> 
>> Whale pumps are actually a bit of a maintenance hog. I open mine up
>> and inspect/clean/make sure screws turn twice a year.
> Perhaps that's my problem. I expect things to keep working. I don't have the time to rebuild everything all the time.
> 
>>> On Jun 1, 2018, at 6:00 AM, Gordon Laco wrote:
>>> 
>>> Normally I’d suggest heat - but that will destroy the rubber flap
>>> valve.   Are you replacing it?  Perhaps you don’t care if the valve
>>> that’s in place is destroyed.   I had success heating a cast
>>> aluminium windlass body as a step toward removing an oxidized-in
>>> stainless screw in the chain stripper.
> I'm hoping to reuse this flap valve, as it's still working. It's the other one that had taken a set and quit sealing, and I seem to only have one spare at the moment.
> 
> I'm taking it out so I can clean and repaint the inside of the pump since I've got the unlikely circumstance of repairing it while at the dock instead of at sea.
> 
>>> 
>>> I recall an article in a yachting magazine about fighting reluctant screws…
>>> 
>>> #1 - Never let the screw ever think there is any possibility it
>>> might win.  It is going to lose and come out and there must never
>>> be any doubt about that either in your mind, or on the part of the
>>> screw. >> #2 - Address the screw.  Cursing is beneficial, the more creativity
>>> the better… volume is not required, in fact silent cursing may be
>>> the most effective preamble of all.
> I've done this part well.
> 
>>> #3 - Get the screw’s attention.  Place a properly fitting screw
>>> driver in its head, and rap sharply with a hammer. (this is
>>> actually good advice because the shocks will tend to dislodge the
>>> aluminium oxide that is gripping it) >> #4 - soak with penetrating oil, and let it sit a bit, then go back
>>> to #2 and proceed again until final victory.
> I'm wondering if the rubber flapper is preventing the penetrating oil from penetrating the metal-to-metal contact.
> 
>>> #5 - apply gentle but relentless torque with your screw driver,
>>> sharply rapping with the hammer…be careful with the torque, you
>>> could break the screw.  you may be tempted to put a wrench on your
>>> screwdriver for leverage… this is dangerous.  A broken head means
>>> the screw won a round.
> 
> The screwdriver has already slipped once, slightly damaging the slot. I fear that this has given the screw courage.
> 
> - George
> 
> -- 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>  When I remember bygone days                         George Dinwiddie
>  I think how evening follows morn;            gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
>  So many I loved were not yet dead,           http://www.Alberg30.org
>  So many I love were not yet born.                          also see:
>               'The Middle' by Ogden Nash     http://idiacomputing.com
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