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Thread: Gluing camera screws

  1. #1

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    Gluing camera screws

    I’ve had small screws work their way out of various view cameras. I’d like to prevent that, but retain the ability to get them out when I want. I see that Sinar recommends Loc-Tite, though the literature I have doesn’t specify which version. While there were a number of versions in the past, it would appear from the company website that only red and blue are available now. For some of the small screws we deal with, I’d think even the blue would be difficult to remove.

    What about other glues? Even something simple like rubber cement?

  2. #2

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    Re: Gluing camera screws

    Clear nail polish or a color if you're feeling fancy
    ____________________________________________

    Richard Wasserman

    https://www.rwasserman.com/

  3. #3
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Gluing camera screws

    Yes, you want the right kind of Loctite, removable (blue) yet also low viscosity for small screws, and a selection still exists. You just have to go to an actual industrial website like McMaster Carr or Grainger. Regular glues always seem to fail. Old school shellac would work for awhile, but doesn't tolerate solvents. For larger screws I often use teflon tape, the better yellow gas line type; but that's not very practical for tiny screws. Nail pollish? - guess if one is addicted to otherwise unregulated hot solvents in lieu of sniffing ordinary contact cement ... it kills brain cells equally well. Working with snotty rubber cement on small screws? - well, that's like trying to bathe a feral cat - not a very practical idea (I've learned both the hard way).

  4. #4

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    Re: Gluing camera screws

    I've had a bit of luck using JB WELD, but only with a tiny, almost micro, drop applied into the screw hole. Furniture restorers recommend using Gorilla Glue for broken table legs. Gorilla Glue works but really expands when drying and can actually cause a camera's relatively thin thicknesses of wood to crack - trust me on that one... DON'T USE IT! Finally settled on Aleene's original TACKY GLUE. It's an inexpensive craft glue that is recommended for children to use. I did read once that late 1800s camera makers used a bit of honey to secure screws into wood... never tried it but sounds like a basically simple natural solution.

  5. #5
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Gluing camera screws

    JB Weld ?????? That's permanent ! "Gorilla" makes a variety of glues (I was just wearing one of their branded baseball caps dropping off a C41 processing batch); none are really appropriate for this kind of thing. Their original moisture-curing polyurethane glue can help fill stripped holes, but I can't see any other potential reason to use it on metal screws. It tends to fail in that application too. Believe me, I was one of the first people to receive free test samples of both that specific product and other brand knockoff glues; and I tested the hell out of every one of them. It helped that this is a marine area with a lot of teak vessels; cause that's the kind of application classic Gorilla glue was first targeted at. But for metal hardware needing to be glued into wooden boats, it didn't work; someone else locally made a special kind of two-part liquid epoxy specifically for that purpose (but not removable, so no sense specifying it here).

  6. #6

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    Re: Gluing camera screws

    Don't use red... It is made to be permanent, and a bugger if you have to remove screw at some point...

    Blue is fine, but a little watery before it sets, so it can run...

    Remove with a couple of drops of acetone 10 or 15 minutes before removal attempt...

    Steve K

  7. #7

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    Re: Gluing camera screws

    They have a also have a low strength purple: Loctite 222. It’s recommended for small fasteners. The strength can vary depending on the specific metal, certain stainless steels can require an activator to achieve full strength.

  8. #8
    Nicholas O. Lindan
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    May 2006
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    Re: Gluing camera screws

    Is this for a wood camera or a metal camera?

    Blue Loctite is OK for small screws tapped into metal like a #2-56 or #4-40. If there isn't a lot of shaking or torque on the screw then as NHE mentioned there is the purple grade, which is probably adequate for view camera use. In soft aluminum red Loctite can take the threads out when the screw is removed, better to use a lock washer.

    For screws in wood the problem with the screw coming out is an enlarged hole. A small sliver of wood in the hole and then inserting the screw solves most problems. For problem cases drill a pilot hole in the end of a a bit of dowel, drill out the original screw hole and glue in the dowel with Elmer's.
    Darkroom Automation / Cleveland Engineering Design, LLC
    f-Stop Timers & Enlarging meters http://www.darkroomautomation.com/da-main.htm

  9. #9
    Eric Woodbury
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
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    Re: Gluing camera screws

    Loctite 222, but nothing stronger. Loctite doesn't bind with stainless steel or anodize unless it's primed. Primer is just copper ions.

    I'm sure there are other remedies without buying a lifetime supply of Loctite products. A drop of varnish, if you have that.

  10. #10
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Gluing camera screws

    I use toothpicks to fix tiny wood screws in worn wood holes

    Stick! the pointy end in as far as it will go, then break it off at the hole top

    No glue

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