Van's Air Force
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Dumb quration
- Thread starter nohoflyer
- Start date
Torque seal
Don't forget, Torque Seal will lie to you ... it isn't a guarantee that the proper torque has been applied, only that the assembly hasn't moved ...
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/crosschecktorqueseal.php
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/crosschecktorqueseal.php
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PilotjohnS
Well Known Member
Grainger
I got mine from Grainger; the local warehouse has it in stock in all the woke colors.
I tried nail polish; it didn't work, and my girls were upset, so two strikes on that idea. The proper stuff is thick and allows for bridging the gap so that any movement will break the continuous bead. Best to use the proper stuff.
I got mine from Grainger; the local warehouse has it in stock in all the woke colors.
I tried nail polish; it didn't work, and my girls were upset, so two strikes on that idea. The proper stuff is thick and allows for bridging the gap so that any movement will break the continuous bead. Best to use the proper stuff.
rocketman1988
Well Known Member
Remember
Remember, the ONLY thing torque seal tells you is that it was applied; there have been numerous occasions where torque seal was applied to finger tight fasteners, NEVER to be checked again because, well, there’s torque seal applied...
Remember, the ONLY thing torque seal tells you is that it was applied; there have been numerous occasions where torque seal was applied to finger tight fasteners, NEVER to be checked again because, well, there’s torque seal applied...
Like you, I didn't quite know what it was when I started. I tried both nail polish and Testors model paint. I found that both ran a little when applied. The point is to be able to tell that a nut or bolt has loosened and rotated and the color no longer lines up. Well, runny paint that covers half the nut isn't a clear indication.
Proper torque seal, which my hangar neighbor recommended I use, is pretty cheap on Amazon. A few bucks for toothpaste-like tubes that will last you your whole build. And they come in various colors so you can have high contrast with background colors. They have a waxy consistency so they leave a thick line when applied and dried. If the item rotates even a few degrees, the break will be obvious.
Apply when finished - not on something that you will be tightening and removing 6 times (which is about 90% of the bolts). I've had to toss a few nuts that got gunked up with seal and didn't work well in a box wrench or socket.
Proper torque seal, which my hangar neighbor recommended I use, is pretty cheap on Amazon. A few bucks for toothpaste-like tubes that will last you your whole build. And they come in various colors so you can have high contrast with background colors. They have a waxy consistency so they leave a thick line when applied and dried. If the item rotates even a few degrees, the break will be obvious.
Apply when finished - not on something that you will be tightening and removing 6 times (which is about 90% of the bolts). I've had to toss a few nuts that got gunked up with seal and didn't work well in a box wrench or socket.
wirejock
Well Known Member
Torque seal
To be fair, to me, I only used the nail polish a few times. I let it get thick to the consistency of torque seal. No runs, no drips, no errors. Fasteners where it was used are still marked as they were. Looks just like torque seal. Faateners removed with it behave just like the real stuff. It breaks at he fastener. I stopped using it because I found a deal on the real stuff and bought a bunch. The thick nail polish is only good for a short time before it turns hard. That said, please disregard my recommendation for nail polish.
I never reuse a locking nut of any kind. If it gets removed, it goes in the trash. Yes, costs a little but I sleep better.
My opinion. Absolutely worth less than $.02 but there it is.
To be fair, to me, I only used the nail polish a few times. I let it get thick to the consistency of torque seal. No runs, no drips, no errors. Fasteners where it was used are still marked as they were. Looks just like torque seal. Faateners removed with it behave just like the real stuff. It breaks at he fastener. I stopped using it because I found a deal on the real stuff and bought a bunch. The thick nail polish is only good for a short time before it turns hard. That said, please disregard my recommendation for nail polish.
I never reuse a locking nut of any kind. If it gets removed, it goes in the trash. Yes, costs a little but I sleep better.
My opinion. Absolutely worth less than $.02 but there it is.
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Jpm757
Well Known Member
This RV-10 had 550 hrs. and 8 condition inspections.
https://i.postimg.cc/Yqx74MSX/20210105-111220-1.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Yqx74MSX/20210105-111220-1.jpg
wirejock
Well Known Member
Wow
That is important. Thanks for sharing.
Also for the OP, torque seal is supposed to be applied from tip of the bolt down to the surface of the part.
That is important. Thanks for sharing.
Also for the OP, torque seal is supposed to be applied from tip of the bolt down to the surface of the part.
I found my tube of torque seal hard as a rock. Since then, I've been torquing the nut, then drawing a red line with sharpie from the bolt end down onto the part. Once my torque seal finally gets here, I'll double check the torque, then cover all the red lines with the torque seal.
The important part is to do both steps back-to-back. Torque wrench, torque seal. No exceptions, ever.
The important part is to do both steps back-to-back. Torque wrench, torque seal. No exceptions, ever.
jliltd
Well Known Member
I thought the main purpose of torque seal was for marking fasteners after they are final torqued, as a quality assurance check off. And not so much for detecting any nut loosening years down the road. I know some folks who have grabbed a tube and go mark every nut they see on an airframe, without actually checking the torque. In which case it was a cosmetic move. The post above with the link to the RV-10 spar bolts is a case in point of how torque seal can be useless at times.
fixnflyguy
Well Known Member
AKA Sabotage paint
Sabotage paint, witness paint ,torque stripe ect..I use it a lot just to detect movement. Means nothing else. Work Military Depot maintenance and its put on every panel, latch and door after last inspection/close. During my -4 build it was always the final measure in completing an assembly. Looking at that picture, I almost have to think they were loosened for some reason and never re-torqued. Proper application would have the seal go down across the washers and to the airframe. Scary and comforting (no catastrophic failure) all at the same time.
Sabotage paint, witness paint ,torque stripe ect..I use it a lot just to detect movement. Means nothing else. Work Military Depot maintenance and its put on every panel, latch and door after last inspection/close. During my -4 build it was always the final measure in completing an assembly. Looking at that picture, I almost have to think they were loosened for some reason and never re-torqued. Proper application would have the seal go down across the washers and to the airframe. Scary and comforting (no catastrophic failure) all at the same time.
