We’ve all experienced a loose knob, bracket, or post on our Pilates equipment, and some of us even have the exact right wrench in the front desk drawer to tighten that bolt because it happens week after week, after week. It’s so annoying!
Today I want to show you how to use Loctite® to prevent these bolts from rattling loose over and over again.
First, Loctite® is a brand name for a liquid thread locker. It comes in a small tube and there are several “colors” you can purchase, each of varying strengths. The color you want is BLUE. The blue Loctite® is semi-permanent and will balance preventing your bolt from rattling loose from daily activity while still being able to manually remove the bolt with regular tools at some point in the future, if needed.
Loctite® is quite runny, so be wary when cutting the nozzle open the first time and handling the tube with the cap off at any point. Once applied, the liquid will harden into a gummy substance that will grip both the female threads and the male threads so that they can’t easily wiggle loose.
Please, avoid the RED label because that one is permanent! You’ll never get those bolts out again.
Here’s a quick Maintenance Monday clip on how to apply the Loctite® to your Allegro 2 silver loop hooks on the carriage. Those hooks can get quite loose over time, so this little trick will keep them securely in place.
To do this procedure on these particular bolts, you’ll need a 5/32” allen wrench, a shop rag, and blue loctite. This same process can also be done on any bolt that is chronically loose, isn’t screwed directly into wood, and isn’t required for adjustments during a client session (i.e. cam cleats, or knobs). I recommend doing this when you have at least a two hour period afterward where the equipment will not be used.
- Remove the bolt from the nut.
- Place the bolt on the dry rag and wipe it clean.
- Open the tube of loctite (you may need to cut the end if it’s a brand new tube) CAUTION: Squeezing the tube even a little bit will cause the liquid to squirt out, so be gentle and do this over your shop rag.
- Apply a short, thin line along the length of the threads.
- Re-insert the bolt and tighten it.
- In two hours the liquid will harden into a gummy substance.
- Repeat on the other bolts.
If you aren’t sure whether Loctite® is right for a particular bolt of yours, feel free to shoot me an email at Kaleen@fitreformer.com and I’ll help you out.
Happy Reforming!