Locktite for wood?

[bythelake]

Okay, its not a boat, but it is wood.

The screws for the lock plate on my back door keep working themselves out. The holes are not stripped; I can snug the screws up nicely, but after a week or so, the heads are sticking out a quarter inch or so.

I'm wondering if there's any product similar to the Locktite they make for metal bolts/nuts that would hold them in, yet still allow for removal when it's time to repaint the door?

[NormMessinger]

Epoxy. Gorilla Glue.

--Norm

[Wayne Jeffers]

Epoxy seems like overkill, Norm.

I'd try dipping the threads in varnish/paint (and maybe sticking a little in the hole, too) and see if that doesn't "glue" the screws enough to hold, while allowing for later removal.

Don't use anything water-based or it may corrode the screws and complicate removal.

Wayne

[gary porter]

3M 4200, 5200 fastset :D

[Bruce Hooke]

Yes, I'd probably try paint or varnish first because it's easy. If that doesn't work then you could try epoxy but first put a thin coat of wax on the screws. What I'm thinking is that the root of the problem is probably that the screws have gone in and out too many times so, while the may grab, the surfaces they are grabbing against are probably smooth and a little oversize so they can't get a good grip. Putting some epoxy around the screws might firm things up and wax on the screws will make it not too hard to get the screws out when they need to come out. If that fails then you can always go to epoxy and clean screws and just figure that if you need to get them out in the future you can loosen them up with a little judicious heat applied to each screw head, say with a soldering gun.

The other thing you might want to look at is the amount of stress on the fastenings. Many times when I have run into this sort of thing part of the issue has been that the fitting in question (or your case the lock plate) was getting more stress than it was really designed to take. Is the door excessively tight so that people have to yank hard to open or close it, or is there some other reason why that plate is taking a beating. Of course it could be that the plate is getting overloaded for reasons that are hard to address, such as lots of use by teenagers. That is only fixed with time, as far as I can tell..LOL

[Scott Rosen]

There is a ridiculously easy solution to the problem. Remove the screws and take a wooden matchstick (head removed) and put it in the screw hole, no glue needed. Then re-insert the screw. The matchstick will tighten things up considerably. If the hole is really worn, then you can use something thicker than a matchstick, or you can use two matchsticks.

[Memphis Mike]

If the screws are backing out, then the holes. are indeed stripped. Do as Scott says or try
a slightly larger diameter screw. Maybe a little
shorter too. :rolleyes:

[Memphis Mike]

Or even a toothpick.

[nevrdun]

Bee's wax. I still have a piece given to me by an old cabinet maker. Lubes the threads going in, grabs as serious as bees but breaks free when you get serious about removal.

[Memphis Mike]

Ya know Mike, thats a great idea. But the more
I think about it, the more I think I would take
the door off the hinges and then use my skillsaw
to remove the sections that are stripped and
glue in new sections in the door. After stripping
all the hardware down to bare metal, reinstall
and drill pilot holes of the correct diameter
and remount. Using of course two inch silicon
bronze screws, counter sunk with bungs installed
using Epiphanes Varnish as glue for the bungs. :D

[Memphis Mike]

Yes in deedy.

[ken mcclure]

Actually, Mike is right. You can glue a couple toothpicks in the hole (or a dowel) and re-drill.

[Hughman]

OK, Martha.

[Memphis Mike]

Shoot, I shudder to think I have ever been right about anything. It confuses the hell
outa me. But I know what I'd do with that door
as well as screws that break. ;)

[bythelake]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll try the beeswax first, then the varnish, then the toothpics. I'd rather not have to go the dutchman route.

It is a tight fitting door, with brass weatherstripping around the frame, so that may be contributing to the problem.

My wife's grandfather, a mason, built the house in 1922. I feel very fortunate to be raising the fourth generation of the family in the house. All my repair efforts so far have been with the intent to keep it as original as possible, and in keeping to the original intent of the builder. Fortunately for me, ``Grandpa'' was a world-class scrounger and improvisor. For example, the main beam in the house is a piece of steel rail.