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Suppressors Rocksett - what did I do wrong?

Glassaholic

Optical theorist and conjecturer
Supporter
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Minuteman
  • Nov 30, 2012
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    Panhandle, FL
    So my Surefire shim kit came with a little vial of Rocksett, I had not used it before but have heard for semi's with high rate of fire and suppressors this would be better than Loctite due to its high heat resistance. I applied a liberal amount to my threads and then threaded on my TBAC SR brake, let it sit for over 24 hours and then tried to remove the brake and it spun off with little resistance??? What did I do wrong as the previous brake that was on there with Rocksett took significant force to remove? I'm used to Loctite but thought I'd try this stuff out; however, clearly I did something wrong...
     
    Clean both threads with alcohol and dry well. Apply a drop or 2 of rocksett. Torque. Ill let it sit overnight then heat it with a heat gun. Ive had it still not be dry 24 hours later. Heat gun or torch will cure it
     
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    Thanks. If you remove a brake that previously had Rocksett, is there anything special you need to do to clean it up, I've heard that to remove a brake with rocksett to boil it in water for about 10-15 as hot water will break it down, but no one said anything after you remove the brake... maybe that is the issue? But I will clean well again and re-apply. I had not tried the heat gun so will do that - should I do heat gun right away, or do heat gun after 24 hours?
     
    Thanks. If you remove a brake that previously had Rocksett, is there anything special you need to do to clean it up, I've heard that to remove a brake with rocksett to boil it in water for about 10-15 as hot water will break it down, but no one said anything after you remove the brake... maybe that is the issue? But I will clean well again and re-apply. I had not tried the heat gun so will do that - should I do heat gun right away, or do heat gun after 24 hours?
    Room temp water breaks it down.

    Let's think about this for a second. If something is made to resist let's say 2000*(random number) how would boiling water(212*) break it down?

    I've never boiled the water.
     
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    If had to remove and reinstall a few. If its not fully cured alchohol and a scothbrite will take it right off. Never had to soak it in water
     
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    Room temp water breaks it down.

    Let's think about this for a second. If something is made to resist let's say 2000*(random number) how would boiling water(212*) break it down?

    I've never boiled the water.
    Just going off what other threads have mentioned, apparently the boiling water works faster at breaking it down, don't think it has to do anything with the heat of the water per se.
     
    Rocksett is just sodium silicate (AKA "liquid glass") and potassium silicate. It's water-soluble, almost like sugar.

    Heating the water decreases its surface tension, and so it can soak into the thread joint faster. It's the same reason that warm water works better than cold for washing a variety of things (hands, clothes, dishes, windshields, etc.).
     
    I use hotlock... I like it better.

    degrease the threads, apply and put my heat gun on it for 2-3 minutes to make it crystalize... boom, done.
     
    Properly applied, Rocksett doesn't take much more torque to remove than the parts were assembled with. If you threaded it on hand tight, that's why it spun off so easy.
     
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    We recommend Loctite #272. Not going to come loose even under heavy firing schedules.
    You used to recommend 242/243 but said too many users were not applying enough so you went with 272 to be on the safe side. I've been using 243 for years with my TBAC brakes and never had an issue with them not staying secure, but I've shot mostly bolt guns, getting back into the semi autos now and thought I might try something that others had recommended.
     
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    It's more likely to unscrew the can+brake together if the can is on there real good, with blue, vs #272. A tapered lockup with some add'l carbon in there, or one that got tightened extra when hot, can get super tight. I just use #272 for everything these days. It's not that bad to remove, a short blast with a small butane torch will melt it enough that a 12" wrench can unscrew, even though there is still quite a bit of resistance.
     
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    It's more likely to unscrew the can+brake together if the can is on there real good, with blue, vs #272. A tapered lockup with some add'l carbon in there, or one that got tightened extra when hot, can get super tight. I just use #272 for everything these days. It's not that bad to remove, a short blast with a small butane torch will melt it enough that a 12" wrench can unscrew, even though there is still quite a bit of resistance.
    Exactly my experience with 272, maybe I just go back to that...
     
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    Anyone tried Permatex orange on an adapter yet?
     
    Clean the threads, and still torque on your muzzle device. Torque is the primary means of holding on the MB, thread locker is the backup.
     
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    Reactions: Yondering
    Anyone tried Permatex orange on an adapter yet?

    No, but it looks like an interesting option for a couple hosts that tend to see multiple suppressors rotated thru for T&E.
     
    If had to remove and reinstall a few. If its not fully cured alchohol and a scothbrite will take it right off. Never had to soak it in water
    Acetone. Or carb cleaner or lacquer thinner.

    I don’t know why some in the gun community like to recommend rubbing alcohol so much, but it kind of sucks for removing grease and oil. The solvents above will degrease the parts much better and easier.

    The purple degreaser products also work better than alcohol, but then you’re dealing with water on the parts.
     
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    Your welcome to use what you want. But when your looking for adhesion theres nothing better then high content isopropyl alcohol. Some things cut faster but for final prep nothing beats it. Even high dollar wax and grease removers dont come close.
     
    Your welcome to use what you want. But when your looking for adhesion theres nothing better then high content isopropyl alcohol. Some things cut faster but for final prep nothing beats it. Even high dollar wax and grease removers dont come close.
    Based on what evidence? Not that I’ve ever seen. I do have rows of shelves of different solvents in my shop, alcohol is the one that rarely gets used, for a reason.

    If you have an oily threaded part and need to use Loctite, Rockset, etc, alcohol is about the least effective solvent you could choose. It may work well for final cleaning of parts that are nearly lab grade clean, but not for general degreasing like we need for gun parts.
     
    Based on my professional experience getting things to adhere for 25 years. Now companys like ppg come out with "new" solvents that are 90% isopropyl. Its not for cutting thick grease or oil but for a final wipe before applying adhesive or paint nothing beats it.
     
    Its not for cutting thick grease or oil but for a final wipe before applying adhesive or paint

    Exactly. But that’s not what we’re doing here, or what you specified or what the countless other gun DIY people recommend for using alcohol.

    That’s why something like acetone or laquer thinner is far more effective in muzzle device installation.