Degradation of NYLOC nuts

[sarabande]

I am fastening new fairleads with galvanised bolts and thinking of using NYLOC nuts, rather than plain doubled locknuts.


Do NYLOC nuts standup to life on the high seas and sunshine please ? They seem to be reasonably OK on land-based trailers etc, but will the squishy nyon part corrode/degrade at sea ?

 

[Nigel_Ward]

Nylon cable ties degrade due to UV unless they are the UV stable type. But are the nuts you use on fairleads not under the deck?

 

[Poignard]

I have nyloc nuts some on the bolts securing my tiller and they must have been there almost 20 years without any noticeable deterioration.

I take the tiller off when I lay up so they get 're-used' once a year and they still grip perfectly. I know nylocs are not supposed to be re-used, and I wouldn't re-use nyloc big end nuts, of course, but they're fine in this application.

Very little, if any, of the nylon insert is exposed to the sun.

If you prefer not to use nylocs you could use aeroloc nuts, if you can find them

 

[DinghyMan]

I have nyloc nuts some on the bolts securing my tiller and they must have been there almost 20 years without any noticeable deterioration.

I take the tiller off when I lay up so they get 're-used' once a year and they still grip perfectly. I know nylocs are not supposed to be re-used, and I wouldn't re-use nyloc big end nuts, of course, but they're fine in this application.

Very little, if any, of the nylon insert is exposed to the sun.

If you prefer not to use nylocs you could use aeroloc nuts, if you can find them

or aerotight, another generic brand name: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=Aerotight&_sacat=0

 

[Poignard]

or aerotight, another generic brand name: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=Aerotight&_sacat=0

You're right. Aerotight not aeroloc as I said.

 

[DownWest]

With aerotight, you can give them a quick bash to tighten them up, before re-use. For nylock, if we could not do them up with our fingers, they were OK for another use. But a quick tap on the top does improve the locking ability.

I would not worry about them out in the sun, but I would not use galv bolts for fairleads, unless they were hot dipped and even then...

 

[DinghyMan]

You're right. Aerotight not aeroloc as I said.

I think they are a bit like hoover and there are a few brands and variations on a theme; Plilidas, Binx, Cleveloc, etc, etc...

http://www.nenutsboltsfasteners.co.uk/product-category/fasteners/metric/philidas-nuts/

An English invention I think.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I think they are a bit like hoover and there are a few brands and variations on a theme; Plilidas, Binx, Cleveloc, etc, etc...

http://www.nenutsboltsfasteners.co.uk/product-category/fasteners/metric/philidas-nuts/

An English invention I think.

When I was in engineering design we used to call them aerotight nuts but it seems that aerotight are now a standard nut squashed to deform the inside thread so they bind on the bolt.

Nylock are really a one time use nuts but in non critical applications can be reused.

Aerotight are prefered is fastenings bet hot or cold as in aircraft where I think they were designed for.

Nyloc not so good in hot or cold for obvious reasons.

Would never use galvanized bolts to fix anything on a boat even inside, I only use 316 now as I have had some 304 bolts show crevice corrosion even inside my boat.

 

[Vanguard]

I have had some nyloc nuts suffer from uv degradation over a long period of time, not on my boat. The nyloc was uppermost and exposed to the sun daily and we are talking years. All that said I do have stainless nylocs inside holding my shrouds without issue.

 

[sarabande]

Ok, so that's concerns expressed about the use of galvanised bolts to secure the fitment.

Here's the fairlead unit

[/IMG]


It will fit over the toe rail. So why use stainless rather than galvanised, please ?



And yes, I know, the galvanising needs smoothing in one or two places And the bolt is there to clear the galvanising from the hole; I was going to use a domehead set screw with an Allen key insert.

 

[PetiteFleur]

My only comment is can you get HOT DIPPED GALVANISED Nylock nuts as apposed to BZP (Bright Zinc Plated) nylock nuts? BZP nuts will rust within a few days/weeks. You can get square or Hexagon galvanised nuts, but they usually do have bright threads as they are tapped after galvanising, so will eventually rust. Galvanised nuts should be fine, just do it up tight and you won't need locknuts.

 

[PaulRainbow]

If you're using galvanised bolts, why not just use galvanised nuts and a spot of Loctite ? Given the application you can see if anything works loos anyway, not that i think it would with Loctite. I wouldn't use stainless for this job.