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If you frequently use fasteners such as nitronic 50 socket head cap screws or Inconel hex head cap screws, one of the problems you might have is how to ensure that they end up lasting as long as possible. This is especially important if you are going to fasten something permanently. In such cases, you […]

If you frequently use fasteners such as nitronic 50 socket head cap screws or Inconel hex head cap screws, one of the problems you might have is how to ensure that they end up lasting as long as possible. This is especially important if you are going to fasten something permanently. In such cases, you ought to be keen to ensure that you never have to spend too much time or money in future trying to fasten the loosened nuts and bolts.
There are many strategies that have been adopted to help you do this. One of these is through the use of nylon patching. As the name seems to suggest, nylon patching is a process where the threads of the bolts or nuts are covered in nylon material before being fastened.

Benefits of nylon patching lock nuts

A group of colored nylon nuts
There are a number of benefits associated with this practice including:

  • Increased grip: When you do nylon patching for your nuts, you effectively increase the grip between the nut and bolt. As a result, it’s likely to last much longer and be more difficult to undo.
  • It might make it less prone to leaking: Placing a nylon patch within the nuts and bolts will also reduce the risk of water and other fluids passing between the threads between them. This has the effect of keeping the entire assembly dry.
  • It makes it better suited for vibration: The fact that the nuts and bolts will be more tightly adherent to each other means that any exposure to vibration will not result in unlocking. This makes it something that you should seriously consider when you are installing the nuts and bolts on a vibrating piece of equipment.

How to do the patching

As you can see, there are numerous benefits associated with nylon patching of your lock nuts. However, how do you go about doing it? There are a number of strategies you can adopt. A common though difficult one is to do the patching on your own. This involves getting the necessary type of nylon and then using it to patch the bolts and nuts.
In addition to that, you can also buy the fasteners when already patched. This is the easier way to go about it, since it ensures that you end up getting high quality fasteners in a shorter amount of time. It’s most ideal when you need to order a large number of fasteners, and may not have enough time to keep patching each of them yourself. Of course, if you decide to buy such items, you need to consider the quality of the firm you are buying from. Always insist on getting the products from a high quality firm so that you can be sure of the quality you will be getting.
In summary, nylon patching of your fasteners is something that you should seriously consider particularly if you are keen on making lock nuts last longer. Keep the above in mind, and you will be glad that you decided to use this type of product.

About the Author

Larry Melone
By Larry Melone
President

Started my career in the fastener world in 1969 at, Parker Kalon Corp. a NJ based screw manufacturer located in Clifton, NJ working in inventory control, scheduling secondary production and concluding there in purchasing. In 1971 I accepted a sales position at Star Stainless Screw Co., Totowa, NJ working in inside sales and later as an outside salesman, having a successful career at Star I had the desire with a friend to start our own fastener distribution company in 1980 named: Divspec, Kenilworth, NJ. This was a successful adventure but ended in 1985 with me starting Melfast in August 1985 and have stayed competitive and successful to date. Melfast serves the OEM market with approximately 400 accounts nationally.

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