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Screw Thread Direction - Loosen Or Tighten ??


towe001

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Neat tip on working out which way you need to turn the spanner etc.

 

post-1432-011722200 1304772439_thumb.jpg

 

Right hand threads

By holding your right hand in front of yourself like in the picture.

Hold your thumb in the direction you want the nut or bolt to travel.

 

Working as an example on the nut in the picture of the nut and bolt.

  • If you want the loosen the nut, the thumb points up.
  • If you want to tighten the nut, the thumb points down.

See how the tips of the fingers point into the palm of your hand (arrows show direction)

is the direction you'll need to turn the spanner etc.

 

Uncommon left hand threads are treated the same but with your left hand instead.

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Is that what they mean when they say 'right hand thread'.

 

I think if you don't know which way to tighten and loosen a screw you shouldn't really be doing anything with your hands.

 

And it's really something programmed from birth.

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Is that what they mean when they say 'right hand thread'.

 

I think if you don't know which way to tighten and loosen a screw you shouldn't really be doing anything with your hands.

 

And it's really something programmed from birth.

 

That's what right hand thread, means, most left hand threads can be found on fuel gas vessels i.e BBQ gas cylinders, acetylene cylinders, some hydraulic applcations etc. :)

 

Dunno about programmed from birth...do you mean the mental capability to perform certain tasks or doing upo bolts/nuts in particular? :wink: :P

 

Its amazing what you think of as common sense just keeps flummoxing some people.

We had a guy who tried for a job at our work who couldnt hammer a nail in a piece of wood. :blinks:

 

:blinks: "Okay Sir, thankyou for coming in today for your trial. I'm afraid you didnt get the position...NEXT!!!" I'm guessing hammering a nail into a piece of wood is essential in your job? :happy: I'd always thought everyone had the ability to throw/catch a ball...apparently this isnt the case!

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That's what right hand thread, means, most left hand threads can be found on fuel gas vessels i.e BBQ gas cylinders, acetylene cylinders, some hydraulic applcations etc. :)

 

Dunno about programmed from birth...do you mean the mental capability to perform certain tasks or doing upo bolts/nuts in particular? :wink: :P

 

 

Would of put a sarcastic emoticon in but couldn't find one.

 

And yes (metal capability) it isn't long before you automatically work out how to do simple tasks like this and others, like turning a tap on and off.

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Is that what they mean when they say 'right hand thread'.

 

I think if you don't know which way to tighten and loosen a screw you shouldn't really be doing anything with your hands.

 

And it's really something programmed from birth.

 

while its usually quite simple, there a situations, where you go, wtf, am i even turning this the right, usually when on your back, the bolt is near impossible to access, and it all just gets a bit overwhelming, this is when this trick is good to have, I'm sure you have had moments under a car up to your elbows in grease getting to a shit of a bolt to undo it, and gone, "what f@$king way am i meant to turn this f@$ker now?"

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Ive worked with a few people that lack that little part in your brain which does this automaticly. Its quite funny to watch haha. My mate has to have a few goes at taking wheel nut off a burnout car lol, he tries, then thinks for a tick, then goes the other way lol.

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i destroyed a caliper on my mates st162 by swinging of the caliper bolt the wrong way with a 4ft breaker bar thinking it was just bloody tight.

 

stripped it good!, luckily we had a spare!

 

if i'm using a rachet i almost always do a bit of an "air check", grab hold of the socket and pretend to undo the bolt and make sure the rachet is clicked the right way..

 

spanners in hard to reach places can get interesting, gota think about it sometimes, especially if you can't see the bolt!

 

right hand rule is quite popular for a number of different areas, magnetic filed and x,y,z axis come to mind.

 

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Oxt&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=right%20hand%20rule&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=-1304898589767l-1304898589767l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1350&bih=381

 

i remember sitting in exams at uni and everyone is waving their hands about trying to remember the rules! looked hilarious.....

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I have many people like this at my work. The place is full of engineers, programmers and the sort.

I loaded up a trolley with some equipment from a deployment we just returned from and told one of

these engineers to take it back inside. The poor bugga couldn't even push it in a straight line,

ended up smashing it into our work car and then turns around and says to me "I think you should

take over". I don't even think he could push a shopping trolley.

 

I think it all comes from experience in what we did as children and what we did in our younger years.

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while its usually quite simple, there a situations, where you go, wtf, am i even turning this the right, usually when on your back, the bolt is near impossible to access, and it all just gets a bit overwhelming, this is when this trick is good to have, I'm sure you have had moments under a car up to your elbows in grease getting to a shit of a bolt to undo it, and gone, "what f@$king way am i meant to turn this f@$ker now?"

Summed it up perfectly, under the car and who knows what is dripping falling on you back and arms are hurting and your trying to get a bolt not even tinker-bell could get to, finally get it and you don't know which way to go haha.

 

I also do the exact same "air check" ke70dave :y:

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"Lefty - losey, tighty - righty"

It tends to come natural from spinning spanners etc after a bit.

But it tends to come unstuck, i guess you could say, when your trying to break the lock on a bolt that you can barely even see brake caliper bolt, bottom manifold bolt or just a brake hose thats firmly attached to its bracket or your on your back arms up in grease, oil and crap in your eyes.

Or just that bolt that starts to go loose and then it tightens up again..... and even with load of possum piss on it.

And here you are swinging off the bolt thinking lefty - losey ?!? So WTF ?!?

Right hand into the thumps up position in the rough direction you want the bolt to travel and you'll figure it out if your doing it right or rong.

 

I picked up the tip decades ago from an old guy that was a mechanic for decades.

 

Anybody else got a tech tip that they think makes their life a bit easier ?

Doesn't matter if its car based or garage based.

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