Freeze Your Nuts Off
By Benjamen Johnson
You might have some luck getting a corroded fastener unstuck by heating it, but you probably want to avoid soaking the fastener with penetrating oil or lubricant before applying a flame to it. With Freeze & Release, you can do the same thing with cold — get a fastener cold fast enough and the bolt and nut should contract at different rates, hopefully freeing the fastener — plus there’s no problem using penetrating oil to speed the job.
While most people have a torch of some sort lying around, there aren’t very many commonly available methods of freezing — that is, until now. Loctite recently released their Freeze & Release product that not only freezes the fastener to cause the needed differential contraction, but the spray also features a lubrication component to penetrate as the contraction cracks the corrosion.
A container of Freeze & Release can chill seized parts to -45ºF. Just shake the can and spray the seized fastener for 5-10 seconds, then wait 1-2 minutes for maximum effectiveness. If Freeze & Release doesn’t work after a few tries, you haven’t ruined the fastener and you can still try some other method.
There aren’t a ton of places carrying Loctite’s Freeze & Release yet. If you can find it, you could pay up to $10 a can.
Freeze & Release [Loctite]
Street Pricing [Google]
January 20th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Great concept, not terribly effective though — tried a couple of cans the loctite rep handed out a few months back, ended up breaking out the torches. If you follow the instructions faithfully you’ll blow through a can in two or three applications so, at ~$10 a can, pretty expensive as well.
Properly utilized, it’s tough to beat an Oxy/Acetylene torch. Reassemble with the correct grade of anti-seize and you’ll be a happy camper down the road as well.
Cheers, Ted
January 20th, 2009 at 11:35 am
It’s not hard to find freeze spray - get a can of CO2 keyboard duster stuff for $4 or so and hold it upside down. Liquid CO2 is -109F
January 20th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
CRC beat Loctite at this… we’ve been using CRC’s FreezeOff for two years in the shop, one of my favorite products and definitely works better than any other nut-buster-in-a-can that we’ve used before.
http://www.crcindustries.com/files/Freeze-Off%20Brochure.pdf
The CRC stuff is cheaper, we pay about $4.50 a can.
January 20th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
We’ve used liquid nitrogen in the shop - for this and other tasks.
Dispense it into a styrofaom cup and pour it on carefully.
January 20th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I’ve just got to say: Best. Post Title. EVAR!!!
January 20th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Having worked in a shop at a museum where an exhibit used dry ice, we’d sometimes snag a bit to put onto a stuck bolt to cool it down and loosen it up a bit. Worked pretty well for the few times we needed it. (Kids usually present the other problem with exhibits by loosening every possible bolt with amazing proficiency.)
January 21st, 2009 at 8:50 am
Forget all that other crap. Since I discovered Kano Labs (Kroil) their products are all I use or need. Check ‘em out. My only association with Kano is that of a satisfied cash paying customer.