Alternatives to Teflon tape for Nail Gun Air Connection

[Mark R Webster]

I bought a Harbor Freight 18 gauge brad nailer the other day and changed the quick change fittings to the style that I use in the shop. I removed the original connector on the tool which had a red hardened sealer. I used teflon tape on the replacement connector 3-4 wraps. I have tightened it as tight as I am comfortable with and still have an air leak from the connector threads. I have a friend who had a similar problem and continued to tighten the attached connector, which caused the "metal" of the gun around the thread area to crack, which obviously caused the leak to get worse and made the gun unrepairable. I don't want to over tighten and crack the gun body. Is there a sealant I can coat the threads with that, once dry, will create a seal that will survive at least 80 lbs of air pressure?
Thanks

[Bill Dufour]

Not un-common on cheap fittings. return the tool or use teflon paste

[Joseph Quattro]

I actually started using the yellow gas pipe tape that’s thicker than the white stuff, not sure if it would do any better though

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I also agree the best answer is to return the tool, if it is possible.

Many moons ago when I was a child I remember daddy using cotton fibers plus regular oil based paint ink to seal such connections in a time teflon tape wasn't available. Perhaps that old solution works to you.

[David Buchhauser]

Hi Mark,
I would recommend Loctite thread sealant to seal the fittings on your brad nailer.
David

https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-492145-Pneumatic-Hydraulic-36-milliliter/dp/B003XZB54O

408938
(https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-492145-Pneumatic-Hydraulic-36-milliliter/dp/B003XZB54O)

[Lee Schierer]

Teflon tape is not a thread sealant. It is a thread lubricant that merely helps you tighten the joint and does little to stop leaks. Pipe sealants like the red stuff that came on your tool work best.

[Paul F Franklin]

I use rectorseal t plus 2. It is rated for compressed air, and I've found it to seal very well. It can be pressurized immediately after assembly. You can also use rectorseal 5 which may be easier to find.

Downside to both...they are messy but work when you don't want leaks.

[Mark R Webster]

Great info thanks guys!

[Jacob Reverb]

Best thing I've found is Permatex Aviation Form-A-Gasket No. 3. It seals way better than teflon tape, and stays gummy enough that it never starts to leak later.

https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-80019-Aviation-Gasket-Sealant/dp/B000HBM3QQ

Service Temperature -65 to 400°F
Resistant to water, ethylene glycol, non-ethanol containing gasoline, motor oil, transmission fluid, and sea water.
Good for lots of other purposes, too.

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks Jacob!!

[Bruce Wrenn]

We use Rector Seal #5. On gas lines, you not allowed, under code, to use teflon tape, as it can "shred off" and cause gas valves to not close completely. #5 can be messy to work with, but it works!

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks Bruce!!

[Wade Lippman]

We use Rector Seal #5. On gas lines, you not allowed, under code, to use teflon tape, as it can "shred off" and cause gas valves to not close completely. #5 can be messy to work with, but it works!
I thought that was what yellow tape for for...

[Bill Dufour]

Many cheap Asian tools, use straight BPT. You need an adapter from British to NPT. I believe the British pipe threadform is 55 degrees, like WHITWORTH, not 60 degrees like American and metric.

[Mark R Webster]

Interesting:rolleyes: Thanks Bill

[andy bessette]

I recommend against buying the cheapest tools available. And also against using Teflon tape. Use Leak Lock.

408959

[David Buchhauser]

Teflon tape is not a thread sealant. It is a thread lubricant that merely helps you tighten the joint and does little to stop leaks. Pipe sealants like the red stuff that came on your tool work best.
Lee - I am afraid I must disagree with you. Teflon tape, when properly applied and under the right circumstances, will indeed seal the threads and stop a leak. If Teflon tape were only used as a thread lubricant, then the application of oil or other lubricating liquids would work equally well. I am speaking specifically about tapered (NPT type) pipe thread joints.
David

[Mike Cutler]

I'd use RectorSeal, or the yellow "teflon" gas tape. I do believe that the yellow tape is not just teflon colored yellow. It "sets up" in the threads, unlike regular teflon tape.
Your problem is actually poorly machined NPT threads on the fittings, or tool. Probably the fittings if they came from HF. Get some higher quality fittings and you may not have this problem. I have a few HF air tools and they're okay, but their fittings are junk.

David
Teflon tape, per 3M, is a thread lubricant. There is however more than a single formulation of what we call "teflon tape".
A true "thread sealant" fills in the voids left from the machining process for NPT threads. Teflon tape allows you to obtain metal, to metal, contact with the pipe threads.
For virtually all of the uses folks will use "teflon tape" for, it is a very good "thread sealant". I've been using it for decades. ;)

[Curt Harms]

I've had white 'teflon tape' from the borg leak air, haven't had PTFE 'pipe dope' leak so that's what I use.

[Lee Schierer]

Lee - I am afraid I must disagree with you. Teflon tape, when properly applied and under the right circumstances, will indeed seal the threads and stop a leak. If Teflon tape were only used as a thread lubricant, then the application of oil or other lubricating liquids would work equally well. I am speaking specifically about tapered (NPT type) pipe thread joints.
David

I did a very comprehensive study in an industrial setting regarding pipe leaks. Teflon tape was the poorest sealing of anything we tested and we tested a lot of sealants. Even when properly applied teflon tape tends to leak and if you back off a fitting during installation there is a 95% chance it will leak. Pipe sealants give you a little time to make adjustments and generally don't contaminate the system when you have to remove and do service work like teflon tape will. Those little shreds left in fittings will work havoc on regulators, valves and orifices. The crux of the matter with teflon tape is proper application which is problematic for consistent application. Most people use too little or too much. Pipe sealants are much more reliably applied by even untrained individuals. As a result of our work we were able to virtually eliminate piping leaks on the complex piping on the products we made. These piping systems included hydraulics, air, water and steam.

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks Andy!

[Paul F Franklin]

I switched to using rectorseal after observing the pipefitters that installed the fire sprinkler system in a new building a company I used to work for was moving into. It was all black pipe, 1 to 8 inches in diameter, threaded on site. Hundreds of joints and they used rectorseal 5 exclusively. After it was all installed they pressurized it (with the drops for the sprinkler heads capped) with compressed air to 200 psi and left it for two days before inspection. Not a single leak and the pressure held. I figured if it was good enough for them it was good enough for me. Not to mention it is faster to use than teflon tape as long as you don't mind the mess.

[Jack Frederick]

I'm with Lee on this one. Pipe dope is a lubricant to allow tapered threads to be tightened until the metal to metal makes the joint. Sealing is secondary and sealing was never the issue until the marketing department got their hands on the product. I will grant that there are some materials which will seal, but tape is not one of them. Probably the best thing to do is have a 1/4-1" bottom tap and die set to clean up the poorly cut threads. Also, on air tools with teflon tape, hold the tape back from the first thread a little bit. You will notice upon disassembly that teflon tape gets cut into threads. If you have tape over that first thread you can end up with that thread traveling to someplace you do not want it.

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks Jack!

[Mark R Webster]

Hi Paul thanks for your response... do you happen to know the difference between the Rectorseal 5 and the T+2?

[George Yetka]

If you're a rich guy get some Permabond LH050 You can get it for$10 a small tube on the internet but usually sold in larger tub for 50-60$ It is an anaerobic sealent. It hardens like strong plastic as soon as air is taken away. In the past I have hand tightened fittings with this stuff and needed a 2' pipe wrench the next morning to get it appart.

But as for the reason behind the leaking I would think that the tapping is soft on the HF gun and harder on the fitting and it quite possibly crossthreaded. I like the legacy aluminum fittings they protect the equipment as the fittings are soft.

[Art Mann]

You need to tell that to most professional plumbers and pneumatic system installers because they are not aware of that.

Teflon tape is not a thread sealant. It is a thread lubricant that merely helps you tighten the joint and does little to stop leaks. Pipe sealants like the red stuff that came on your tool work best.
In answer to the original question, there is a material called plumbers putty that is sometimes used instead of or in addition to teflon tape where they have problems. It can be obtained at any hardware store. The few times I have had problems with teflon tape on pneumatic fittings, I just put a few more wraps of tape and that fixed the problem.

[John K Jordan]

I bought a Harbor Freight 18 gauge brad nailer the other day and changed the quick change fittings to the style that I use in the shop. I removed the original connector on the tool which had a red hardened sealer. I used teflon tape on the replacement connector 3-4 wraps. I have tightened it as tight as I am comfortable with and still have an air leak from the connector threads. I have a friend who had a similar problem and continued to tighten the attached connector, which caused the "metal" of the gun around the thread area to crack, which obviously caused the leak to get worse and made the gun unrepairable. I don't want to over tighten and crack the gun body. Is there a sealant I can coat the threads with that, once dry, will create a seal that will survive at least 80 lbs of air pressure?
Thanks

I use teflon tape successfully. Some are different thickness and quality and are better, just like high-quality tools vs low-quality tools. If you use good tape and it still leaks I'd suspect either a low-quality fitting, some residue of the original sealer still left in the threads, or both.

BTW, the best leak-test solution I've found is bubble solution - I found some on the closeout shelf at Walmart at the end of one summer for $1 a gallon. I use it on air lines, bobcat tires, tire valves, air compressors, etc.

BTW2, one of my personal life rules is never buy anything from Harbor Freight that has moving parts. I know they can be exchanged repeatedly when they fail but I'd rather be using the tool than making another trip to the store. I have a friend who replaced his HF angle grinder six times. My angle grinders cost a lot more but some have had heavy use for decades so far.

JKJ

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks Art!

[Mark R Webster]

Hi John, thanks for the info. Do you find the "bubble solution" works better than the typical dish soap mixed with some water?
I also generally stay away from HB for things with moving parts an even for things that don't move ;). I wrestle with spending the money for a better quality tool on items that may only be used a few times. Of course it depends on tool. Some HF tools are just not worth buying no matter how often you plan to use them. :)

[David Buchhauser]

I did a very comprehensive study in an industrial setting regarding pipe leaks. Teflon tape was the poorest sealing of anything we tested and we tested a lot of sealants. Even when properly applied teflon tape tends to leak and if you back off a fitting during installation there is a 95% chance it will leak. Pipe sealants give you a little time to make adjustments and generally don't contaminate the system when you have to remove and do service work like teflon tape will. Those little shreds left in fittings will work havoc on regulators, valves and orifices. The crux of the matter with teflon tape is proper application which is problematic for consistent application. Most people use too little or too much. Pipe sealants are much more reliably applied by even untrained individuals. As a result of our work we were able to virtually eliminate piping leaks on the complex piping on the products we made. These piping systems included hydraulics, air, water and steam.

Lee - as far as sealing leaks using Teflon tape, I am speaking from over 50 years of personal experience using Teflon tape to seal water and compressed air tapered pipe fittings. However - I do agree that the proper amount of tape must be used, the fitting should not be backed off after applying the tape and tightening, the residue of the tape can contaminate, and that other types of pipe sealants are probably much more reliable - particularly for the "untrained individuals".
David

[Paul F Franklin]

do you happen to know the difference between the Rectorseal 5 and the T+2?

T+2 has teflon in it, which reduces the torque needed to tighten the joint. Not really an issue on the small stuff we play with. It also can be pressurized immediately on any size pipe and to any rated pressure. The RS 5 can only be pressurized immediately on pipe up to 2" and pressures below 100 psi, otherwise you have to give it some time.

[Mark R Webster]

Got it thanks!

[Wade Lippman]

Teflon tape, per 3M, is a thread lubricant.

Then why does their website say:
"3M 48 THREAD SEALANT TAPE

Forms a leak-proof seal between pipe connections"

[John K Jordan]

Hi John, thanks for the info. Do you find the "bubble solution" works better than the typical dish soap mixed with some water?
I also generally stay away from HB for things with moving parts an even for things that don't move ;). I wrestle with spending the money for a better quality tool on items that may only be used a few times. Of course it depends on tool. Some HF tools are just not worth buying no matter how often you plan to use them. :)

I like the bubble solution better since the bubbles seem to stay longer before they pop. Maybe since it's formulated for that. :) I used to make my own bubble solution to make the giant 3' bubbles and if I remember I use Dawn unscented dishwashing solution plus water plus some glycern.

I just remembered the Exploratorium in San Francisco had a recipe for bubble solution. (If you've never been there go NOW!! When I traveled I always tried to go on Wednesday since admission was free then, long time ago when they were in the old location.)
Sir Google kindly found it for me: https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/bubble-tray

JKJ

[Mark R Webster]

Yep I have been there but it was years ago, I mean a lot of years..:D
Thanks John
Mark

[Jacob Reverb]

With problem-prone assemblies (like Chicom fittings going into Chicom nail guns), I use the Aviation Form-A-Gasket I mentioned above, then put a layer of teflon tape over that, then put more Form-A-Gasket over the teflon tape, then assemble, then rinse/wipe off the excess dope with isopropyl alcohol.

I've never had to do it more than once.

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks for the info Jacob!

[Jason Roehl]

If I am working on a critical application, tape and dope. Three wraps of tape (clockwise--direction is important!) and then dope to fill the threads. Never leaks that way. I also prefer the dope rated for gas applications, as it's stickier and thicker.

[Brian Holcombe]

I had a couple areas on the Maka rebuilt where I could use NPTF threads without sealant at all. In other places where they where only NPT was available I preferred a painted on sealant to tape. The painted on stuff never seems to need readjusting after the fact and one need not peel the remainder of the tape off that is exposed in settings where the final result is visible.

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks Jason and Brian
M