Alternatives to Teflon tape for Nail Gun Air Connection

[andy bessette]

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

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[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.