Making a circlip

[DJP]

I thought that the green colour was for quick identification and once set I have not looked for a colour change. I have used this green Loctite on fasteners and it can be removed with force and no heat so it is somewhere between red and blue in strength. Best of all it takes up the gap when I make a small error creating press fit parts. It's an important item to have on hand in my shop.

 

[MRA]

I have some Loctite 641 I was going to use to help it out a bit. I've acquired a 2mm circ section snap ring of about the right size. I was thinking that lacking a faceplate it was going to be a struggle to mount the gearbox in the lathe to cut the groove, but thinking it over I should be able to put it back on the rotary table on the miller which I used for the attempt at the 'slotted shoulder'. Then I'll have a go with a small dremel disk running fast in a pin chuck in the miller, to cut a 2mm wide, 1mm deep groove. I'm only doing one - if I have to nibble it out, that's OK.

 

[BaronJ]

I have some Loctite 641 I was going to use to help it out a bit. I've acquired a 2mm circ section snap ring of about the right size. I was thinking that lacking a faceplate it was going to be a struggle to mount the gearbox in the lathe to cut the groove, but thinking it over I should be able to put it back on the rotary table on the miller which I used for the attempt at the 'slotted shoulder'. Then I'll have a go with a small dremel disk running fast in a pin chuck in the miller, to cut a 2mm wide, 1mm deep groove. I'm only doing one - if I have to nibble it out, that's OK.

I think you are right about using the RT, though I have reservations about using a small abrasive disc to cut the groove ! My choice would be a small slitting saw or a fly cutter. The fly cutter would be my first choice, simply because I could make a cutter that fitted my requirements exactly.

For what its worth, I've cut 45 degree dovetails with a fly cutter, very successfully ! Something that I would have said was almost impossible to do ten or so years ago. Then I found that maybe a hundred years back that a fly cutter was very much used tool.

DJP: I don't know if the Loctite colour has anything to do with identification once its set.
I've never bothered to check

 

[ShopShoe]

The reason I stock and use Green is it is designed to wick into pre-assembled parts. Blue and Red are designed for use during assembly. I use other Loctite products to solve other specific problems like bearing retention etc.

You can find more information than you probably want at www.loctite.com

--ShopShoe

 

[MRA]

Done it. I think. Here's a few extra pics. It was a right pain in the hole - ages to set up, no visibility at all, and necessary to pull it all down to see if it was right before setting it all up again because it wasn't - twice. The pinion just goes through it - a lack of width stops the circlip going to the root of the groove which is a little too deep and I may back it up with a little epoxy putty in case the clip subsequently beds down. Thanks for all your input on this thread - it really helped me clarify thoughts on how to go about it.

(BaronJ - I borrowed a fly cutter, as I was dubious about using a dremel disk too!)

 

[Wizard69]

Honestly I'd design for a known retaining ring configuration and buy the rings. Circlips and such are a lot like nuts, you odn't make a nut unless you have a really good reason to do so.

Get an on line catalog from one of the big snap ring outfits and figure out what standard clips is best for your project. Names like Smalley, Rotor Clip and the like come to mind, but there are many to choose from.