The Steel Guitar Forum

I used black axle grease on the inner threads, and yes , it got on my leg bag.
Frank Carter's plastic washers on the Infinity work great.

While I don't expect it to be an issue, I might add a dab of glue so I don't lose one.

I've never had a leg seize up on me, I'm just in the habit of lubing metal surfaces to avoid any problems.

Plenty of good advice here as usual.

Some version of this dry lube would be my preference - available at most auto supply or home centers.
And to Ian's point about dissimilar metals, if you're around the house, a little heat from a hair dryer on the aluminum might ease that leg grip.

I have found over the years, if you put the leg in the your deep freeze for 1 hour your wife can get it lose.

If you have one that's stuck, you can get a band wrench at automotive stores. I have one for oil filters. Don't really know what they're call, but they're handy to have around for all sorts of round things that are stuck or need tightening without marring the surface.

Harbor freight $4.95 for set of 2.

Thanks Bill!
JB

I always carry a pair of thin gloves with the palm side coated with sticky rubber, that I get in Big Lots (the store). I use em to tighten the legs too. Easy to fit in the steel case, cheap, and they'll give you a much improved grip on anything smooth, and slippery. -Jake-

I used to carry in my steel guitar case a 4”x4” piece of rubber mesh shelf liner because my wife discovered it to be very helpful in unscrewing jar lids. It took up virtually no space, and worked great on over-tightened guitar legs. (And yes, I had lubricated the threads.)

Then years ago, I read one of Bobbe Seymour’s SGF posts about his steel guitar legs becoming very loose after repeated assembly and disassembly. He constantly had to over-tighten the legs, which wore out the threads and the guitar would wobble. He solved this problem by drilling holes through the end-plate of his favorite guitar and installing big ugly screws to keep the legs tight.
Yikes!

This got me to reframe the problem: “How can I get the legs to stay in place without over-tightening them?” I carefully examined the threaded part of the legs. The threaded part of the leg on my Emmons D-10 is 1/2” in diameter, and there is a 3/8” diameter groove just below the threads.

SOLUTION:
As an experiment, I bought four plumbing O-rings at the hardware store (3/8” inside diameter), and popped one in that groove on each leg. Cost was about $1 for four O-rings.

RESULT:
When I tightened the legs just snugly, the O-rings acted like little lock-washers, and the legs never loosened. And it was easy to unscrew the legs.
Eureka!

I thought that I might have to replace the O-rings every few years, but I installed them probably 15 years ago, and the original O-rings are still in place and looking fine. And I never again had to resort to my piece of shelf liner to loosen the legs.

-Dave

The wrenches are called "strap wrenches" in the construction field. They come in all sizes you would ever need.