this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2024
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[–] [email protected] 26 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I hate righty-tighty lefty-loosy. Depending on whether you're looking at the top or bottom of the screw, you can see movement to the right or the left. I hate whoever came up with it, and I wish I had been taught the right hand method. It works exactly the same as the electromagnetic right hand rule:
an example of the right hand rule as it relates to a screw thread

Basically, you take your right hand, stick your thumb out, and curl your fingers like you're grabbing a broom handle. Point your thumb in the direction you want the screw to move to. Want to screw something in? Point your thumb towards the thing. Want to unscrew? Point your thumb away from the object the screw is currently in. Then, just look at the way your fingers are pointing! If it helps, squeeze your fingers into a fist and see which way they move. Alternatively, bend your wrist in, and observe which way your fingers are moving. Works every time.

It sounds complicated, but there are plenty of people who are unable to intuitively differentiate from right and left the way they can differentiate up and down. I am one of those people. Thanks to this method, I've been able to develop the muscle memory/intuition to know which way to turn a screw.

It's important to note that this only works for screws that are "right hand threaded." If the screw is only getting tighter when you're using this method, then it's likely reverse threaded, or left hand threaded. If that's the case, just use your left hand instead of your right hand.

[–] blanketswithsmallpox 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

... Neat.

Alas, most people know which way is left or right. In reality it's more clockwise vs counterclockwise. A good friend of mine needed that hold their left hand up and make an L to remember. Doing it with your right makes a J. Unless you somehow associate Left with Jeft in which case you probably pronounce gif wrong too.

Whichever works for you is great. It doesn't mean mean everyone is ND or has a learning disability.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Clockwise/counterclockwise still depends on which way you are looking at it. Sometimes you have to unscrew things from the other side.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 9 months ago (3 children)

As a kid it took me a long time to understand what turning right even meant, because when the top goes right, the bottom goes left and the sides go up and down. It doesn't make sense.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

Even in my sixth decade, I beat people about the head with this, becoming the pedant from hell until they finally revert to clockwise and counterclockwise. And if they become specific enough to be “right over the top”, I go, “well, why not just say clockwise and avoid all that ambiguity?”

Being on the spectrum, it took me into my very early teens to even figure out right from left. I was two grades ahead of my peers in math, and could read a map and navigate better than most adults, but I needed a high degree of specificity when it came to physical directions. Any assumptions that were inconsequential to others became massive roadblocks to me due to the innate ambiguity of assumptions.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I think the issue is that the words "clockwise" and especially "counterclockwise" are way too long and therefore people prefer saying "left" or "right".

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

Not to mention a rapidly growing segment of the population is unable to read analog 12 hour clocks, so the analogy is not that helpful.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Okay, so, yeah. "Righty tighty" never worked for me but you know what did? Turning Clockwise would eventually make the screwhead block up against the wood. "Clockwise, blockwise".

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Clockwise, blockwise

That’s a new one for me. Thanks.

[–] themusicman 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"But it's going anticlockwise if you look at it from behind..."

If you mount a clock on the ceiling, which way do the hands go? What about their shadow on the floor?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Those are some really theoretical ways to observe a clock face.

How about we just start saying, "torque in, torque out"? When the torque vector points in, the screw goes in (tightening). When it points out, the screw comes out (loosening). As long as you are standing on the side of the screw you can actually work with while working with it (and why wouldn't you be?) this is never ambiguous.

Of course, now we're kicking the can down the road and relying on people wrapping their heads around the right hand rule... Hmm...

[–] themusicman 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Doesn't have to be a clock. Which way does a ceiling fan spin?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I have lived in a home with a ceiling fan for nearly 30 years and I cannot confidently answer this question off the top of my head.

Maybe that's just tremendous skill issue on my part, but recognizing that all ceiling fans are standardized to spin only one way and knowing which way that is seems like a weird thing to ask of someone who also needs a mnemonic for which way to tighten screws.

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[–] Ejh3k 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I've been wrenching on cars nearly 30 years. I've had mechanical maintenance as part of my actual job for a decade now. Two years ago it all finally clicked for me. Clockwise tight, counterclockwise loose.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Clocky locky

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

In Dutch we only talk about turning screws clockwise and counterclockwise

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago

Unless you're south of the equator ...

[–] ZagamTheVile 14 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Clockwise lockwise. Windershins looser.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Never heard that one before, thx.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago

La derecha oprime, la izquierda libera.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It would be great if cats could fix cars... :)

Even though we would probably employ them and make them work 9-5 like another species I know.

[–] bruhduh 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

If too much righty tighty then it might become loosy

[–] KreekyBonez 6 points 9 months ago (2 children)

"little bolt no good anymore" - maybe don't use caveman strength on an 8mm bolt that holds no weight???

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Seen it too many times. The biggest guy on the team grabs the biggest wrench he can find for the smallest fastener on the assembly. Maybe the wrench bends, maybe the head snaps, I've seriously considered getting torque limited Allan wrenches.

[–] KreekyBonez 1 points 9 months ago

I recently had someone complain about a bolt getting hot while they were wrenching it. they created enough friction to notice it heating up. and then kept wrenching it.

also, I've started replacing normal bolts with rounded hand-bolts, which are nearly impossible to over-torque, so long as they don't take a pair of pliers to them.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Torque specs? Keep going right till it gets loose again

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Also, crossthreading = nature's loctite.

[–] KreekyBonez 2 points 9 months ago

shit, guess I'm replacing the whole thing now

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

I learned it the other way: Lefty Loosy, Righty Tighty. Your version sounds so wrong to me, but I presume mine sounds wrong to you wrong people.

[–] IndiBrony 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Was gonna say that sounds about right for a Ferrari Mechanic 😂

[–] KreekyBonez 5 points 9 months ago

just watched a sadly hilarious video of a mechanic struggle with reverse threads on highly specific rotating assembly. like, I get it, it's not immediately obvious, but edit that wrong turn out if you want to make a serious explainer series. also, if you work with pivots that often, you have to expect that shit.

[–] feedum_sneedson 5 points 9 months ago

😂 HIS ASS IS NOT A MECHANIC 😂

[–] chiliedogg 5 points 9 months ago

Not on all vehicles.

I broke 2 lug nuts off a Willys Army Jeep I was restoring in High School before I figured that one out.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I'm not sure if it's a symptom of a mental disorder but I struggle with right vs left to this day. If someone says "turn left" it takes some mental power for me to decipher. But clockwise / anticlockwise is easy for some reason

[–] AngryCommieKender 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] NikkiDimes 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

This. I have mild dyslexia and dysgraphia and I refuse to give driving directions. I will point left, say right, and not even realize it and just confuse the shit out of my driver, lol.

Hell, I refuse to accept directions. My navigator will say left, I'll go right, and they'll look at me funny. If we're in my car, we're using GPS. No exceptions, even if we're just going 3 blocks.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] CaptainPedantic 2 points 9 months ago

Hell yeah. Though, I do get strange looks when I'm giving a thumbs up or down to an inanimate object...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Unless it's a propane tanks top spigot, then it's lefty tighty righty don't fuck with it.

[–] tdawg 3 points 9 months ago

Still remember the day my grandfather taught me this

[–] JJROKCZ 3 points 9 months ago

They better remember this when they’re doing Lewis’s wheels next year!

[–] Siegfried 2 points 9 months ago

👍right hand rule master race

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Righty tooty lefty loopey, except after c

[–] Tarkcanis 1 points 9 months ago

Yeah... there's a lot of reverse threaded stuff at my work.

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