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 threadBasically, 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.
... 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.
Clockwise/counterclockwise still depends on which way you are looking at it. Sometimes you have to unscrew things from the other side.
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.
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.
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.
Clocky locky
In Dutch we only talk about turning screws clockwise and counterclockwise
Unless you're south of the equator ...
Clockwise lockwise. Windershins looser.
Never heard that one before, thx.
La derecha oprime, la izquierda libera.
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.
If too much righty tighty then it might become loosy
"little bolt no good anymore" - maybe don't use caveman strength on an 8mm bolt that holds no weight???
Torque specs? Keep going right till it gets loose again
Also, crossthreading = nature's loctite.
shit, guess I'm replacing the whole thing now
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.
"We are checking"
Was gonna say that sounds about right for a Ferrari Mechanic 😂
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.
😂 HIS ASS IS NOT A MECHANIC 😂
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.
Unless it's a propane tanks top spigot, then it's lefty tighty righty don't fuck with it.
Right hand rule gang
Hell yeah. Though, I do get strange looks when I'm giving a thumbs up or down to an inanimate object...
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
Dyslexia / dysgraphia
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.
Still remember the day my grandfather taught me this
They better remember this when they’re doing Lewis’s wheels next year!
👍right hand rule master race
Righty tooty lefty loopey, except after c
Yeah... there's a lot of reverse threaded stuff at my work.
Shouldn't it be the exact opposite way for this wheel? From the closeness to the wall this should be the left rear wheel of the car. In order to prevent the bolts from unscrewing them self they should be a left thread on the left side of the car.
the left pedal of a bycycle also has a left thread instead of a right thread to avoid that from happening.
Only if it's attached with one bolt in the center.
