Gotta get it right

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

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.
- What species works 9-5? I'd love to have more time off.
  
  American yeah?

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???
  
  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.

Torque specs? Keep going right till it gets loose again
- Also, crossthreading = nature's loctite.
  
  shit, guess I'm replacing the whole thing now

"We are checking"
- Was gonna say that sounds about right for a Ferrari Mechanic 😂

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.

😂 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.

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.

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

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.

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...

Righty tooty lefty loopey, except after c

👍right hand rule master race

Still remember the day my grandfather taught me this

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.

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

not if it's metric
- Huh? It doesn't matter if a right-winded thread is imperial or metric, its right winded.
  
  /s

54 comments