nylock nuts or star washers?

[shoggoth]

Stupid question: is it better practice to secure a grounding lug with a nylock nut or a star washer? Or does it not matter?

[Leo_Gnardo]

For grounding the AC wire & appropriate transformer secondaries I use a soldering lug with built in star washer. Not cheap anymore. Just ordered 100 #10's from Mouser, 14 cents apiece. When I was a kid they were 5 for a penny. FWIW I always solder, never crimp. Seen too many crimped wires come loose.

Also a good idea to scrape paint and/or corrosion from the chassis where the ground connexion is bolted on.

And it's not a stupid question. To make dodgy ground connexions, that's stupid. If this & others' answers help improve your technique then it was a smart question.

[David Root]

The grounding lugs I use have an internal star washer so I just use a regular nut.

I use a KEPS nut to lock the thru chassis bolt to the chassis, then the lug, then the nut. On the AC cord ground wire I use two regular nuts on the lug instead of one.
I guess you could use a single nylock nut instead but I would not use a nylock on that ground.

Personally I don't care for nylock nuts.

Leo, years ago I bought a bag of NOS #6 lugs for next to nothing. If I live as long as Methuselah I might use 'em all! I can't believe what they go for these days either.

[Phil_S]

No for Nylock. I think you want all metal on a ground connection. I like the two nut solution as well. For a couple of nickels, you can have two nuts to be sure it's secure.

[Structo]

It should have some sort of star washer to bite into the chassis for a good connection.
Be it with a single star washer, solder lug with star washer or Keps nut with star washer.

You can use a ny-lok nut but should still use a star washer for the best connection.

[NickC]

I use a star washer, lug, metal nut (in that order) and top it off with a nylock nut to hold it all in place.

[boots]

I use a star washer on the ground lug. I also have taken to using a dab of blue Loctite on all nuts and bolts. Amps vibrate. I have never had problems with anything rattling loose.

You would have to be careful not to use too much Loctite on a ground connection - I doubt if it is conductive. Just a tiny bit to secure the nut.

[telentubes]

I use both a star and a Nylock for grounds, etc., and just Nylocks for the other stuff (sockets, boards, etc.).

[billyz]

I use several methods. Lugs with the star teeth and a nut, plain lug and a kep nut. I crimp then solder. Clean the chassis and use deoxit under the lug, And lastly I use blue threadlock. Unless I get the big iron out and solder to a plated steel chassis, my favorite.

[Bob S]

I like to use a star washer on the transformer lug side too.
Makes a good bond with the end bells.
Inside I mainly use a solder lug with star, nut and a nylock.
Scrape the paint off the lugs too.

[Gaz]

I use TWO nylocs on top of a "starred" solder terminal (you guys know what I mean). I have no idea why you wouldn't use a nyloc since you should not be relying on the contact the nut makes with the screw for grounding anyways. Nylocs make just as good of contact anyways, not including the small portion that is nylon, of course. Think about it, nylocs are taller anyways, so they make just as much contact via the threads as a regular shorter nut. I also exclusively use stainless hardware, hit the chassis with a Dremel, and put a bit of No-Ox as well since I use aluminum chassis. Hope that helps.

[shoggoth]

Does anyone have the Mouser part # for the lugs w/ the built-in star washers? I'm totally failing to find them

[martin manning]

534-7312 short, bent w/ 2 holes for leads, #6.