Frazz by Jef Mallett for April 24, 2012

But I’m sure Jeff has had to deal with left bicycle pedals and right side bottom bracket cups. Those are left hand thread. Well, except for the old french bottom brackets, anyway. And my old ’65 Scout has those lug nuts, too.

BTW, am I the only one that was confused as a child by "righty-tighty, lefty-loosy? I could never understand how whoever made up that saying found it intuitive that right meant the same thing as clockwise. I distinctly remember the internal objection: “but it goes around in a circle! Am I supposed to go left/right with the wrench on top of the fastener, or when it comes around the bottom?”

jerak… I have the same problem when I’m screwing in a light bulb, especially a ceiling one.Depends on where I’m standing in relation to the socket.Sometimes it’s “right” and “clockwise” from behind, making it “left” and “counterclockwise”…. I think….

I’m a little dyslexic, so no amount of explanation or thinking about it stops me from picking the wrong way….

The worst is my grand father clock. It has screw in levelers on the bottom. They screw up. (Just like me!) and the direction from from above is backward…Man, I never know which way…

I can always tell when my husband has closed something with a twist tie – he twists it “backwards” from the direction I twist. It’s one of those things in a relationship that they don’t tell you about!

I think it would be cool if my phone could blow bubbles.

I think Bubbles would like it also…..

Oh, thank you Jef for giving public voice to one of my biggest pet peeves (after the universal conspiracy regarding polarized plugs.) For what it’s worth, Baggies are still available, and cheap. And in my perfect world, manufacturers and bread bakers will always remember “righty tighty.”

Geez, just tear the bag open, I’m starving already.

I get a look from the knowing when I say my spouse has a left-hand thread. Then I explain/complain that twist ties get done up the ‘wrong’ way in my house.

Has anyone ever seen a sandwich bag with a twist tie? Sandwich bags without ziplock mechanisms use a flip top, not a twist tie.

But I’m with jerak on the right-tighty nonsense. It requires you to assume a paricular vantage point is the only valid choice, when, in fact, it is absolutely arbitrary.

The comment on physics and righthand rules made me recall a physics prof reminding us during a test to “make sure we were doing the right-hand rule with our right hands.” He had right-handed students in the past who— in trying to work as quickly as possible— had used their left hand to do the righthand rule (that way they didn’t have to put down their pencils). Unfortunately, if you apply a righthand rule with your left hand, you end up with your fields/forces going the wrong directions.

And if you’re left-handed, the whole world is doing it backwards . . .

“Lefty loosy, righty tighty” refers to the shape of the right and left hands. Hold your right hand in front of you and curve your fingers slightly and hold your thumb up. A screw turned in the direction of your fingers will move in the direction your thumb points for right-hand threads (hence the name).

Added clarification: So turning a screw in imitation of your fingers pointing left, loosens it. Turn your hand thumb down, and turn a screw in the direction of your fingers pointing to your right and the screw tightens.

Sharuniboy: You beat me to it. Now shall we discuss the two or three fingers clustered issue?

Dear Jeff, We think Frazz has now risen to the top of all comics and should be awarded the “Best Comic” prize! You have now surpassed Wiley Miller, whom we used to hold in this position. Keep up the great work: you are loved!ElsieKay

I work on machine tools that were built by a Canadian company with major assembly’s built by an American company. The machine requires both standard and metric tools.

No, it started many years before knockoff hubs in the 1950s (although, as you said, it is mandatory on knockoff hubs). It began when cars went from demountable rims to removeable wheels with lugnuts about 1920. The lugnuts on the left side tended to loosen, so many makes used left-hand thread on the left side.

The problem really occurs when a nut/bolt/screw is so tight that it won’t move either way, or when one seems to be uselessly spinning without actually moving in either direction.

Ewladoh — tell me that when you’re standing on a stepladder, repeatedly failing to twist a light bulb into a sideways facing socket you can’t see, at arm’s length, wondering whether it’s not quite at the right angle or you’re turning it the wrong direction. LOL. Such fun.

Sharuniboy: Precisely. I knew you would get the comment. It was a major liturgical battle back when – maybe still is.

when we were young being catholic we made the sign of the cross to determine our right hand. orthodox use the left hand ~ not true…. both use the right hand to sign the Cross; Catholics go up, down, left, right and the Orthodox go up, down, right, left…