Can you over tighten DSD saddles?

[Bruce L]

Changing out all the saddles in one bush before we wash,noticed sometimes the mainline appears to flatten down,getting squished. I am hand tightening with a nut driver,will this make them leak if the mainline is out of perfectly round?

[maple flats]

They can be over tightened, but as long as the gasket still covers the hole properly I've never had them leak from over tightening. I find they work best if you only gently tighten them and then just add a slight added turn if you get a leak. They generally do not need to be as tight as many people think. I also use a nut driver, but if I'm installing a bunch I put a nut driver on a cordless drill, set the clutch to the lowest setting and that is tight enough. My drills are DeWalt and they have 15 clutch settings, #1 works well.