Drawer slide lube?

Jul 07, 2008 7 Replies

The drawer slides on an old dresser are wood, somewhat like tongue and groove except on a much larger scale. A couple of the drawers started getting hard to slide open, so I applied some Dial bath soap to the grooves. That helped a little, but still not as free as I would like. That got me to thinking that perhaps modern soap is not as good for that purpose as grandpa's old soap. Modern soap is slick when wet, but doesn't seem to be much use when dry. Is there a better lube for wood-on-wood, one that will not absorb into the wood or stain it?



KC


On 7/6/2008 8:39 PM KC spake thus:

Ordinary candle wax. Just rub a candle along the parts that slide.

Paraffin or candle wax. If you can determine the area where it is tight, sand it.

Don't use soap as a lubricant, it's so 18th century.

Use a 21st century product such as clear silicone grease:

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NEVER put anything containing silicone in any form on good wood. It guarantees that you will never be able to repair it or refinish it.

Candle stub works best. White (natural shade) tapers or utility candles usually have a blunt base about the right size, and the candle-buyer in your house will never know where they have been.

-- aem sends...

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