Tip of the day, August 13, 2013

Aug 13, 2013 13 Replies

A syringe full of grease helps when assembling things, using screws or bolts. A tiny bit of grease on the threads helps installing. And later, the threads are more likely to come apart.



I used to use Vaseline, but more recently have been using marine grease.



When in college, a friend gave me some plastic cow teat syringes. Which have served well. Vet supply places sell real syringes. I grind the tip flat, so I'm less likely to stab myself.



Grease and even Vaseline is messy. Why not just use a bar of soap?

Tomsic

soap contains water, causing rust.

Lacks the kewl factor.

. Christ> Grease and even Vaseline is messy.

Why not just use a bar of soap?

The problem with using grease is that it'll stay where you put it, and not only will vibrations be more likely to cause the nuts and bolts you use it on to come loose, but dust will stick to it, potentially causing other problems.

Go to any pharmacy and buy a 3 fluid ounce bottle of glycerine for about $3. Glycerine has all of the properties of a light oil, but it's actually an alcohol and so it evaporates completely without leaving any residue.

So, you can use the glycerine as a light oil for assembling part with the knowledge that after the assembly is complete, the oil will evaporate completely so the assembly won't be affected by vibrations causing the nuts and bolts to loosen, or airborne dust sticking to and remaining on the assembled parts.

For example, supposed you wanted to push a rubber handle bar grip onto a chrome plated steel bicycle handle bar. The co-efficient of friction between rubber and steel is high, and so pushing it on without a lubricant is gonna be a fight. But, if you use a lubricant like grease, the grips will slide off as easily as they slid on. So, use glycerine as the lubricant, and then leave the grips alone for a couple of days for the glycerine to evaporate out of the microscopic gap between the steel and the rubber. That way, you enjoy the benefits of having used a lubricant to get the grips to slide on easily and the benefits of not having used a lubricant in that the grips don't slide off easily, both at the same time.

Here's another example. If you've got an old weathered wood window frame to repaint, do you repaint first and then caulk the joints, or do you caulk the joints and then paint? If you caulk first, you're going to want to tool the caulk with a soapy solution on your finger. And, if that soapy solution gets onto the old dry wood, it'll get absorbed and then the paint won't stick to that wood unless you spend a lot of time washing the residual soap out of the wood. An alternative is to tool the joint with glycerine on your fingers. Then, the glycerine will evaporate out of the wood completely over a couple of days, and you can proceed directly with painting.

Ya gotta know this stuff to be king.

That was the case in NY state for many years.

. Christ> In many states, having a syringe and not being a diabetic or doctor

I use "saw wax" it will lube threads, drill bits, self drilling screws, hacksaw blades, jigsaw blades, circular saw blades and handsaw blades. It is a very useful item to have in a toolbox and I find different uses for it all the time. Heck, I've even used it to lube lock mechanisms. ^_^

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TDD

I think the tip of the day concept is a good one and I'd like to see a lot of people participate. I've learned a lot of useful tips and labor saving practices from other guys and gals through the years and I don't mind passing them and the ones I came up with on my own. ^_^

TDD

Jump in any time. Not copyright or anything.

How do you find which multipin connector to replace? What to check first when your data processing POS system is winky blinky? I expect you have plenty to contribute.

. Christ>

Believe it or not, the first thing to check is to see if the fracking thing is plugged in. ^_^

TDD

Darn, hit the reply key instead of followup. Sent to you instead of the list.

I've had that problem. The outdoor coolers I service, very often they are plugged into GFCI. And I arrive, and have to push the little reset button.

. Christ> >> Jump in any time. Not copyright or anything.

There is Anti Seize also.

Good stuff, if messy. I prefer uncle seize.

. Christ>> When in college, a friend gave me some plastic

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