Screw lubricant

[C & E]

I have often used barsoap as a screw lube but found it a pain to keep the surface sufficiently wet to be easy to use. Whe the soap is too dry it doesn't adhere to the screw, falling off before it is of any use. I once read that a toilet flange wax ring was useful and happened to find one at the bottom of one of my 'necessary' boxes. In the past I have used petroleum jelly and had it migrate to the surface, wrecking the ability to hold a finish. I am wondering if the wax ring will do the same. What is your experience with screw lubricants?

[Buddy Matlosz]

K-Y Jelly, of course.

B.

[Morris Dovey]

C & E wrote: | I have often used barsoap as a screw lube but found it a pain to | keep the surface sufficiently wet to be easy to use. Whe the soap | is too dry it doesn't adhere to the screw, falling off before it is | of any use. I once read that a toilet flange wax ring was useful | and happened to find one at the bottom of one of my 'necessary' | boxes. In the past I have used petroleum jelly and had it migrate | to the surface, wrecking the ability to hold a finish. I am | wondering if the wax ring will do the same. What is your | experience with screw lubricants?

The wax rings are bees' wax and should work well as screw lube.

I heard somewhere that soap promotes rusting of screws - but haven't seen any first-hand evidence.

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

[<marierdj]

Someone may have a better way than me. I use a vernier to find the screw minor thread diameter and drill the pilot hole accordingly. When the pilot hole is not properly sized I wet the screw threads before using the barsoap. So far by using a quality drill and c'sink bit matched to the right screw size I was able to manage in maple, oak and cherry without lubrication. When screwing in hard spots and knots I for sure use bardsoap as lubrication after wetting the threads of the screw. I have learned by accident that a drop of carpenter's glue also facilitate the driving of the screws in soft wood like eastern white pine.

[Don Dando]

I use bar soap quite successfully. I lick the screw before I rub it on the bar of soap and that holds it to the screw quite well. After while a little moisture builds up on the soap and this helps too. I restore classic mahogany boats and hence have inserted 1000's of screws this way.. I find the soap from hotel/motels works real good!

[David]

It also makes great shampoo. That's why people steal the stuff, it is first class soap...:)

[Doug Miller]

Dang it, Don, will you quit doing that??

[Old guy]

I have an old 35mm film can with Johnson's paste wax in it.

It does dry out over time, but otherwise, just stick the screw in the wax, and pop it into place. No problems with migration.

Old Guy

[Robatoy]

That wouldn't surprise me one bit. Soap is usually quite basic (alkalinity)..(as in base vs acid) When in contact with even a mild base, raw iron will most certainly corrode.

r----> who lines up screws and sprays TopKote all over them. That is supposd to be silicon-free and it sure makes the scews go into oak without a squeek.

[Lee Michaels]

"Robatoy" told us

Which sound far more hygienic than licking the screws.

It is also safer for the tongue than licking the screws.

[else24]

That's what I use. Well, not in a special container, I just grab the paste wax can off the shelf but that's what I've been using for screw lube and haven't heard of anything coming apart yet.

That reminds me it's past time to treat the table saw and jointer beds.

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

Mostly I use a block of bees wax that I picked up somewhere but in a pinch when I can't find the darned thing, I've used Johnson's Paste wax with no issues. I tend to stick with brass screws and although I drill the correct pilot, I still lube as I really don't want to be trying to remove a broken screw. Given how often I use screws, which is rare, the beeswax has worked fine. Perhaps after 1000 screws I may discover something better but until then.... Cheers, cc

[Lew Hodgett]

Waterless hand soap such as GoJo.

As the old commercial for Wild Root Cream Oil went, ".. a little dab will do ya."

Lew

[Puckdropper]

"Lee Michaels" wrote in news:JaCdnRbZd8_xDlPYnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

So obviously they need a tongue shaped applicator kinda like the finger- shaped caulk spreader. ;-)

Puckdropper

[Lew Hodgett]

Mix bees wax with turps 1:1, in a 1 lb coffee can, then keep covered.

Carbon steel screws suck, IMHO.

The cost of fasteners in a project is so small as a percentage of total cost that I don't worry about it. I just use S/S.

Lew

[Jim Weisgram]

My understanding is soap causes rust because the soap attracts moisture. As a once upon a time chemist I can say it at least makes sense, many products do that.

I think the whole point of a wax ring is that it will stay inert and in place without decomposing essentially forever.

Anyway, the wax ring stuff is what I use for wood screws to make them drive easily. It is about as cheap a product as you can use, I think it works better than paraffin or candles. There are products on the market that are specifically made for this purpose (Lloyds Akempucky, et al) but they are a lot more expensive.

[Jim Weisgram]

[...snip...]

Don's a mystery. He seems to mean well... but insists on messing up the thread. I've given up hope.

[Buddy Matlosz]

That was Brylcream.

B.

[Lew Hodgett]

Ah, he remembers.

All is not lost.

Lew

[Charlie Self]

Soap is hygroscopic, I think it is. It draws water. If you combine steel screws and oak you have a real mess given a bit of time.

Paste floor wax and beeswax both work well. I've heard that the new toilet rings are not beeswax, but it's still generally, and cheaply, available from any beekeeper (around here, it's two or three bucks a pound, which should last pretty close to a lifetime as a screw lubricant source. That's uncleaned. Woodcraft carries the cleaned stuff in half pound blocks for 13 bucks).