I was looking all over, auto parts stores, online sites, searches for
"petroleum based grease" among other terms... point being is a need
for a thick, semi stiff yet soft lube for the screws in vises and whatever
other basic needs like that, which do not "stink" to H-H like anything I
could find. It seems petroleum/oil is at a premium so there is every
other engineered chemical replacement, and they all stink profusely.
So searches like "wax as grease" turned up a recipe for 50-50 beeswax
and motor oil, doesn't stink. But, leary of the wax flaking anyway if it's
too much in the ratio, anyone think this is a correct ratio, or should it
be a 60 oil / 40 wax, what should be proper? Is there a better recipe that
can be used for the same purpose?
--
Alex
cravdraa - at - yahoo - dot - comment
http://www.e-sword.net/ (free exellent windows bible)
> --
> --John
> Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
> (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Fascinating (said Spock). Based on your post and a few others I will no doubt
attempt mineral oil mixed with graphite, or buy the grease if I can find it.
Thanks for all that TYPING!
--
Alex
cravdraa - at - yahoo - dot - comment
http://www.e-sword.net/ (free excellent windows bible)
AAvK responds:
>Fascinating (said Spock). Based on your post and a few others I will no doubt
>attempt mineral oil mixed with graphite, or buy the grease if I can find it.
>Thanks for all that TYPING!
What are you lubing? If you use ANY grease or oil on trunnions or other under
table gears in a table saw, you are going to have impacted sawdust in short
order. That's OK if you enjoy standing on your head to clean the gears on a
bi-weekly basis, but I'm getting old enough that I want to reduce that to once
every couple, three years.
Charlie Self
"One of the common denominators I have found is that expectations rise above
that which is expected." George W. Bush
> What are you lubing? If you use ANY grease or oil on trunnions or other under
> table gears in a table saw, you are going to have impacted sawdust in short
> order. That's OK if you enjoy standing on your head to clean the gears on a
> bi-weekly basis, but I'm getting old enough that I want to reduce that to once
> every couple, three years.
>
>
The lead screw of my antique vise. It is made of maleable iron I believe, and the
1/2-nut is a super soft brass alloy. I don't want any abrasives to affect the into
the lube and wear it down, such as sawdust and sandpaper grits... that 1/2-nut
cannot be replaced unless it's copied. $$$$. The best suggestions I have heard
is the use of a graphite lube, store bought graphite grease or powder mixed with
wax or oil. Supposedly dusts will "fall off" of the screw when it's turned....?...if
a thin layer of graphite lube is used.
--
Alex
cravdraa - at - yahoo - dot - comment
http://www.e-sword.net/ (free excellent windows bible)
On Sun, 9 Jan 2005 14:09:12 -0800, "AAvK" <[email protected]> wrote:
>The lead screw of my antique vise. It is made of maleable iron I believe,
Malleable iron isn't an old enough invention to be truly antique. If
your vice really is old, don't abuse the castings.
--
Smert' spamionam
On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 17:23:09 +0000, Andy Dingley
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 09:24:06 -0500, "George" <george@least> wrote:
>
>>Graphite is the ultimate slippery substance.
>
>Actually the _most_ slippery is ferret shit
>on a varnished wooden floor.
Andy, is that observation based on your "Experimental Physics"
research or some other experience ;-)
TWS
> I wouldn't even use motor oil. Oil attracts dust like crazy. I've been
> lubing my vise screws with straight beeswax for a long time now. I don't
> have to reapply it often (couple times a year maybe) and it works great.
>
>
Doesn't it flake off? Don't want that...
--
Alex
cravdraa - at - yahoo - dot - comment
http://www.e-sword.net/ (free exellent windows bible)
AAvK wrote:
> So searches like "wax as grease" turned up a recipe for 50-50 beeswax
> and motor oil, doesn't stink. But, leary of the wax flaking anyway if it's
I wouldn't even use motor oil. Oil attracts dust like crazy. I've been
lubing my vise screws with straight beeswax for a long time now. I don't
have to reapply it often (couple times a year maybe) and it works great.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/
AAvK wrote:
>> I wouldn't even use motor oil. Oil attracts dust like crazy. I've been
>> lubing my vise screws with straight beeswax for a long time now. I don't
>> have to reapply it often (couple times a year maybe) and it works great.
>>
>>
> Doesn't it flake off? Don't want that...
The excess flakes off the first time, but that's the end of it.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/
AAvK wrote:
>
>>> Doesn't it flake off? Don't want that...
>>
>> The excess flakes off the first time, but that's the end of it.
>>
>>
> That would take a long while on this vise. It is a handle controlled quick
> release, only little 3" sections of the screw are used at any one time on
> the
> 1/2-nut, within it's casing, no more than 1/4" of a turn to tighten onto
> the project wood.
Ah, well, that's probably a good point. Mine is an old 7" non-quick-release
type. I just re-did it a bit ago, and I removed the little plate on the
back that keeps the screw from coming out. Pulled the screw out, wire
brushed the grunk out of the pits on the threads, waxed it, then cycled the
screw all the way a couple of times. It's realllly smooth now. Much
better than it's been since I restored it.
That vise was an interesting find. It fell off the back of a waterbed
store's delivery truck. Guy said it was on there when he bought the truck.
He looked at it, looked at me, said "Here, you want a vise?"
I could tell it was some kind of face vise, and it looked old, but it was a
complete rust bucket. It was and adventure spanning years getting that
thing to work again, and it was well worth the effort. Even though there's
some pretty serious pitting on all the threads that weren't inside the
gigantic nut, it still works perfectly. That much more perfectly now. I
finally even got the pop-up dog to where my son can pop it up. It used to
be mighty stiff.
There's nothing like rescuing a gigantic hunk of cast iron from oblivion.
This thing could have been made anywhere between the '20s and the '50s. I
can't date it closer than that. One things for sure though: they don't
make'em like *this* anymore. Those new ones for $100 look incredibly wussy
next to this monster. I just wish it was a 10" quick-release version from
the same company. Oh well, you can't get everything for free.
Sorry. I ramble about this thing from time to time. I sure am proud of it.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/
AAvK wrote:
> sitting outside for years. The jobs left to do are de-rusting the lead
> screw and painting it. It is an awesome find, 28 pounds of iron.
I didn't bother to paint mine. I forget what it weighs, but it's somewhere
in that same ballpark.
>> store's delivery truck. Guy said it was on there when he bought the
>> truck. He looked at it, looked at me, said "Here, you want a vise?"
>
> ...some awesome pure dumb luck! See if your vise is like any of these,
It's a Morgan 7A, Morgan Vise Co. of Chicago. That's all I know. I've seen
them on eBay before, but none recently. The ones I noticed went for about
$70. They seem to be floating around, but there's no Morgan Vise Co.
Historical Preservation Society or anything like that. It's not a Stanley
hand plane. :) I think the 10A was a 10" model, and there's some model or
other that had a quick release mechanism. I've seen several of them
floating around, but all for rather more than I paid for mine. :)
> http://www.milwmal.com/home.htm Mine comes extremely close. Did it
> literally "fall off" the truck? Soft maleable iron?
Literally did, yeah, but it's fine. You could probably drop this thing out
of an airplane without hurting it. One of the hardest parts was getting
the bolts that had sheared off back out of it. That's why it fell off the
truck. It had these weird, thick hunks of rectangular something (iron,
steel) in little slots, and I couldn't get them out until I had gotten the
headless bolts out of the sliding metal pieces. I don't quite remember how
I solved that one.
> missing one nut that holds a guide rod into the front jaw, 3/4-10 and
> still made but not inthat exact outer shape. I bought two new ones of
> grade 8. Soaked them in vinegar until the coating was gone and nut turned
> black. Then coated the nuts in 3-in-one oil and heated them on a the hook
> of a wire coat hanger, burned the oil on over a gas bbq flame.
Clever. I'm not sure what size mine are. Bigass. Fortunately they're both
there.
> What company made your vise? And, what metal is the 1/2-nut made of?
Some kind of ferrous metal. :) I have no idea. Iron, steel. It's
basically a 4" cube of solid something with threads cut through it. The
rust sealed the outside, and the threads inside this cube, and on the part
of the screw where it sat for countless years, are absolutely pristine.
Pity the whole screw isn't that pristine, but it works anyway.
>> Sorry. I ramble about this thing from time to time. I sure am proud of
>> it.
>
> Not even the slightest problem man... RAMBLE! I am proud of my vise too!
> It is a triumph of a find over feeding the money-monging giants.
They don't build'em like they used to, that's for sure. And they want you
to pay $100 for a vise that doesn't have 1/4 as much metal in it as either
one of ours.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/
Anything that sticks to the vise screw will be stuck to by the dust you
make. Teflon-based stuff that dries would be my preference. Under saw
trunnions and such, graphite- based.
If you're hot to try it, get a wax toilet seal and slather it on. Save the
rest for lubing screws put into wood.
"AAvK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:X9DDd.52055$Cl3.43456@fed1read03...
>
> I was looking all over, auto parts stores, online sites, searches for
> "petroleum based grease" among other terms... point being is a need
> for a thick, semi stiff yet soft lube for the screws in vises and whatever
> other basic needs like that, which do not "stink" to H-H like anything I
> could find. It seems petroleum/oil is at a premium so there is every
> other engineered chemical replacement, and they all stink profusely.
>
> So searches like "wax as grease" turned up a recipe for 50-50 beeswax
> and motor oil, doesn't stink. But, leary of the wax flaking anyway if it's
> too much in the ratio, anyone think this is a correct ratio, or should it
> be a 60 oil / 40 wax, what should be proper? Is there a better recipe that
> can be used for the same purpose?
>
> --
> Alex
> cravdraa - at - yahoo - dot - comment
> http://www.e-sword.net/ (free exellent windows bible)
>
>
"AAvK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:HNGDd.52082$Cl3.50930@fed1read03...
> > As Charlie mentioned, clean off whatever is on them now and then use a
> > toothbrush (yes even a used one will work) to spread the wax and
graphite
> > mixture on the gears. It beats the dry lubes and doesn't attract dust
like
> > grease does. Yes, dust will lay on top but will fall off when you
rotate
> > the cranks. All you need is enough to coat the bearing surfaces where
the
> > teeth mesh. Any slopped on the sides doesn't do a thing....
> > Bob S.
> >
>
> Thanks Bob, I suppose this recipe I found should go to 60% oil and
> 40% wax to make my own paste wax (I got several lbs of beeswax,
> no worries there). But this thing with graphite, isn't it an abrasive at
> any degree?
>
Graphite is the ultimate slippery substance. No worries there. Now
anything which will collect dust and sanding grit (like wax) will regrind
your surfaces for you, which is why the drier the lube the better.
I'd do solvent and wax in a double boiler, with the objective of a minimal
dry deposit on the screw. No oil, because that's going to collect.
"John DeBoo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Andy Dingley wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 09:24:06 -0500, "George" <george@least> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Graphite is the ultimate slippery substance.
> >
> >
> > Actually the _most_ slippery is ferret shit
> > on a varnished wooden floor.
>
> I thought it was snot on a doorknob?
Ah, sweet college days when we used to put rubber cement on handrails and
wait for the next to descend the stairs....
On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 23:35:16 GMT, Lew Hodgett
<[email protected]> calmly ranted:
>"George" wrote:
>
>>Graphite is the ultimate slippery substance.
>
>Andy Dingley then writes:
>
>> Actually the _most_ slippery is ferret shit
>>on a varnished wooden floor.
>
>My vote goes to sperm from a used condom, smeared on a brass door knob
>when it's 10 below.
I pray that nobody asks for details on that one, Lew.
Newp, me no wanna know.
---
- Sarcasm is just one more service we offer. -
http://diversify.com Web Applications
On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 11:42:54 -0800, "AAvK" <[email protected]> vaguely
proposed a theory
......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email
>
>> Actually the _most_ slippery is ferret shit
>> on a varnished wooden floor.
>>
>>
>Well I HAVE had a little experience with chicken shit... you sure it isn't that?
Only when the chickens see the ferret
> Just made this post in another thread and I use it on my vise also.
> 10 year supply....
> Fill a small baby food jar 3/4's full of Johnson's or Butcher's paste wax
> and stir in one very small tube of dry graphite from the auto supply store.
> Stir it all together until the solution is graphite black. May need to add
> a drop or two of mineral spirits to get a good mixture. If you get to much
> mineral spirits mixed in, don't worry - just leave the lid off the jar and
> it will evaporate out in a day or two.
> As Charlie mentioned, clean off whatever is on them now and then use a
> toothbrush (yes even a used one will work) to spread the wax and graphite
> mixture on the gears. It beats the dry lubes and doesn't attract dust like
> grease does. Yes, dust will lay on top but will fall off when you rotate
> the cranks. All you need is enough to coat the bearing surfaces where the
> teeth mesh. Any slopped on the sides doesn't do a thing....
> Bob S.
>
Thanks Bob, I suppose this recipe I found should go to 60% oil and
40% wax to make my own paste wax (I got several lbs of beeswax,
no worries there). But this thing with graphite, isn't it an abrasive at
any degree?
The vise, as should have explaned, is an 1800's antique, and it's half
nut is a super soft brass alloy (with tin?). Impossible to replace unless
having it copied. The screw is iron, not steel, and maleable but FAR
harder than the half nut. Your recipe sounds good though.
--
Alex
cravdraa - at - yahoo - dot - comment
http://www.e-sword.net/ (free exellent windows bible)
>> Doesn't it flake off? Don't want that...
>
> The excess flakes off the first time, but that's the end of it.
>
>
That would take a long while on this vise. It is a handle controlled quick
release, only little 3" sections of the screw are used at any one time on the
1/2-nut, within it's casing, no more than 1/4" of a turn to tighten onto the
project wood.
--
Alex
cravdraa - at - yahoo - dot - comment
http://www.e-sword.net/ (free exellent windows bible)
Andy Dingley <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 09:24:06 -0500, "George" <george@least> wrote:
>
>>Graphite is the ultimate slippery substance.
>
> Actually the _most_ slippery is ferret shit
> on a varnished wooden floor.
>
> DAMHIKT
>
>
You, friend, lead an intersting life. Not one to which I necessarily
aspire, but interesting.
The things you learn on rec.norm...
Patriarch
"Silvan" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> AAvK wrote:
>
>> sitting outside for years. The jobs left to do are de-rusting the lead
>> screw and painting it. It is an awesome find, 28 pounds of iron.
>
> I didn't bother to paint mine. I forget what it weighs, but it's somewhere
> in that same ballpark.
>
>>> store's delivery truck. Guy said it was on there when he bought the
>>> truck. He looked at it, looked at me, said "Here, you want a vise?"
>>
>> ...some awesome pure dumb luck! See if your vise is like any of these,
>
> It's a Morgan 7A, Morgan Vise Co. of Chicago. That's all I know. I've seen
> them on eBay before, but none recently. The ones I noticed went for about
> $70. They seem to be floating around, but there's no Morgan Vise Co.
> Historical Preservation Society or anything like that. It's not a Stanley
> hand plane. :) I think the 10A was a 10" model, and there's some model or
> other that had a quick release mechanism. I've seen several of them
> floating around, but all for rather more than I paid for mine. :)
Nope... Morgan are still made by the company of the link I gave, take a close look.
The morgan name is on their vises as a brand name, not a company name. Something
of a poor website.
>> http://www.milwmal.com/home.htm Mine comes extremely close. Did it
>> literally "fall off" the truck? Soft maleable iron?
>
> Literally did, yeah, but it's fine. You could probably drop this thing out
> of an airplane without hurting it. One of the hardest parts was getting
> the bolts that had sheared off back out of it. That's why it fell off the
> truck. It had these weird, thick hunks of rectangular something (iron,
> steel) in little slots, and I couldn't get them out until I had gotten the
> headless bolts out of the sliding metal pieces. I don't quite remember how
> I solved that one.
>
>> missing one nut that holds a guide rod into the front jaw, 3/4-10 and
>> still made but not inthat exact outer shape. I bought two new ones of
>> grade 8. Soaked them in vinegar until the coating was gone and nut turned
>> black. Then coated the nuts in 3-in-one oil and heated them on a the hook
>> of a wire coat hanger, burned the oil on over a gas bbq flame.
>
> Clever. I'm not sure what size mine are. Bigass. Fortunately they're both
> there.
>
>> What company made your vise? And, what metal is the 1/2-nut made of?
>
> Some kind of ferrous metal. :) I have no idea. Iron, steel. It's
> basically a 4" cube of solid something with threads cut through it. The
> rust sealed the outside, and the threads inside this cube, and on the part
> of the screw where it sat for countless years, are absolutely pristine.
> Pity the whole screw isn't that pristine, but it works anyway.
That is better than mine. I absolutely must get a molding made from mine for
a future copy, if that is how it is done.
>>> Sorry. I ramble about this thing from time to time. I sure am proud of
>>> it.
>>
>> Not even the slightest problem man... RAMBLE! I am proud of my vise too!
>> It is a triumph of a find over feeding the money-monging giants.
>
> They don't build'em like they used to, that's for sure. And they want you
> to pay $100 for a vise that doesn't have 1/4 as much metal in it as either
> one of ours.
>
> --
> Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
> Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
> http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
> http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/
> Ah, well, that's probably a good point. Mine is an old 7" non-quick-release
> type. I just re-did it a bit ago, and I removed the little plate on the
> back that keeps the screw from coming out. Pulled the screw out, wire
> brushed the grunk out of the pits on the threads, waxed it, then cycled the
> screw all the way a couple of times. It's realllly smooth now. Much
> better than it's been since I restored it.
Doing the same here, it is an old 7x4" vise made by "American Scale Co. KS. MO."
No. 204. Found it in a junk shop yard with a homemade aluminum spacer for $20,
couldn't go wrong. I have done a ton of cleaning off the rust, there was never any
damage because of the rust and it had been sitting outside for years. The jobs left to
do are de-rusting the lead screw and painting it. It is an awesome find, 28 pounds
of iron.
> That vise was an interesting find. It fell off the back of a waterbed
> store's delivery truck. Guy said it was on there when he bought the truck.
> He looked at it, looked at me, said "Here, you want a vise?"
...some awesome pure dumb luck! See if your vise is like any of these, still being
made: Milwaukee Tool & Equipment Company http://www.milwmal.com/home.htm
Mine comes extremely close. Did it literally "fall off" the truck? Soft maleable iron?
> I could tell it was some kind of face vise, and it looked old, but it was a
> complete rust bucket. It was and adventure spanning years getting that
> thing to work again, and it was well worth the effort. Even though there's
> some pretty serious pitting on all the threads that weren't inside the
> gigantic nut, it still works perfectly. That much more perfectly now. I
> finally even got the pop-up dog to where my son can pop it up. It used to
> be mighty stiff.
I was luckier, sliding dog was only a little stuck in there, wd-40 and wedged it out...
needs a new screw-knob that can tighten down. It was missing one nut that holds a
guide rod into the front jaw, 3/4-10 and still made but not inthat exact outer shape.
I bought two new ones of grade 8. Soaked them in vinegar until the coating was
gone and nut turned black. Then coated the nuts in 3-in-one oil and heated them on
a the hook of a wire coat hanger, burned the oil on over a gas bbq flame.
> There's nothing like rescuing a gigantic hunk of cast iron from oblivion.
> This thing could have been made anywhere between the '20s and the '50s. I
> can't date it closer than that. One things for sure though: they don't
> make'em like *this* anymore. Those new ones for $100 look incredibly wussy
> next to this monster. I just wish it was a 10" quick-release version from
> the same company. Oh well, you can't get everything for free.
What company made your vise? And, what metal is the 1/2-nut made of?
> Sorry. I ramble about this thing from time to time. I sure am proud of it.
Not even the slightest problem man... RAMBLE! I am proud of my vise too! It is
a triumph of a find over feeding the money-monging giants.
> --
> Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
> Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
> http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
> http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/
--
Alex
cravdraa - at - yahoo - dot - comment
http://www.e-sword.net/ (free excellent windows bible)
Just made this post in another thread and I use it on my vise also.
10 year supply....
Fill a small baby food jar 3/4's full of Johnson's or Butcher's paste wax
and stir in one very small tube of dry graphite from the auto supply store.
Stir it all together until the solution is graphite black. May need to add
a drop or two of mineral spirits to get a good mixture. If you get to much
mineral spirits mixed in, don't worry - just leave the lid off the jar and
it will evaporate out in a day or two.
As Charlie mentioned, clean off whatever is on them now and then use a
toothbrush (yes even a used one will work) to spread the wax and graphite
mixture on the gears. It beats the dry lubes and doesn't attract dust like
grease does. Yes, dust will lay on top but will fall off when you rotate
the cranks. All you need is enough to coat the bearing surfaces where the
teeth mesh. Any slopped on the sides doesn't do a thing....
Bob S.
"AAvK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:X9DDd.52055$Cl3.43456@fed1read03...
>
> I was looking all over, auto parts stores, online sites, searches for
> "petroleum based grease" among other terms... point being is a need
> for a thick, semi stiff yet soft lube for the screws in vises and whatever
> other basic needs like that, which do not "stink" to H-H like anything I
> could find. It seems petroleum/oil is at a premium so there is every
> other engineered chemical replacement, and they all stink profusely.
>
> So searches like "wax as grease" turned up a recipe for 50-50 beeswax
> and motor oil, doesn't stink. But, leary of the wax flaking anyway if it's
> too much in the ratio, anyone think this is a correct ratio, or should it
> be a 60 oil / 40 wax, what should be proper? Is there a better recipe that
> can be used for the same purpose?
>
> --
> Alex
> cravdraa - at - yahoo - dot - comment
> http://www.e-sword.net/ (free exellent windows bible)
>
>
AAvK wrote:
>
>> Just made this post in another thread and I use it on my vise also.
>> 10 year supply....
>> Fill a small baby food jar 3/4's full of Johnson's or Butcher's paste wax
>> and stir in one very small tube of dry graphite from the auto supply
>> store.
>> Stir it all together until the solution is graphite black. May need to
>> add
>> a drop or two of mineral spirits to get a good mixture. If you get to
>> much mineral spirits mixed in, don't worry - just leave the lid off the
>> jar and it will evaporate out in a day or two.
>> As Charlie mentioned, clean off whatever is on them now and then use a
>> toothbrush (yes even a used one will work) to spread the wax and graphite
>> mixture on the gears. It beats the dry lubes and doesn't attract dust
>> like
>> grease does. Yes, dust will lay on top but will fall off when you rotate
>> the cranks. All you need is enough to coat the bearing surfaces where
>> the teeth mesh. Any slopped on the sides doesn't do a thing....
>> Bob S.
>>
>
> Thanks Bob, I suppose this recipe I found should go to 60% oil and
> 40% wax to make my own paste wax (I got several lbs of beeswax,
> no worries there). But this thing with graphite, isn't it an abrasive at
> any degree?
>
> The vise, as should have explaned, is an 1800's antique, and it's half
> nut is a super soft brass alloy (with tin?). Impossible to replace unless
> having it copied. The screw is iron, not steel, and maleable but FAR
> harder than the half nut. Your recipe sounds good though.
Graphite is the standard lock lubricant. Very high grade slippery stuff if
it's of high purity. If it's got crud in it, the crud can be
abrasive--that's why you want to use graphite sold as a lubricant and not
ground up pencil lead, which these days is graphite with ceramic additives
to adjust the hardness and provide strength (a fascinating book if you're
into the history of commonplace technology is "The Pencil" by Henry
Petroski). Graphite has an interesting structure--I won't try to describe
it here because it's one of those situations where a picture beats a
thousand words--but the bottom line is that no, it's not abrasive to any
significant degree, at least not when used as a lubricant--I don't know
what it does if you shoot it out of a sandblaster.
An alternative would be powdered Teflon, but I suspect that that's more
abrasive than graphite.
By the way, you might want to consider using "mineral oil", the stuff you
find in a pharmacy, not motor oil, in any formulation that requires oil if
you are concerned about odor.
Personally, I think you'll find that a coat of any good wax (Butcher's or
Johnson's paste wax for example) will do the job just fine--don't try to
get fancy until you've tried that and found out that it didn't work for
you. Don't use car wax unless you're sure it is silicone-free--it will
work fine as a lubricant/preservative but if you get the silicone on
anything there goes all hope of getting a decent finish.
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
> Anything that sticks to the vise screw will be stuck to by the dust you
> make. Teflon-based stuff that dries would be my preference. Under saw
> trunnions and such, graphite- based.
>
> If you're hot to try it, get a wax toilet seal and slather it on. Save the
> rest for lubing screws put into wood.
>
>
Yeah, I have several lbs of beeswax, $4/lb. at the local farmer's market. It is
wonderful stuff, start playing with it and warm it with a lighter and it retains
the heat as you ply with it. Thanks for the advice!
--
Alex
cravdraa - at - yahoo - dot - comment
http://www.e-sword.net/ (free exellent windows bible)
John DeBoo wrote:
> Andy Dingley wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 09:24:06 -0500, "George" <george@least> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Graphite is the ultimate slippery substance.
>>
>>
>>
>> Actually the _most_ slippery is ferret shit on a varnished wooden floor.
>
>
> I thought it was snot on a doorknob?
Where I am from, it is whale shit on an iceberg...
PK