I’ve got some drawer slides that run decently, but not at smooth as I would like. They are high-quality slides, but I was wondering if there is a lube that’s appropriate for metal drawer slides?
WD-40 or equivalent?
Graphite or something?
Justin Fink – FHB Editorial
Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
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Replies
Wax
Candle wax, paste wax.
You can use a spray Dry Lube.
Anything but WD-40 or a silcone spray.
"They are high-quality slides, but I was wondering if there is a lube that's appropriate for metal drawer slides?"
I was thinking wood, sorry.
But the spray dry lubes would be good.
KV slides are lubed with white lithium grease IIRC
Blum or such I'd opt for Tri-flow cuz the tolerances are tighter and the bearing balls are already pretty clean.
Keep in mind that dust is attracted to the grease option and so feeds the possibilty of an unwanted insect problem.
While WD-40 is a solvent, it is NOT a true lube.
Wood slides? wax away with anything, soap is a good choice..Ivory bar, or Murphy oil liquid.
Edit: I just remembered...MICA powder is slick as can be, I have a tub ( about a LB.) ..I can send ya some...awesome stuff, used for reloading shells...think similar to mother of pearl dust or similar graphites with out the black.
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Edited 6/11/2006 12:30 am ET by Sphere
any thing but WD....
wax...
soap...
white lithium...
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Boesheild - it stays clean - it's a wax type spray
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I'd try a very light dab of good old vaseline.
I'm told it works wonders on those old aluminum casement windows, too.
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Edited 6/11/2006 9:18 am ET by rjw
The high tech bicycle chain lubricants are not oily or greasy. I've been using Krytech on things like clamp screws, Yankee screw drivers and other places where I don't want a messy residue. Some metal slides are effected by slight problems with side spacing or out of square drawers. The slides have to be parallel in both dimensions. One that is higher than the other side or closer together at the front or back, will cause some binding. I've also used some heavier duty full extension slides that work a little stiff just by their nature. You can also use something like "Slipit", Starrett's "M1" as well as some silicone lubricants. I'd stay away from things like WD, graphite and other potentially messy products.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
powdered graphite.
Not sure what kind of slides you're talking about. Full extension ball bearing slides are smooth but don't glide like Blum 230s or the like...too much bearing contact area and tight tolerance.
For anything but wood or lineal ball bearing slides, I've found this to work really well. Shake well!
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PJ
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I use Teflon Dry Lube. In a spray can with yellow, white, and black graphics/lettering.
Hi Justin , Out of curiosity and the desire to help you with a solution , what type of high quality slides are we talking about and are they side mounted ? Are they ball bearing full extension ? What brand and # are they ?
Also are these brand new drawers that have just been built ? The reason I ask is some ball bearing slides have little tolerance for the drawer box being either a bit too wide or too narrow and can cause much friction or otherwise prevent the drawers from sliding smoothly .
The main reason for all the questions is in my own experience I have used literally thousands of pairs of slides in the last 30 years and have NEVER had to lube any other than wood . That is what tipped me that there may be a clearance problem or it is also possible that the drawers are say 46" wide and the slides are rated for not more than 22" wide (just an example ) tell me more .
regards dusty
Have you checked the physical installation of your slides? If the two sides aren't parallel, they can bind and run rough.
I've seen misaligned slides self destruct in less than a decade.
By the way, WD-40 isn't a lube; it's a solvent.
Good luck,
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Wow, thanks for all the replies everybody...
To answer some of your questions: It's a new installation, Lee Valley side-mount, full extension, ball-bearing slides rated for 150#.
The "stickiness" of a few of the slides could be slight misalignment, but it's extremely minor and I'm worried that if I start to fuss with it the problem might get worse before it gets better. I was hoping to try the lube before moving the slides around - the Lee Valley variety don't have elongated holes for adjusting the slides up and down - you have to remove the screw, reposition the slide, then pre-drill and re-fasten - lots of room for error.
...I hate drawer slides - they always give me problems.Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
don't have elongated holes for adjusting the slides
Ah, yes, worth a few extra bucks for those ovals, in the end.
Sometimes (and only sometimes), you can get a "fix" by taking 1/2 or 3/4 or 1 "turn" off one of the screws on one side only (either case or drawer--just don't mix the two).
Taking a tiny bit of the "fully tight" out of one end can "re-align" the geometry enough sometimes, to get smooth running. If you are using a face-framed cabinet, sometimes a very tiny shim (business card) will help, too.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
White lightning bicycle chain lube. It's a suspended wax lube and works great. When dries, it leaves the wax, It was designed to spray a bike chain, dry and not collect to much dirt. Great for planes and is somewhat rust repelant.__________________________
Judo Chop!
Right, that's why I suggested chain lube.
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Bicycle chain oil.
Actually (assuming metal slides), any sort of white grease is OK. You want a solid grease that will stay put, but also something that won't collect dirt too badly. Teflon-based is a plus, but not absolutely necessary.
WD40 is a fair cleaner for them, if they're really gunked up, but not a good lube. Spray lubes generally don't have enough body to stay in place.
If there are plastic parts in the slide, be sure that the lube used is safe for plastics, and avoid petroleum solvents (like WD40) when cleaning.
For wood slides wax is the way to go.
Astro Glide
War is hell, Shrub Lied to get us into war, so he is the devil.
Tri-Flo. Lo pressure, hi pressure, it's that good. Doesn't attract dirt, penetrates completely thru a 1/2" rusted nut on a bolt. Best leather protection around, I've got a 20 yo set of leathers that are still soft and usable.
Practice slowly pushing the valve until you can get 1 drop at a time.
Put 2 drops at the top of the ball zone of a bearing. Work the slide several times after each bearing. Wipe off excess.
Repeat every coupl'a years.