Cleaning/lubeing toolbox slides
- Thread starter nes999
- Start date
jakemac
Well-known member
Friction Slide or Ball Bearing?
For friction slides I soak in Simple Green and scrub with a nylon brush to degrease.
Then I give all contact areas a thin coat of Door-Ease to lube.
For friction slides I soak in Simple Green and scrub with a nylon brush to degrease.
Then I give all contact areas a thin coat of Door-Ease to lube.
FJ 432
Well-known member
Using Door Ease is a good choice and gets my thumbs up.
You can buy it at Ace Hardware and it comes in a tube that looks like candle wax.
The box is Ball bearing (Harbor Freight 44)but that tip for the friction slide makes me want to do my other box too.
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For ball bearing slides: Get a large diameter piece of PVC pipe, 2 caps and some PVC cement. Cement a cap on one side and fill the degreaser. Put a couple of the slides in the PVC with degreaser and let them soak. Then shake the unit to dislodge any **** and use compressed air to blow dry. Works like a charm.
elmontanero
Member
Just wanted to say thanks for this thread.. used it for my OLD kr377 box that I'm bringing back from the decrepit.
Tried Heavy silicone, Moly, then bought Gulf Wax (parafin) and that's been the best so far. Cleaning out the track had been major, but worth it. (Friction Slides)
Now I've got bent up slides to sort, Not good at straightening things like this and wish I could find replacements/good used bits.
Tried Heavy silicone, Moly, then bought Gulf Wax (parafin) and that's been the best so far. Cleaning out the track had been major, but worth it. (Friction Slides)
Now I've got bent up slides to sort, Not good at straightening things like this and wish I could find replacements/good used bits.
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Wamsutta
Well-known member
For ball bearing slides I take them completely off the box and then use Goo-Gone and a toothbrush.
I free vidmars up with brake cleaner and then whatever spray grease I have handy.
1cargarage
Well-known member
For the absolute fastest and best results (and one of the messiest procedures (don't wear anything you don't want grease and dirt stains on)) Also, rubber gloves and eye protection are recommended 
> Procure the PVC pipe in the method described above (the bigger diameter the better for speed and efficiency's sake)
> Soak/dunk the slides in mineral spirits instead of a water-based degreaser
> Keeping a bowl/small bucket of mineral spirits at the ready, brush the (now wet) slides with a stiff nylon brush and watch all dirt and grime completely wash away
> Rinse and repeat with mineral spirits 'til your heart's content
> Blast out remaining grease from nooks and crannies with compressed air
> Rinse and repeat with mineral spirits
> Put a fan on the (now clean) slides or let them sit in the sun until the mineral spirits evaporates off
> Relube with your choice of grease/oil/graphite/etc.
They'll be as close to new as anyone can get them without replacing parts
NOTE: Mineral spirits is a fantastic solvent/degreaser since it's (almost) endlessly reusable. All that filth that you dislodge during the process will settle to the bottom of the container (might have to wait overnight) and you can simply decant the mineral spirits into a bottle/jar for future use. If you want to clean it further, you can further filter it using a coffee filter (or paper towel) and a funnel.
Rags/towels soaked in mineral spirits should be laid or hung uncrumpled outside to dry before you throw them away.
***DO NOT*** throw rags/towels/sawdust/etc soaked in mineral spirits in the trash can and walk away. Just like the warning labels state, rags soaked in that stuff WILL spontaneously combust and start a fire. It happens because mineral spirits releases heat as it evaporates and if there is not sufficient ventilation to permit the heat to escape, it will reach its flashpoint. For more on that topic, there are some videos of trash cans suddenly catching on fire to be seen on youtube.
> Procure the PVC pipe in the method described above (the bigger diameter the better for speed and efficiency's sake)
> Soak/dunk the slides in mineral spirits instead of a water-based degreaser
> Keeping a bowl/small bucket of mineral spirits at the ready, brush the (now wet) slides with a stiff nylon brush and watch all dirt and grime completely wash away
> Rinse and repeat with mineral spirits 'til your heart's content
> Blast out remaining grease from nooks and crannies with compressed air
> Rinse and repeat with mineral spirits
> Put a fan on the (now clean) slides or let them sit in the sun until the mineral spirits evaporates off
> Relube with your choice of grease/oil/graphite/etc.
They'll be as close to new as anyone can get them without replacing parts
NOTE: Mineral spirits is a fantastic solvent/degreaser since it's (almost) endlessly reusable. All that filth that you dislodge during the process will settle to the bottom of the container (might have to wait overnight) and you can simply decant the mineral spirits into a bottle/jar for future use. If you want to clean it further, you can further filter it using a coffee filter (or paper towel) and a funnel.
Rags/towels soaked in mineral spirits should be laid or hung uncrumpled outside to dry before you throw them away.
***DO NOT*** throw rags/towels/sawdust/etc soaked in mineral spirits in the trash can and walk away. Just like the warning labels state, rags soaked in that stuff WILL spontaneously combust and start a fire. It happens because mineral spirits releases heat as it evaporates and if there is not sufficient ventilation to permit the heat to escape, it will reach its flashpoint. For more on that topic, there are some videos of trash cans suddenly catching on fire to be seen on youtube.
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MFolks
Well-known member
Had a friend lose his house to soaked rags in California many years ago, he and his wife used a preservative, and put the rags in a plastic trash can and went away to dance,the rags combusted with the trash can under their patio roof,flames shot up and the house burned to the ground. Of course neither of them read the warnings on the can.......
Just an FYI- I checked three containers of mineral spirits and they didn't have any spontaneous combustion warnings.
The concern for spontaneous combustion is with rags soaked with certain wood finishing oils (boiled linseed oil being the most common). These wood finishes CAN spontaneously combust, so proper care should be taken to dry and/or dispose of rags used with them.
I haven't cleaned any drawer slides yet, but I did grease my Craftsman tool chest stack a few years ago. It was but a few years old. I used:
a) a needle fitting on my usual grease gun
2) My usual grease gun, which is loaded with Red Line synthetic grease, red moly
I put a wee, thin line on the grooves the ball bearings roll on, and a wee bit into the caged ball bearings. Wiped excess.
I've been really pleased with the results.
a) a needle fitting on my usual grease gun
2) My usual grease gun, which is loaded with Red Line synthetic grease, red moly
I put a wee, thin line on the grooves the ball bearings roll on, and a wee bit into the caged ball bearings. Wiped excess.
I've been really pleased with the results.
A very good little piece on which oils might spontaneously combust, and which ones not:
https://www.popularmechanics.co.za/how-to-fix/foil-that-fire/
https://www.popularmechanics.co.za/how-to-fix/foil-that-fire/
1cargarage
Well-known member
I keep most of my commonly used solvents/chemicals in 1 qt. steel containers devoid of any label beyond "mineral spirits" or "Xylene" on a shelf above my bench and sink, so I haven't looked directly at the mineral spirits' label in quite a while. I have used boiled linseed oil a lot in the past and I know its labels are populated with warnings. Maybe the warnings all blended together in my mind. Either way, good practice not to leave a pile of oily rags at the bottom of your trash bin.
Nice. Good read.
seber
Well-known member
Door Ease will work the same as paraffin but is slightly greasy. That means it will pick up dust and build a layer of crud. Paraffin always works.
About 20 years ago I made the mistake of lubing the friction slides on my Craftsman 12 drawer 26" cabinet with white grease. I can now barely open the drawers because the grease has oxidized and hardened over the years. What a mess.
I will soak the unpainted slides in mineral spirits. But is mineral spirits safe to use on the painted slide tracks? Don't want to damage the paint.
I will soak the unpainted slides in mineral spirits. But is mineral spirits safe to use on the painted slide tracks? Don't want to damage the paint.
tool_scrounge
Well-known member
Clean with a flattened Q-tip soaked in mineral spirits. Then dry with a flat dry Q-tip. Try one slide track on the box (not drawer) to confirm paint is not being removed. I have never had an issue.