What lube for toolbox drawer slides?

[evintho]

What do you guys use? White lithium grease/general purpose grease/motor oil/WD-40? I've got standard friction slides. I do alot of grinding and metalwork so there's chips and **** flying everywhere.

Another question:
What about drawer liners? This box is gonna basically hold excess/overflow toolage next to my welding table. I'm looking for cheap, easy to find, quick and dirty liners. Just something to cover the drawer bottoms. Any ideas?

 

[cburnscrx]

I am really cheap so I used SuperLube from HF (synthetic grease) on the drawer slides and Wally World shelf liners for the drawers.

My wife just told me they have the perforated shelf liners on a roll in the fabric department. That has to be cheaper yet!

 

[Kaervak]

I've been using Garage Door Lubricant, http://www.lowes.com/pd_36072-56167-6-16-GDL_0__?productId=3362760

Dries well, dry, doesn't leave anything sticky to get stuff accumulating on. Been working well so far.


For liners, Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/solid-nonslip-drawer-liner-65565.html Big roll you cut to fit. Good quality stuff too.

 

[ianguilly]

KY jelly.

 

[Polski-Chevy]

KY jelly.

Regular, warming, or massage?

 

[Jack Burton]

I'd go with the lithium first, general purpose 2nd. Most spec sheets I've seen for ball-bearing slides call out for some type of lithium-based grease.

 

[cvcman]

I hate those perferated shelf liners....too many holes and they stick to the wrenches...for me i go to Depot or Lowes and buy grey indoor outdoor carpet cut off the huge roll...I then cut to fit and put it in the drawer and spray it down with Starrett M1 spray and put my tools on it...


I have NO problems with tools rusting in my somethimes heated most times not heated garage,,,,I guess whatever works but mine is about as cheap as you can get

You may even raid the dumpster behind a carpet place and get a huge pc of commercial for free...vacuum it first then go to town....

 

[bimmerZ5]

I've been using Mobil 1 synthetic bearing grease. seems to work fine for years... just happen to have a lot of it so that's what I used.

 

[crewchief888]

i use a wax based stuff called door slide on my friction slides

comes in a tube, kinda looks like an overgrown tube of chapstick.


cant ever recall lubing my roller slides...

 

[jeffk14]

Anything listed above (including KY Jelly, lol) will work. Or, bacon grease. Or, Vaseline.

Whatever.

People tend to overcomplicate, overthink **** on here. Drawer slides are not a demanding application for any lube.

 

[cvcman]

KY dries too quick...use Starrett m1,, or fluid Film...something thin not like grease that dries out and gets gummy...WD40 is junk...its a water displacer not a lube...
TriFlo is another good one....

 

[sawbuck]

buy a couple of slim jims ...eat one and grease the slides with the other one ...the large size will last a long time ..ha ha

 

[Big-Foot]

Well if no Strawberry flavored Motion Lotion is available ---

I just use spray white lithium.. Doesn't take a lot to get the job done..

 

[joebachor]

i prefer a quality gun oil like tetra lube or break free clp or even 30 weight motor oil because grease collects dirt and acts like a lapping compound . i oil the non-bearing slides on my classic snap on boxes about every month or so.

 

[Gary S]

I left mine unlubed for years and they worked great. Then I started reading all these GJ threads about "improving" them with lubrication.
I lubed them with a bit of Tri-Flow, and they were too slippery. They want to open and close by themselves now. I wiped as much off as I can, and from here, I won't be lubing again.

 

[SteveCh]

20+ yr. ago, I lubed my friction slides with Vaseline and they have not been touched since and work great. I just did it to try it out and never changed it. Might be something better, I don't know.

 

[lilredex]

Try Door Ease for the slides, post #15.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3013211#post3013211


Tool box liner, ribbed vinyl hall runner works like a charm.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116877

 

[nahuebsch82]

I use whatever grease/lube type product I have on hand at work at the time. Mostly use a little Lubriplate No. 105...run a small dab through my air tools once and a while. For lubing my creeper/cart wheels I use a mix of diesel and Marvel mystery oil.

 

[cburnscrx]

Anything listed above (including KY Jelly, lol) will work. Or, bacon grease. Or, Vaseline.

Whatever.

People tend to overcomplicate, overthink **** on here. Drawer slides are not a demanding application for any lube.

You speak the truth sir!

 

[Chuck122]

KY jelly.

I just spit on my drawer slides instead

 

[chris142]

White lithium *****. It gets hard and sticky. Makes the drawers very difficult to open and close

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

ummm NOTHING
25 year old toolbox

 

[spotco2]

Can not add anything for the slides, but I've used carboard for drawer liners for over 20 years and it works great. It absorbs oil or grease on tools, stuff really don't slide to much on it, it protects well and it's free and easy to replace if it gets to rough looking.

If you don't have any boxes laying around, go to the post office and get a bunch of large Priority Mail boxes.

Another plus is it makes a good scratch pad if you have to make a quick note and happen to have a drawer open.

 

[Burgerkong]

I have Teflon dry wax lubricant on my Snap On slides, seems to work just fine, very smooth and drys, well, dry.

 

[hallboyone]

call me crazy but I use cheap, off brand motor oil for things like that. Costs abou 2 something for a quart.

 

[Gregg33]

For lube (canning jar) wax blocks work good without leaving a residue. Avoid anything that will attract dirt. I find grime is worse than no lube at all.

For drawer liners the thicker foam type liners that Gray and SPG use on their boxes is good. Not sure of the OE. U.S. Sears also sells liners but they aren't as durable imo and tend to slide around and pleat more. Recently I was doing a job at a cardboard manufacturer and found some rubber type matting in the trash. I think it's used for shipping paper rolls. It's made up of rubber chunks and maybe around 3/16th thick. I did my bosses tool box in this material. Industrial grade and free! Maybe some1 can chime in with more info on what this material is called and more info about it.

 

[rockchucker]

I hate those perferated shelf liners....too many holes and they stick to the wrenches...for me i go to Depot or Lowes and buy grey indoor outdoor carpet cut off the huge roll...I then cut to fit and put it in the drawer and spray it down with Starrett M1 spray and put my tools on it...


I have NO problems with tools rusting in my somethimes heated most times not heated garage,,,,I guess whatever works but mine is about as cheap as you can get

You may even raid the dumpster behind a carpet place and get a huge pc of commercial for free...vacuum it first then go to town....

Never even thought of spraying down indoor/outdoor carpet with some type of rust inhibitor. Great idea!

 

[lilredex]

For lube (canning jar) wax blocks work good without leaving a residue. Avoid anything that will attract dirt. I find grime is worse than no lube at all.

Recently I was doing a job at a cardboard manufacturer and found some rubber type matting in the trash. I think it's used for shipping paper rolls. It's made up of rubber chunks and maybe around 3/16th thick. I did my bosses tool box in this material. Industrial grade and free! Maybe some1 can chime in with more info on what this material is called and more info about it.

Your description of "rubber chunks" made me think of the router mats that were available maybe, thirty years back. They were foam like with multi coloured pieces pressed together to form a slip resistant sheet.

I did a image search, but it came up dry. It seems they have all moved on to something a bit more durable.

I still have one, and can post a picture if there is interest.

This stuff would make a decent drawer liner too, but would be a pig to clean.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LYCOQM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

My favorite is still ribbed vinyl hall runner.

 

[joedodge]

Silglyde on drawers if try have to be lubed but I Try not to on my Matco at work and I use indoor/outdoor carpet as liners cheap and easily available at Home Depot doesn't shrink or melt like foam liners just vac the drawer out if u want

 

[kngelv]

White lithium *****. It gets hard and sticky. Makes the drawers very difficult to open and close

Yep. I made this mistake on my new box last summer. The drawers were sticky as hell this past winter. Cleaning that **** off the slides is on my priority list.

James

 

[BlindViper]

snap on dealer told me to use 3 n 1 oil