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Do I need to lubricate drawer slides to preserve the life of the furniture? (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago by PotentiallyAnApricot@beehaw.org to c/diy@beehaw.org

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I finally bought a (flat pack) dresser recently. I love it, but when sliding the drawers in and out there is some minor sticking/resistance and some very slight misalignment. I am perfectly fine with this and actually kind of prefer it (it's nice that the cat can't open them), but I am wondering if over the long term, the resistance will damage the drawer slides in some way ? They're telescoping metal slides, on the side of each drawer, attached with tiny screws. I really like this thing and want to keep it in good shape as long as possible.

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[–] PotentiallyAnApricot@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The slides actually came with a little bit of grease on them so I did buy some extra grease (white lithium) In case I needed it, but I haven't done anything with it yet. Do dry lubricants play nicely with things that already have grease in them?

[–] Hotchpotch@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I asked a locksmith once and he told me to not mix it, ever.

[–] PotentiallyAnApricot@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

Well then in that case I'm glad I asked you

[–] CadeJohnson@toot.cat 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

@PotentiallyAnApricot well if you already have some "wet" grease, I would not go look for graphite. They will work together, (see https://www.crcindustries.com/moly-graph-174-extreme-pressure-multi-purpose-lithium-grease-14-wt-oz/) but since there is already some wet grease there, a little more is just as good as adding something else, imho.

[–] PotentiallyAnApricot@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Maybe I'm overcomplicating but... I'm assuming I just dab some on and open and close it a few times?

[–] SemioticStandard@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Correct. You can also use graphite for lubrication in high temperature environments, such as a stove. I use it to lubricate the sliding racks in my oven. Wet grease won’t work well here, so graphite is a great option.

[–] CadeJohnson@toot.cat 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@PotentiallyAnApricot yes, where one part disappears inside another, dab a little along the part that "disappears" - the grease will get spread out over time.

[–] PotentiallyAnApricot@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

@CadeJohnson Thank you!

[–] ebikefolder@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago

No, don't put graphite on grease!

If there already is some grease, it will last for a loooong time.