Spray-dry lubricant, silicone tape, paste wax, candle wax, or even a sheet of wax paper can get the job done.
To lubricate your drawers and tracks, you have to use FDA-approved food-grade lubricants to prevent food contamination and damage to the rails. The ones you can safely use are pure paraffin wax, petroleum jelly, and mineral oil.
It's especially useful if the drawers are sticking because of rust, dirt, or lack of lubrication. Application: Spray a small amount of WD-40 on the drawer tracks or runners, then open and close the drawer several times to work it in. Pros: Quick and easy to apply. Works well for immediate, short-term lubrication.
Graphite lubricant: Powdered graphite lubricant can be used on drawer slides without attracting dust and dirt. Long-lasting and smooth, graphite lubricant costs from $5 to $10 per tube or can.
If your drawer is not moving smoothly, it might be due to misalignment, dirt build-up, or worn-out components. Regular maintenance, including cleaning and lubricating, can help in maintaining their functionality. Understanding the components of drawer slides is the first step to fixing any issues.
Carnauba wax is one of the hardest dry lubricant waxes on the market. Using it on your drawer tracks helps the gliding action without creating a sticky mess or affecting the wood itself. Beeswax is much softer and can be sticky when applied on its own, but it supplies much-needed lubrication.
If you do it well without leaving the spray on the surface, wd40 will not affect the wood finish - but will clean the wood and keep it smooth and splinter-free for a long. That's the reason many woodworkers use wd40 for cleaning and fixing the splinters on hand tools that come with wooden handles.
Dab a Q-tip in wheel bearing grease and apply along the slide's raceways. Cycle the ball retainer back and forth to spread the grease around. Note: Avoid greases with: Molybdenum sulfide.
Then the slide must be definitively cleaned with a slightly wet microfibre cloth. The best lubrication can be achieved with the use of WD-40 Specialist Protective White Lithium Grease, which with its dense formula allows long-lasting lubrication.
Lithium grease can be used for more of conventional purposes like applications on hinges of the door. At the same time, silicone grease can be more suitable for some definitive purposes like valves and O-rings.
No, tuning slide grease is means to provide a slight bit of lubrication but mostly hold the slide in place so it doesn't gradually slide out with the pressure in your horn, changing your tuning. It's intentionally 'sticky'. Slide Lube is meant to be super slippery.
Stuck drawers are annoying but there is a handy DIY trick that can help in opening and closing it smoothly in no time. Vaseline is a cheap everyday available lubricant that is great for wooden drawers.
You can use spray-dry lubricant, which is the preferred method, or wax. Simply rubbing a candle on the runners should be enough to get things working smoothly again. If you don't have a lubricant or a candle, tape can also get the job done. Put the drawer back on the runners.
The traditional method is to take out the drawer, turn it upside down, and then rub bar soap on the drawer where it contacts the raised pieces of wood. Don't overdo it — it doesn't take much to reduce the friction. It works surprisingly well.
For lubricating moving wooden parts, I prefer to use paraffin canning wax. Just rub some on the slides and you should be good to go. Same stuff I use on the soles of my wooden planes.
We recommend rubbing a bit of paraffin onto the rails. Removing the excess moisture from the wood should help the drawer shrink enough to be coaxed open. One of the easiest ways to dehumidify your drawer is to run a dehumidifier next to them for a while.
The quickest, cheapest, and easiest way to lubricate a slip n slide like this one is to simply drizzle a little bit of dish soap over the middle section of the slip n slide. Just make sure the water runoff drains properly into a designated drain. You are now ready to let the water run!