Grease for Vise

What I do

jim reed @ tallahassee

>I use a very light coat of 3in1 oil on my bench vise. Seems to me that grease would pick up dust and cake up.

Re: Grease for Vise: NOT

Kevin French

>I'd also stay away from grease. In situations where I don't want to attract dirt and dust I use Bees Wax or Better, Graphite. You can buy it powdered or mixed with a solvent if you need it in liquid form. I just buy the powdered and mix it with a volatile solvent in a small squeeze bottle.

Re: Grease for Vise

Tony - Memphis

>I just use paste wax. If you do that, be careful, the threads on mine are razor sharp.

Tony

DriCote

Jim in Burlington On

>I use a little bit of DriCote spray. Doesn't attract dust.

Re: I second the wax on, wax off.

Dale Lenz

>

Re: What I do

Peter Evans

>Thanks for advice, I am rehabing an old vise that had sat out in the weather behind a shed for ? years, and was completely rusted up, not helped by the damp particleboard between the faces. An hour in hot and strong citric acid freed up things ok, and another hour removed the remaining rust from the disassembled vise.

The brass jaws for the quick release were packed with grease (and saw dust). I was planning to use 3in1 or silicone spray*; the latter because it works really well and I have it in my catamaran box; the former because I use it on another vise, which works fine. I was wondering about the grease on the brass, the threads of which are perfect, hence my question (inadequately phrased). I also have graphite powder - is this not a little fine for this purpose, and won't the solvent go leavingthe powder to find its way out?

Peter

* I am aware of the need to keep silicone away from wood surfaces, however should be ok under the bench?

Re: Silcone

Dale Lenz

>When I clamp wooden things in my vise, a Record, if the "drive" threads have been oiled, the oil transferes to the wooden item in the vise, if it touches the threads. That's why I switched to paste wax.

Re: Silcone

Peter Evans

>Yes, the guide rods come in contact with the wood, however the screw and quick release do not. I eventually used 3in1 oil out in the sun on the rods and screw, this keeps rust at bay, and wiped off the rods, so should not be any oil on the wood.

I have a Dawn vise (made in australia) with a sheet metal cover over the screw which is a nice feature to keep sawdust out of the mechanism.

cheers

Peter