Hi,
fairly new woodworker here. The screws on my wood vise are beginning to squeak and not as smooth operating as before. It’s an old vise given to me as a retirement gift and was refurbished by someone. How do you maintain them? I have wiped the sawdust off of them and assume wax, oil or grease will only attract the saw dust.
Thanks in advance. Have a happy holiday.
Kevin
Replies
“[Deleted]”
Boeshield
paste wax won't attract sawdust
If it is a Richards Wilcox vise, do not put oil on the screw.
Thank you all for your replies. It's an old vise that was recovered from a High School shop class that was cleaned up by someone else. I think I'll give it a paste wax.
Oil that thing up with whatever and don't worry about it. I am a highschool shop teacher. Have a couple dozen vises at work. We just hit them with whatever a kid finds first. Often just mineral oil for the sharpening stones. Too much worrying.
Try some type of dry spray lube. Some type of dry graphite powder spray would be my choice. We use it here in Hawaii with good results due to the environment challenges. That way sand, volcanic ash, dirt etc won’t stick to it and bind it.
You’ll probably need to clean it good first with a wire brush, compressed air, and some type of cleaning agent. All that sawdust, dirt whatever will eventually cause rust… clean that out. Lube it and good luck.