🚀 go-pugleaf

Jeff Liebermann wrote:

> "john hamilton" wrote:
>

>> Does anyone know what would be a suitable and safe lubricant in this
>> case? Since we dont want to cause any problems with the plastic on
>> this lap top. Grateful for any suggestions, thanks.
> 
> Silicon lube should work.  However, I would use soap.  That's common
> ordinary soap flakes or shredded Ivory brand soap bars.  That's what
> I use for doors, hinges, screws, cd trays, and any place where I need
> a no-mess lube job.

NOTE: The following unrelated newsgroups were removed from my reply to
the cross-posted message:
  misc.consumers.frugal-living
  uk.d-i-y

You said not to use vegetable oils.  Yet then you suggest by way of
Ivory soap to use animal fat (sodium tallowate = sodium hydroxide, or
caustic lye, and tallow).  Because Ivory is more caustic is why it has
better antimicrobial qualities.  Yeah, like animal fat doesn't break
down.  Ivory is more caustic than, say, Dove which is more mild and is a
synthethic detergent bar (synthetic surfecants and vegetable oil).  

I always snickered about the "99.44% pure" slogan since they never did
mention from WHAT it was pure.  It was a measure against the castile
soap (made from vegetable oil and less lye) against which it competed
back in the 1890's regarding proclaimed impurities (maybe the fine ash
used in soap-making to provide the salts) that were in the castile soap
but not in Ivory.

The hard lube sticks you buy (to rub on the lube which would do nothing
in the case of hinges or anywhere the lubricate needs to penetrate to
interface between the working surfaces) are made from some combination
of grease, wax, hardened fats (which would be more like the Ivory soap
bar), glyceride, graphite or PTFE (aka Teflon), molybdenum disulfide,
and a petroleum derived hydrocarbon.  Obviously a soap bar or lube stick
won't last long where there is any humidity.  That's why using a soap
bar on a kitchen drawer works well but not on drawers in the bathroom
vanity.  A silicone-based lube won't be permanent but it lasts longer
than soap and won't build up like soap.  Molybdenum disulfide (aka Moly)
is a dry lubricant and would probably work better on the drawers and
definitely on the hinges.  Moly has an extraordinary affinity to stick
to metal so it's good for hinges once you get a wetting carrier to
penetrate and deposit the Moly on the mating surfaces or use a grease
formula to keep it sticking in place when you re-assemble the pieces.

While I'll use a soap bar to help screw in that superlong wood screw,
I'm not thereafter concerned about the lubrication qualities of the
soap.  It doesn't have to provide long-lasting lubrication.  Just once
is enough.  Lasting lubrication is not what soap does.  I snicker when
thinking about using it on hinges, as mentioned, and then wonder why the
hinge is squeaking again after a rainstorm or why the steamy bathroom
vanity drawers are sticking again.  Might be a no-mess lube job but it's
not a good lube job.