Lubricating zippers

In a recent conversation I had with another outdoorsperson  (a woman), we were discussing zippers ... and, the annoying snagging ... the stiff-action ... and-so-forth.

I informed that I had much success with a synthetic lubricant I have used for years.

This product "Super Lube"  ... (go to >>>  www.buySuperLube.com) is nothing short of amazing.

I stumbled across it ... at the place where it is distributed, in Bohemia, NY (which is on Long Island).   I was visiting my daughter, who lives nearby.

At the time, it was around $6 a tube.   I began to use it on my construction tools, to prevent corrosion, and to lube machine-screw threads and sliders.

I was so impressed, I tried it on a few of my Trumpets and Cornets.   Mind you, these are very expensive instruments, and I would not use ANYTHING that might compromise the close-tolerances of the metal-to-metal contact points on the valves and slides.   Using the 'normal' lubes, it was necessary to clean and repeat the process regularly -- about every week-or-two.

Upon using this material, I had excellent results that lasted a few months, before I had to re-do.   Even then, it was evident I could have gone longer intervals.

I began to use it on jacket zippers.  Excellent results.   Only a very small amount was necessary ... a daub about the size of a match-head.

I recommend very small amounts be applied to zippers on sleeping bags, and down jackets ... as, I feel too much might leach into the fabric.   So far, no problems.   A small amount works great.

I highly recommend this product for your consideration, to use on zippers  (and a lot of other stuff).  A tube will last almost forever.

BTW  (yes, an acronym) -- I used to use Chap-Stick for this purpose.

Anyone else have good results with similar products?   Or other ?

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                                                 ~r2~

Super Lube is an excellent product, I use it on wood working machines, bicycles, etc.

I haven't tried Super Lube on zippers though, I have been using bees wax and graphite, not mixed together but separately. I started using graphite years ago, but switched to bees wax after I started taking some with me on backpacking and camping trips because it is so multi purpose.

Robert, I have only used the spray can, you are referring to the tube right?

I find that anything that remains in a liquid, paste, or wet state attracks all the things you want to keep out and away from  zippers.  I still use powered Graphite.  I bought a gallon of graghite because I was doing a project and the little tubes sold in the key and lock sections were far to expensive as I would have need 200 tubes.  With that being said they are sold in tiny tubes for just a few $ and do not weigh hardly anything.  Spray on Graphite will work as the propellents will evaporate with evreything  remaining being graphite  but its hard to just spray the zipper itself. 

@Robert.  Does Super lube remain wet after being applied leaving the possibilty of attracting dirt and other debris?

I use the tube ... and the consistency of the material is like gel tooth-paste.

It does not remain wet.  It seems to almost disappear, visually, upon running the zippers back-and-forth several times.  I put a daub-or-two along the zipper, especially a long zipper, and just spread it by pinching my thumb and forefinger together with it.

I've never noticed if it attracts dirt particles.   Then again, I haven't dragged my jackets and sleeping bags through dirt or sand or mud.

Although you may like graphite ... I would NEVER use it.   NEVER.

The Super-Lube simply works great.   No need to try anything else.

I've laid this stuff on some pro horn players ... guys that swear by their long-time used products.   They go away murmuring to themselves ... in disbelief.  One guy is a "name" player.   I 'heavy-hitter' in the biz.   Even though he endorses another product, publicly ... he tells me he uses Super-Lube "secretly".

Brian ~ ~  I use it on locks.  Simply adding a daub onto a key, and inserting it into the lock cylinder.

Also, in place of white-lithium grease, on high-tolerance machine parts in cold weather and in-and-near salt-water.

It is THAT GOOD !

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                                            ~r2~

I use Super Lube on some very expensive wood working machines because it is long lasting and does not attract dirt or dust (sawdust in my case) to the gears and cranks, leaving only a thin, dry, coating behind. It must have some kind of drying agent that leaves only the PTFE behind after exposure to the air.

I use Johnsons floor wax on my cast iron tables (table saw, jointer, planer, etc) for the same reason, it leaves a thin, slick, and dry coating on the steel that also repels moisture wonderfully.

Old school woodworkers use bees wax a lot too for lubrication of wooden drawer slides, nails & screws to ease installation into hard woods, to protect metals from moisture, and to finish fine wooden furniture.

Robert, "NEVER" ,never is a really long time ;-}> .  I'll give "Super lube in a tube" a try.  Thanks for the hint.

Yes thanks for the idea Robert.

Off topic, but that is a really cool looking goat in your avatar apeman, what kind is it?

Actually he's a sheep.  I bred a four horned male Jacob with a two horned female Icelandic.  He is the crown jewel of my acheievment's regarding my long term efforts at Hillbilly genetic engineering.  His name is Gorgon and he is indeed a wonerful site to behold, assuming you think sheep are cool of cource. 

trouthunter said:

I use Super Lube on some very expensive wood working machines because it is long lasting and does not attract dirt or dust (sawdust in my case) to the gears and cranks, leaving only a thin, dry, coating behind. It must have some kind of drying agent that leaves only the PTFE behind after exposure to the air.

I use Johnsons floor wax on my cast iron tables (table saw, jointer, planer, etc) for the same reason, it leaves a thin, slick, and dry coating on the steel that also repels moisture wonderfully.

Old school woodworkers use bees wax a lot too for lubrication of wooden drawer slides, nails & screws to ease installation into hard woods, to protect metals from moisture, and to finish fine wooden furniture.

Hey, Mike ~~

I've been "around" the wood-working scene for a looooong time.   Even went to "Cabinet-Making" school  (night school).  Never became a cabinet-maker, but needed the technical training.   I mostly was a project-manager on 'high-end' residential construction.   VERY high-end.   One house I brought in, made the cover of Architectural  Digest.

The 'old-pro's' used Butcher's Wax, as you use Johnson's.   Pretty much the same, I reckon.   We did the bee's wax thing, too, for drawers and such.

Cool to know some of the "old  tricks".  

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                                              ~r2~

That's cool Robert. One house I installed the interior trim in made the cover of a magazine also.

It's funny though, the only person associated with the job who got any accolades was the architect. A talented fellow, but you can't live in a set of blueprints, and we had to field modify those to make them work.

High end is where the money and the talent are, but I fear that too is slipping away. The last really high end house I worked on was trimmed by someone else because my bid was too high, the painter told me afterwards he had over 300.00 in wood filler to fix the wood trim. That was a multi million dollar home. I set the cabinets and built the front door but apparently I'm too quality oriented to do the interior trim.

The sad thing is the owner did not get what they paid for in terms of quality.

trouthunter said:

That's cool Robert. One house I installed the interior trim in made the cover of a magazine also.

It's funny though, the only person associated with the job who got any accolades was the architect. A talented fellow, but you can't live in a set of blueprints, and we had to field modify those to make them work.

High end is where the money and the talent are, but I fear that too is slipping away. The last really high end house I worked on was trimmed by someone else because my bid was too high, the painter told me afterwards he had over 300.00 in wood filler to fix the wood trim. That was a multi million dollar home. I set the cabinets and built the front door but apparently I'm too quality oriented to do the interior trim.

The sad thing is the owner did not get what they paid for in terms of quality.

 I do agree with alot of what your saying Trout.. 80% of my fellow members of my field( arch's) are biased on their work and cut corners in quality. I personally only take credit for the drawings and make sure when I am with the client that when they go( OOOH AHHHH) the trademan IE finish carpenter or cabinet maker is there with me. I point them out. Cant say that for all..My one brother has been in the trades for over 30 yrs..Worked on national historic homes. I have had projects in Arch mag that I helped with but wasn't the lead..But always nice to see what you helped do published..It is sad when I see the trades being hammered and a certain individual telling every kid to go to college.Whats next we become India? Thats my rant. LOL But thank both you and Robert for the field that you worked or work in for what you have done has made my field that much better..

Sure Dennis, didn't mean to take anything away from good architects of course. The biggest talent I see (from my perspective) Architects bring to the job is vision, the ability to see the big picture and to create form & function before it exists physically as a structure.  No doubt those are valuable talents and not everyone has them.

I think even the guy or gal who does job site clean up work should get some credit for a job well done, and there is clearly enough money in most projects I work on for them to be paid better too.

It takes a team doesn't it.

Interesting, Denis and Mike ....

Would LOVE to have a 'sit-down' (with coffee and NY bagels, of course!) with you guys.

I have MANY "war stories" from the 'trenches" to share, in construction work.

Just to highlight a few:

I became known in building circles, in NY's "The Hamptons" (where all the high-end work was done), as the go-to guy for projects in trouble.   I "rescued" projects that had "Stop-Work Orders" posted ... even with yellow plastic tape (like "Crime Scene") around them preventing access.  The call would go out to Robert, to come-in from the bull-pen.

I would get the money flowing again ... getting the sub's paid ... getting lawsuits dropped  (sub's Mechanic's Liens ... home-owners suing the architects, etc.).  Correct the egregious "corner-cutting" that caused the code-violations.   The honest and good subs usually were happy to see me.  They knew I would see that they got the money owed them.  On-the-other-hand, if I found out a sub was corner-cutting, I would put the word out ... and that sub-contractor would see fewer jobs come his way.

And ... I knew what "corner-cutting" was.   I was old-school.   Back when two or three of us ( I was a carpenter ) would build an entire house from scratch, over a year's time, occasionally.

I argued a lot with the architects, on many a project.   Coming from an engineering background ( I started in Civil Engineering, building highways and bridges, etc.) ... where the mantra is "Form Follows Function".

Not so with architects ... who go for the aesthetic ... or "WOW!-factor", sometimes.   (repeat: "sometimes", Denis ).   Often, their designs were totally impractical ... and I would fight for the clients, who usually were unaware of the problems.   At least, "on paper"  (blue-prints, and mock-up models).

So, you see -- I would get caught "in-the-middle".

Architects feared me, and cringed when clients demanded I run their projects.  I ratted-out one architectural firm to the police, when I discovered they were siphoning-off funds and materials for "secret work" on their own homes.  I got fired from working with that firm any more.  Their reputation went down the toilet from that sordid episode.

Yet -- I respected the really GOOD architects, who respected me.

I once went on a leave-of-absence ("hiatus") from working in The Hamptons, as my Dad was dying slowly, and returned here to  Maryland.   With a lot of time on my hands (Dad lived almost a year beyond his terminal prognosis) ... I was going "nuts".   Then, out-of-the-blue, I get a phone call from an architect from Pittsburgh, PA.   I had never done any work in PA ... and, asked why / how I was being contacted.  He responded that he heard of my reputation from another architect in New York City -- one that I had had several very-heated disagreements with.   That NY architect was recommending ME for a project in nearby Delaware, that was in trouble, and work had ceased, because the contractor couldn't fathom the new, 'cutting-edge' technology the architect had specified.   I knew the technology, and was hired.   It was a little tough, with being available part-time (due to being there for Dad), but I got the project finished.

I appeared in several court cases (lawsuits) as a so-called "expert witness"   Law firms hired me.

I was hired by a small firm of Forensic Engineers, whose job it was to find structural defects; such as when a bridge collapsed, and people died.

I was a free-lance "trouble-shooter",  also.   Was hired by large builders and developers to solve problems ( and keep new home-owners off their backs ).

I went solo for a while (good help is hard to find) as a "house doctor".   That was rewarding ... financially.   Might do that again.

A "chequered career" in construction.   I enjoyed the challenges.   Miss it, somewhat ... and, may return someday.  House Doctor ????

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                                        ~r2~

apeman said:

Actually he's a sheep.  I bred a four horned male Jacob with a two horned female Icelandic.  He is the crown jewel of my acheievment's regarding my long term efforts at Hillbilly genetic engineering.  His name is Gorgon and he is indeed a wonerful site to behold, assuming you think sheep are cool of cource. 

 Well I guess that shows how little I know about goats & sheep haha.

I do think they are cool, when my kids were young I used to take them to petting zoos all the time, and we lived in areas with lots of farms.

I would say your Hillbilly genetic engineering paid off.

Robert, I know exactly what you mean about being caught in the middle albeit on a smaller scale than what you describe.

After working for years as a trim carpenter I went out on my own as a free lance carpenter / woodworker for various builders. I had a lot more freedom to choose my own projects and devote my attention to quality, but most builders around here (even high end) are taking the cheaper bids to get their costs down. Many of the better subs have closed shop, or have dropped quality to stay in business.

I am currently back to working for another company who only does very high end precision work while I wait for the market to improve some.

I still do woodworking projects for people willing to pay for quality hand built items you can't get from production lines.

I'm not sure where I'm headed right now, my income has fallen significantly over the past two years and something has to give.

I can't afford to travel and go backpacking like I used to and it's killing me. I do a lot of local hiking and weekend trips in the coastal plain where I live, but I really love driving the 5 or 6 hours up to the mountains for a few days at a time. I used to go every other month even if it was by myself.

Mike ~~

A shame we're not closer.    Sounds like you and I would make great partners.

I know how to get work.   Even during tough times.   During the last recession (1988-1990, or-so), I made more money in construction-related work than anyone else I knew (in the trades).   I had more work than I could handle.

Of course, it helps to be located at or near an area where there is an affluent ($$) potential client base, where I happen to be, now.   Talbot County,   Maryland.

How's your area, in that respect ?

trouthunter said:

Robert, I know exactly what you mean about being caught in the middle albeit on a smaller scale than what you describe.

After working for years as a trim carpenter I went out on my own as a free lance carpenter / woodworker for various builders. I had a lot more freedom to choose my own projects and devote my attention to quality, but most builders around here (even high end) are taking the cheaper bids to get their costs down. Many of the better subs have closed shop, or have dropped quality to stay in business.

I am currently back to working for another company who only does very high end precision work while I wait for the market to improve some.

I still do woodworking projects for people willing to pay for quality hand built items you can't get from production lines.

I'm not sure where I'm headed right now, my income has fallen significantly over the past two years and something has to give.

I can't afford to travel and go backpacking like I used to and it's killing me. I do a lot of local hiking and weekend trips in the coastal plain where I live, but I really love driving the 5 or 6 hours up to the mountains for a few days at a time. I used to go every other month even if it was by myself.

 Comeing from a military family we always rented homes or leased apartments Like in NY when I was a young boy when my father retired finally from the military. The home my parents bought was a Victorian three story with room for all five kids to have their own. My mother the very detail indiviual she was Looked at the Cornice work on the door drames that were painted. She removed all 6 coats to Find 100% oak underneath. That was just the beginning. She pulled the rugs found oak floors. My mother and  father spent 2 yrs in europe at one point and my mother liked the feel of wood. Every banister floor etc was brought drawn to original condition. I remember useing a dental tool to get paint of some of the wood. It took 6 yrs with my father haveing friends pitch in and he doing all the electrical. he worked his first yr out of the military for western Union which at that time had journeyman electrians and apprentice's. Then he switched careers again. But my point is Backpacking in essence has alot of things in common with architecture, foundation, Vision, Quality and that and the individuals of those companies who provide us with good and great products. @ Robert you get the bagels I will bring the Loch's and cream cheese! LOL I like apemans animals and shots because by choice I live in a agricultural area like he..

Rub a graphite pencil up and down the teeth of the zipper.

Robert Rowe said:

Mike ~~

A shame we're not closer.    Sounds like you and I would make great partners.

I know how to get work.   Even during tough times.   During the last recession (1988-1990, or-so), I made more money in construction-related work than anyone else I knew (in the trades).   I had more work than I could handle.

Of course, it helps to be located at or near an area where there is an affluent ($$) potential client base, where I happen to be, now.   Talbot County,   Maryland.

How's your area, in that respect ?

 I am living about 30 miles inland of the South Carolina coast just north of Charleston SC.

Most of the high end work here is on the coast and on the barrier islands. I have to drive 30 - 50  miles one way, but that is where the money is. We have several local builders who are still doing true precision building, ie. no caulk whatsoever on interior trim. All the trim work has to be "water tight" and it has to create the illusion that the house is perfect. All the work we do is fitted, glued or epoxied, and sanded. We hand build the door frames and precision fit all the hardware. So it's a good area, but the competition is very stiff and has driven prices way down.

I used to get 200.00 per door installation (includes hardware) but some guys are now doing it for as little as 75.00.

I'll shovel out barns before I do sloppy woodwork so I'm not sure where that leaves me, haha.

I've encountered similar situation / circumstances.

I "specialized" ...  i.e.; doing work few others even thought about.  

The thing is -- you must market yourself, and your (specialized) services.

It is a viable enterprise.  Nice if you don't have to travel far (30 - 50 miles); but, sometimes, that is a necessary 'evil'.

I can do what I do, within about a 15 - 20 miles radius.   I charge at least $50/hr ... up to $75/hr ... depending on the work.   Mostly, cash.

Not too shabby ....

Maybe congress needs to ingest some super lube in order to get some job creating legislation all zipped up.

If they were the ones hurting financially something would get done.

But back to the thread topic, I will try some Super Lube on a couple zippers Robert.

I will donate my entire collection of wet and dry lubes to help get things moving.

Did someone say we needed, "change" ?

Robert Rowe said:

..BTW...

 Bought The Wagon?  I don't get it!  :)

Moving on:

I moved all over the making things professions, from tradesman to engineer to software designer.  The one thing I learned is monkeys are involved at every stage of a project, therefore every stage is prone to monkey business. The consummate professional at any of these vocations and professions invites us to share the joy in celebrating refined creation and precise execution, while the total hack leaves a stink that follows him everywhere, sometimes with dangerous consequences.

But even the finest of the pedigree have their moments.  For example Franklin Loyd Wright’s Fallingwater house, constructed in South Western Pennsylvania, is plagued by foundation instabilities, the result of electing to anchor the house to the relatively unstable surface rock strata, rather than risk marring the visual esthetics in an effort to find a more substantial base.  I do not know what Wright had to say about this outcome.  It raises an esthetic debate: do we hold such flaws against the folks who accepted them as part of concessions made to achieve their visions?  This is a case where form followed function, but alas a shakey house seems implicitly part of the deal struck to have water running in a stream through the living room.  

Ed

Part of Wright's bold, and controversial idea for this house, was the concept of cantilevering.  

The "formula" he and his associate worked out, was 1/3 of a structural-member could be safely cantilevered.

Either he was off on his calculations, or the constructors "fudged it".

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The BTW thing?   I got that from Anthony Weiner..

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                                          ~r2~

Wright put form over function. Many of his stuctures need yearly repair. His furniture was the same way, uncomfortable as heck, but pretty to look at.

Robert Rowe said:

The BTW thing?   I got that from Anthony Weiner..

 Zounds!  That one crossed my mind too, but I wonder what Freud would say of your preoccupation with this politician.

Ed

Man-o-man, thats what I love about this place! We went full circle from lubricating zippers.......all the way around to ........ Anthony Weiner!

azrhino said:

Man-o-man, thats what I love about this place! We went full circle from lubricating zippers.......all the way around to ........ Anthony Weiner!

 (Castro spits out his cigar in disgust)

Ed

trouthunter said:

High end is where the money and the talent are, but I fear that too is slipping away. The last really high end house I worked on was trimmed by someone else because my bid was too high, the painter told me afterwards he had over 300.00 in wood filler to fix the wood

I've seen this, too.   A great painter is a trim / finish-carpenter's best friend.  

We have a funny expression we use, in this situation:  "Caulk it off !"

Another:  " Looks good from the road".

 ______________________________________________________

                                               ~r2~

in a pinch use your chapstick

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