Thread: Use Silicone Spray

Jow,

When it comes to finishing I am a beginner's apprentice however I do know that on this Bulletin Board all the experts on Finishing will advise you not to have silicon anywhere near your workshop, on your clothes - anywhere. It upsets finishes.

Do a search on the BB and all will be revealed for you.

Silicone
Yes keep it from contact with any wood to be finished, but to use as lubrication on machinery which have any plastic parts.
The plastic softens using some other type of spray products. I assume these are mineral spirit based.

Jow,

I am not sure about the plastic but my understanding is that it migrates around the workshop.

I did hear of an example of this in a telephone exchange where the cleaner took the initiative of using a silicon based floor polish rather than the standard issue floor polish. This was in the days of crossbar exchanges which were modern electro-mechanical exchanges.

Faults developed in the exchange. Weirdo type faults such as intermittently open circuit contacts. A few were replaced then more failed and were replaced and this went on and on. Telecom Research Labs were called in to investigate an exchange whose maintenance budget had suddenly gone through the roof.

The results of their investigation showed the problem was silicon on the contacts and the source of the silicon was the silicon based floor polish used by the cleaner who used his “initiative”. They call this action silicon migration.

It is possible for a similar action to occur if some of the parts of your machines have silicon on them. I think this has been mentioned on this Bulletin Board.

I don’t use silicon in my shed and I cannot attribute any finishing failures to silicon contamination – it is my lack of experience that contributes to my finishing problems but I am constantly working on it.

Using the same argument, I have been told that baying at a full moon attracts green elephants. I don’t bay at full moons and I haven’t seen green elephants in my backyard so obviously that proves it!

Originally Posted by Wood Borer

Jow,

Using the same argument, I have been told that baying at a full moon attracts green elephants. I don’t bay at full moons and I haven’t seen green elephants in my backyard so obviously that proves it!

Any explanation for the pink ones which turn up at home every night, just after my second glass of red??

Try a third or more glasses of Red, they go away after awhile. I can honestly say that after having more than two glasses of red, I have never seen pink elephants in my backyard or the dog house for that matter.

I too have been told to avoid silicone but never why.
Instead I use a lanolin aerosol lubricant on slides etc. It does gum up with dust but a wipe and reapplication does the trick.

Sic 'em,

Gooday Woody. have a look at this thread
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ead.php?t=1095

Hey Bids,
please tell us more about the lanolin aerosol lubricant. What's it called, where do yo get it from etc?

Thanks
Pat

Looked at the previous threads re silicone sprays, and as mentioned by me the well know mineral sprays that soften some plastics.

So does that leaves lanolin or tallow candles (non sprayable) which don't receive a bad press?

Pat,
Just kicked the dog and tripped over a kids bike in the shed but the lanolin product I use is Lanotec which comes in aerosol or a trigger pack. I have purchased it at Bunnings but have seen it elsewhere too.

Bids

FWIW I have a paraffin (white) candle handy that I give a quick rub over any surfaces that need a bit of lube, such as the base on my router, table, fence, & ext table rails on triton, rub surfaces on wooden jigs, etc etc.

Quick, easy, & cheap .

Times when a spray is necessary though, maybe a teflon spray such as Slick 50 spray, or 3in1 spray with teflon (would want to check if it also contains silicon) sold at bunnings.

Is there a graphite spray maybe??

Cheers........Sean

Yes good old fashioned candle wax, bees wax, and when I use a silicone spray I will use the spray as fas as possible from the workshop.

well I never knew. Tell me, I use the silicon spray on the triton's ruler tracks, the table top and on the the knife thing that hold up the saw guard now and then (more then than now really). Is it really something I need to stop doing, is it really going to effect my woodwork or should I go back to using WD40 and watching the surface become a magnet for sawdust?

Just asking