Thread: PTFE (Teflon) Advice

I think Gav and PhilipA are on the right track with this, as I'm fairly certain that the slides that Drifta and others use isn't actually PTFE but ultra high density polyethylene, uHDPE, or the UHMW as per PhilipA's link.
So the bread boards or that supaslide stuff should be good enough.

Originally Posted by DieselDan

I think Gav and PhilipA are on the right track with this, as I'm fairly certain that the slides that Drifta and others use isn't actually PTFE but ultra high density polyethylene, uHDPE, or the UHMW as per PhilipA's link.
So the bread boards or that supaslide stuff should be good enough.

Yes, The plastic Drifta use is UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Poly Ethelene ) it has a frictional coefficient almost as good as Teflon but has the advantage that it isn't too soft. Having said that there various Teflons and various UHMWPE's.
Teflon is great if you need good chemical resistance but if you don't its a pain in the posterior.
Best method is to attach it with countersunk screws, but because it expands you will need to "slot" (only 2-3mm) all but one of the holes (I always pick the middle to anchor) , otherwise it will buckle and warp. I've successfully done the slotting with a pedestal drill and some wooden guides for both the hole and the countersink.
I use "Cut to Size" for most of my plastics as I don't rarely need a whole sheet, rod etc, but any industrial plastics supplier will stock the stuff. You may have to ring around to find someone who will do pieces etc.
I have 3 x 40mm x 6mm strips on the bottom of my drawers (500mm wide), which was on marine carpet, seemed to work fine.

Cheers Glen

This may be what you're seeking
Trailer Blue Poly Rubbing Strip 1.5m, $13.95 | Whitworths Marine
Works well with wooden drawer runners...occasional light spray (just a smidge) with some silicone oil works wonders

A more practical approach is probably the 3.6m lengths of yellow plastic strip (as per Austastar) used by sparkies to pull cable through walls... I think Bunnings sell it.

We used to do miniatous work for a brick works , when we made new hoppers for the clay feed into the mixer we lined them with this product to stop the rocks ect wearing out the steel hopper, worked well the hoppers we lined never had to be patched or replaced .