A foreman in Tampa told me my wire pulling lube was actually making things harder

He said I was using way too much, and the extra mess was causing the fish tape to slip. Anyone else have a simple trick for judging the right amount?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin_flores121mo ago

My old boss in Houston had a saying, "grease is for bearings, not for pulling." He'd get mad if you used more than a pea sized dab every ten feet. It taught me a bigger lesson I see everywhere now. People think more product, more force, more stuff is the answer, when really it's about the right amount in the right place. It's like using too much detergent in the washer, it just gums everything up. That foreman saved you a ton of frustration by pointing out the simple fix.

hunt.miles1mo ago

Used to slather it on thinking more was better. That foreman showed me you just need a thin, even coat, like you're buttering toast. Too much and the tape hydroplanes right over it. Now I wipe a light layer on the wire itself, not the inside of the conduit, and it feeds like a dream.

sethmartinez1mo ago

Actually wipe it on the inside of the conduit too, just a super thin film. Coating the wire is great, but that extra bit on the pipe wall cuts down on friction for the whole pull. You get the same easy feed without any mess.