I have been using galvanized pipe as drapery rods for quite sometime. One of the problems with the galvanized is that it is slightly rough. I do go over the entire pipe with 0000 steel wool, but sometimes that is not the fix I desire. Wanting the rings to slide smoothly over the rod means something else has to be done. I thought a candle would work well, but my assistant, Nikki, the Google Queen, read that wax paper works great. She had used it on her shower curtain rod and it really did the trick!
The project that prompted the need for smooth sliding drapes was a school library, with 8 drapes in windows 12 feet from the floor.The length and weight would certainly pose a problem when trying to pull the drapes open and closed. With Nikki's "Googled Up Knowledge", she went back to my house, retrieved the wax paper and what an easy fix it was. We grasped the rod with the wax paper and slid it along the rod until it ran slick. The plastic rings I used for this job slid effortlessly over the galvanized pipe.
I thought about the virtues of wax paper and used them on the long, metal zippers on the slipcovers I make. The one sticking point around my house was the sticky latch bolt in my bathroom The humidity from the bathroom slightly rusts those bolts and makes it hard to turn the door knob. They either stick out or get stuck inside the door frame and make it a hassle to latch the door. The wax paper gave it the perfect amount of wax. When I turned the door knob, it didn't catch anymore. My latch bolt was stuck inside the door, so I took a small cut piece and slipped it into the space between the latch bolt and it's frame. I wiggled the door knob several times and it came loose much quicker, I rubbed the wax paper over the door jam hole as well.
One might wonder, why does she have wax paper in her drawer? It is not as common as plastic baggies, but one of those childhood things I have not given up. If you are over 55 years old, you lived in a world prior to plastic "everything". We Baby Boomers had our sandwiches and cookies wrapped in wax paper. No Ziplock! More like bring the ends together, double fold, miter both ends and tuck under! Our mothers had many uses for it and now it is my turn to bring the love of the wax paper back!
The project that prompted the need for smooth sliding drapes was a school library, with 8 drapes in windows 12 feet from the floor.The length and weight would certainly pose a problem when trying to pull the drapes open and closed. With Nikki's "Googled Up Knowledge", she went back to my house, retrieved the wax paper and what an easy fix it was. We grasped the rod with the wax paper and slid it along the rod until it ran slick. The plastic rings I used for this job slid effortlessly over the galvanized pipe.
I thought about the virtues of wax paper and used them on the long, metal zippers on the slipcovers I make. The one sticking point around my house was the sticky latch bolt in my bathroom The humidity from the bathroom slightly rusts those bolts and makes it hard to turn the door knob. They either stick out or get stuck inside the door frame and make it a hassle to latch the door. The wax paper gave it the perfect amount of wax. When I turned the door knob, it didn't catch anymore. My latch bolt was stuck inside the door, so I took a small cut piece and slipped it into the space between the latch bolt and it's frame. I wiggled the door knob several times and it came loose much quicker, I rubbed the wax paper over the door jam hole as well.
One might wonder, why does she have wax paper in her drawer? It is not as common as plastic baggies, but one of those childhood things I have not given up. If you are over 55 years old, you lived in a world prior to plastic "everything". We Baby Boomers had our sandwiches and cookies wrapped in wax paper. No Ziplock! More like bring the ends together, double fold, miter both ends and tuck under! Our mothers had many uses for it and now it is my turn to bring the love of the wax paper back!
RSS Feed