Reslip a slide

March 5, 2015 1:46 PM

What can be used to give a metal playground slide new slipperiness?

I've noticed that several playground slides in my town have lost their slipperiness and kids simply get stuck at the top.

I don't know exactly what the slides are made from, but they are metal and I assume coated steel (it will not be anything fancy).

Also, I need something which doesn't damage clothing/environment/kids.

posted by Thing to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (16 answers total)

Car wax.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:49 PM on March 5, 2015 [2 favorites]

skate wax
posted by Juliet Banana at 1:51 PM on March 5, 2015

Electropolishing would work, but that's not practical. I would worry about car wax or skate wax accumulating on clothing (plus it would need to be reapplied). Electropolishing would be a more permanent solution, but again, you'd have to remove the slide and then find a finisher with a big enough tank for a freaking playground slide. All of the electropolishers I send my parts to can't do anything bigger than a dorm fridge.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 1:54 PM on March 5, 2015

Fellow engineers here have recommended scotch brite-ing the slide along the long axis of the slide.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 1:57 PM on March 5, 2015 [3 favorites]

Get a sheet of wax paper and have a willing kid go down the slide while sitting on it. My mom had me do this once and it worked like a charm.

Find a resilient kid with good reflexes, though, because the wax paper ride will be fast. I didn't get hurt, but I remember zipping down and landing hard.
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:57 PM on March 5, 2015 [16 favorites]

We used to throw sand onto the slide to dry it up and make it slipperier. I like the waxed paper idea!
posted by SLC Mom at 2:02 PM on March 5, 2015

Yup, my mom always sent my brother and me out on slide rescue missions with sheets of waxed paper. Works like a charm.

(She's an elementary school teacher and takes playgrounds very seriously.)
posted by phunniemee at 2:03 PM on March 5, 2015 [6 favorites]

We also used to break out the waxed paper and ride that down. I loved those days.
posted by magnetsphere at 2:23 PM on March 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

We used to ride the empty plastic bags from loaves of bread down the slide to make it slipperier. It's probably a decent use of those bags, before recycling.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 2:33 PM on March 5, 2015

The kid using the waxed paper is going to go down a lot faster than they are used to. It is a surprise when you come whipping off of the slide. Fun, too, if you are prepared for it.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 2:36 PM on March 5, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks for all the replies. I'll give the waxed paper idea a go. Though the kid is too young so it will have to be me doing the sliding...
posted by Thing at 2:40 PM on March 5, 2015 [4 favorites]

You can also rub the wax paper on it with your hands, rather than sliding on it.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:14 PM on March 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Another coworker here is seconding the wax paper thing. He said it's a ridiculously fast ride, and to use an adult because they're heavier and will deposit more wax. So......damn I want to try this now. Maybe waxing per Juliet Banana or Chocolate Pickle could be an alternative as well.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 3:43 PM on March 5, 2015

Wax. But keep in mind, there's probably a reason that the maintenance people are not waxing those slides as they used to.

"Safety" & lawsuits spoil everyone's fun, especially on the playground.

Either use discretion, or don't be surprised if someone official - or a ultra paranoid parent - has a problem with it.
posted by stormyteal at 4:58 PM on March 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

When I was a kid, our preferred method for making a slide slippery was to throw handfuls of playground sand and gravel all over it.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:30 PM on March 5, 2015

Nthing a few wax paper rides...
posted by goml at 9:34 PM on March 5, 2015