You can, of course, just take a self-tapping screw and use it with a suitable tool for its intended purpose. However, knowledgeable craftsmen are well aware that before starting the labor process, something else should be done to make life easier for yourself. Need more action to improve fasteners and protect them from harsh environments? Then we act.
In fact, you don’t have to do anything fundamentally complicated with hardware. The whole point of the preparatory process is to cover the screws with some kind of protective compound. However, it is also impossible to lubricate the hardware with anything. It is strictly forbidden, for example, contrary to certain "people's" advice, to use food oil for these purposes. Nothing good will come of it, especially when working with wood.
In fact, there are only two correct lubricants for screws. The first is injection grease (lithol). Grease obtained by thickening petroleum oil using cast soap. The emulsion of these two components forms a stable viscous gel. The grease has high heat resistance and viscosity, does not cause rust and provides good adhesion. The second is graphite grease. This substance is also a by-product of hydrocarbon processing. The useful properties of graphite are one of the modifications of carbon; numerous additives are added to it, such as copper and molybdenum disulphate. Like lithol, graphite grease protects against rust and provides better grip.
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Using a cast or graphite lubricant will provide the best fasteners and protect them from rust. It is also important that the treatment of hardware with grease will make it possible, with a high degree of probability, to protect the structure to be joined from any squeaks. This approach is especially relevant when installing floorboards. Of course, this operation is recommended, but by no means mandatory. If there are no lubricants at hand, then you can completely do without them, although the end result will not be the same at all.
Source: https://novate.ru/blogs/190322/62463/