According to "Cable lubricants serve as inexpensive insurance for cable pulling" (Technology Update, June 1996, page 6), "soap- or waxed-based lubricants, for example, will dry to form a hard mass, making re-entry into a conduit difficult once the lubricant has set." The point I was making (see page 10 of that article) is that some lubricants--including some wax-based and many polymer-based lubricants--will leave hard residue in the conduit and should be avoided whenever it is likely that additional cable will be installed or removed.
However, Ideal blends two different lubricants, neither of which hardens within conduit. The inclusion of nonvolatile liquid lubricants in our products reduces the hardening of the lubricant and yields a soft film with residual lubricity.
Ron Petersen
Ideal Industries Inc.
Sycamore, IL