| abstract |
A steel wire or steel wire material excellent in lubricating property which has a base steel wire and, formed on the surface thereof, a lubricating coating film comprising a potassium salt of boric acid, a polyethylene wax having an average particle diameter of 1 μm or less and a synthetic hectorite [Si8(MgaLib)O20(OH)cF4-c]-xNa+x, wherein O < a ≤ 6, 0 < b ≤ 6, 4 < a + b < 8, 0 ≤ c ≤ 4, and x = 12 - 2a - b. The steel wire or steel wire material can be prepared through coating a base steel wire with an aqueous treatment liquid containing no phosphorus by the immersion method, the spray method or the like and then drying, with ease and simplicity, and is coated, without irregurality, with a coating film having the excellent lubricating property and resistance to seizing comparable or superior to that of a conventional composite coating film having a phosphate film and a soap applied thereon. |