Lock Lube?

[RichR]

Last year I used a motorcycle chain lube on my locks. When I did a lock check on the spare it was gummed up and useless. Luckily it was @home.

What are you folks using on your locks,especially for northern snow/iceing?Thanks for any help.

Rich Rozak

 

[Steve Campbell]

Powdered Graphite...

... I have tried other things, but this seems to leave the least mess.

 

[LSMITH]

Rich, I have tried just about every lock lube out there. I had a Dodge caravan that the locks were garbage on, they would not loosen up no matter what. The locks on the doors were frozen half the time. You had to open one that worked to unlock the rest. The graphite made it worse, and the silicones were nearly as bad. I finally found a lube that CURED the locks. It is a GM product that is Mr Goodwrench branded. I cannot remember the name, but I got it at a Pontiac dealer. It is an aerosol spray, black can with blue letters. 10 OZ can is around $25 but it is well worth it. If you go to a GM dealer they will probably spray it for you for free. Hope this helps.

 

[Midnite]

I've tried a number of different things, and I keep coming back to WD40. It's not to say that it beats the heck out of everything else--in fact, for all I know there could easily be much better lubes out there for this purpose. For my purposes though, (basic lube and moisture removal) it works fine, and I always have a can around.



Mike

 

[JR2]

A little WD40 has always worked for me. .

 

[paccool]

I just found some lube called "super lube" and it is good stuff. Used it on my fishing reels with good results. It is a lanoline based lube and is also called wool lube as the lanoline comes from sheeps wool(or so I'm told! ) Got a small spray can at an engineering show and used it up pretty fast. Got on the web site and found out the local John Deere dealer carried it. Went down and bought 2ea, 12 oz spray cans and will be using it instead of WD-40. Cans were $6. 95 each. Guy at the JD dealer saw me pick it up and said"you will be amazed with that stuff", told him I had used it and that was why I was getting more.



I'll see how the reels hold up this summer during my Alaska fishing trip!Oo.

 

[RonaldLarson]

Break Free

is the best and most reliable for loosening anything frozen up. It does not thicken with low temperature, and does not dry to a thick mass when aged. It is the best for gun parts and general lube uses. It is also probably the best kept secret in lube stuff. Wd 40, and most of the others, cannot hold a candle to Break Free. No, I don't sell it, but I buy lots! Really great stuff, try it.

Ron

 

[emarsh]

locksmiths recommend powdered graphite

 

[Crazy Horse]

Prior to the following flush out the lock cylinder with brakecleen or isopropyl alcohol and a small amout of compressed air to blow the crap out.



Mix powdered graphite with Isopropyl alcohol in a small plastic bottle w/ a skinny nozzle to inject into locks. The alcohol floods the lock, disapates (evaporates) and leaves the graphite everywhere. WD-40 actually is a dust and is a dirt magnet.

 

[dan_gilson]

I worked as a locksmith before going back to college. WD-40 is too thick. Graphite works but too much will cause things to jam. It is hard to remove the excess.



When I asked my boss what to use he said LPS-1. It is light weight and will dry completely. And will work well as a dry lube.



Give a couple of small squirts and then move the key in and out several times. Dry off the key with a rag and then moved in and out several more times. Basically you are removing the excess by drying off the key. I have used LPS-1 for the last 20+ years and it has never jammed a lock on me yet. It has also freed a couple that were jammed.

 

[Rob Thomas]

LPS

Except I use the LPS 3, that is a great lube and doesn't get all gummed up in the cold weather. I've been using it fer about 4 years, I'll never use anything else.



Later, Rob

 

[DMalone]

BREAK FREE--------- THE BEST.

 

[LSMITH]

About the Break-Free, I have used many many gallons of it. It is a great lube and a better cleaner, but I have to tell you guys that it DOES dry and will build up with a sticky residue when it does. When you let the bottle sit for a while you see an opaque strata on the bottom right? This is the stuff that will gum up tight tolerance parts. It also gets very heavy in extreme cold too. Don't get me wrong, for the right applications it is awesome but don't think it is the end all. Used properly you coat the parts and then wipe it off, it will leave a protective film that also lubricates. This is hard to do in some cases. Hope this helps.