Pencil Keys???

[Ultimatederrenfan]

I was recently in my chemistry lesson watching a very "interesting" video, but they were talking abot graphite, and how locksmiths can use them, so i soon perked up and listened, near the end, a woman used a pencil, using the graphite inserts, rubs it ontop of the key, where the cuts are, almost colouring it in, and she said you can do this for either very new or very old keys, because the atoms within graphite are plates, and when these rub together they slide, so if used in this manner create less friction, enabling the key to enter easier, just a tip for anyone who needs it, and one more thing, did anyone else know wbout this?
P.S. It works!

[cman5uk]

yes, i have heard about this method and have found that it orks quite well. if you have an old key that gets stuck, the graphite will make it slide smoothley into the lock, i would recomend trying it on any picks that seem a bit rough or wont slide to well afetr you have filed them down.

[cman5uk]

are there any locksmiths here that have used this method before? ors is there an easier method?

[Hojo]

graphite lubricant spary........

[Ultimatederrenfan]

What??? You can actually get this spray???
Some locksmiths would obviously want to use this, but this i sa handy tip that someone wanted to know ???
Dan

[cman5uk]

would you be able to get graphite spray from lock shops, does anyone know?

[toomush2drink]

You may be able to get it in the powder form which has a type of blower built into it. Basically you squeeze the plastic bottle it comes in and it "puffs" into the lock.

[Varjeal]

Oh boy...*sighs* Yes, there is graphite spray..in both black and white. You can buy it in some hardware stores. Some lockies also use powdered graphite, and some are stupid enough to sell it to customers to fill their locks with.

Stick (no pun intended) with silicone or teflon spray lube. (NOT WD40).

[Ultimatederrenfan]

hope i didn't annoy you there varjeal, but i was just giving people an insight as to what they could do, i was just trying to help people, or was it a tough day?
I get those alot now,
See y'all later,
Dan

[zendude]

I know it aint kosher, but when i come across an old or very tight lock, i often take my pencil(usualy F,HB or 2B) and draw all over the key(or pick) before i try turning the plug.
I'm delivering mail and meet a lot of worn out, or vandalised locks in an avarge day, and a gotta say, it kind of works.

[CaptHook]

Graphite does lubricate slightly. However if overused has the opposite effect and can cause a lock to get sticky, or worse jam the pins. A small spray can of triflow will serve you much better and actually help the lock out too!
Chuck

[Rickthepick]

it works but it is also quite messy

[Squelchtone]

wow a 5 year old thread.. its amazing how old and ancient some of the dark corners of lp101 can be.

and welcome back CaptHook, I see you've been around for many moons.

Happy Holidays,
Squelchtone

[GutterClown]

I know it aint kosher, but when i come across an old or very tight lock, i often take my pencil(usualy F,HB or 2B) and draw all over the key(or pick) before i try turning the plug.
I'm delivering mail and meet a lot of worn out, or vandalised locks in an avarge day, and a gotta say, it kind of works.

That'll help your key move, but it probably isn't helping the lock any.

I love seeing people buy graphite powder and spray it into their locks, and then spray it again and again, wondering why it doesn't automagically solve all problems with their doors.
One case I remember was a sliding screen door lock, a nice family member had attached a D handle to the screen, by driving two screws right through the locking mechanism.
It was so packed with graphite by the little old lady, i had to use a dust mask.

[raimundo]

Yeah, I had to pick a shop door for a friend who had lost his key, the thing was completely full of graphite, and we were on a site far from anywhere,

I improvised, I got a sweeper bristle, and found an old oil can in the truck, I dipped the bristle in the motor oil, and put it in the lock, moved it a bit and it came out black, which I wiped off with a papertowel, then I repeated this for quite a while until it finally came out somewhat less black,
after that I was able to pick it.
graphite packing makes pins move slowly and when picking this means they move up under the pick but don't fall back as they should,

I suspect that the guy whos lock it was saw this and decided to repack it with graphite after in the kind of nutty security thinking that it would once again make it hard to pick,

Imagine graphite packing as a high security feature.