Lock Lubrication Basics

[mastersmith]

I have been intently reading posts for days now trying to decide what I can add that hasn't been talked to death. It seems there is a little breathing room where lock lubrication is concerned. In all my years locksmithing the one thing no one agrees on is what to use for lube.
No matter what lubricant you like, there is a guy who knows first hand that it freezes, and his brother knows it doesn't! This is where some common sense comes into play. Very few locks are situated in an environment so brutal that the elements are impossible to overcome. Where freezing is concerned, it's the water content that freezes, not the lube (unless you're on Pluto!) Lock deicers work really well, just immediately follow with lube to displace the water that you just melted.
What kind of lube you ask? Maybe it's as easy as following the factory recommendations. In the institutional setting that I'm in it's key to maintaining warranties, so it's a no brainer. If you don't know the f.r., or don't care, there are lots of great products on the market.
I can only tell you what I will avoid. WD40. Lousy lubricant. One exit device manufacturer even teaches that it will soften the plating on the metal of their product (a high end product!), thus destroying it. That's BAD!
Graphite. I had a woman come in my shop many years ago with a beautiful white silk pants suit with black stripes going into her pockets, yep, I had used LPS on her locks and it brought all the existing graphite already in the lock out on her key. She was UNHAPPY! Yes I paid for the dry cleaner. Also, if you ever take apart some restaurant locks after all that grease in the air gets into the locks and makes graphite balls the size of dimes....ugh!
Sewing machine oil is to heavy. It is after all for machinery!
We use different lubes for different functions. Mortise lock internals, latches, lock bodies get a heavier lube than cylinder cores. And as I said, we follow factory spec's, or replacement products we find better.
One of our manufacturers recommends a synthetic that costs about $50 per 16oz. can. They say it is to protect the circuit board inside the cylinders. I don't want to risk the damage so...thank goodness we only use a very small amount!
I don't feel right about leaving out brand names but I don't want to be considered advertising for any brand either. Just do a little research, even drop me a note if you're real curious, and remember that one product is not the end all / cure all.

[dls]

This is always going to be a touchy subject and not all manufacturers make it easy, we have boxes of abus locks which say dont lube the locks but the supplier also sell abus lock lube
My front door has an abus euro barrel with two steel driver pins and gues what happens when you dont lube them they rust

[Evan]

@mastersmith:

You couldn't have picked a more religious topic than lubricants...

Well maybe with locksmiths you could -- the whole "which code origination key machine" cult you are in with the major competitors being: HPC 1200 Blitz, Framon II and ITL-9000/ITL-9700...

Disclaimer: I am a member of the HPC 1200 Blitz cult...

As to lock lubrication:

WD-40® -- Is very useful as a cleaner and corrosion inhibitor on metal parts... But in my opinion as a lubricant it is lacking whatever "secret ingredients" it contains which provide the proclaimed lubrication quickly evaporate away...

<< External link to the WD-40® faq page >>

Tri-Flow® -- Is a better lubricant for general locks and is what I have used in the past on most lock cylinders unless a specific lubricant was specified by the lock manufacturer and there were warranty issues at play which would be void if you used anything other than what was specified...

<< External link to the Tri-Flow® product home page >>

White Lithium Grease (in both aerosol spray and grease tub format) -- I have found that white lithium grease aerosol spray can quiet the noisiest and squeakiest hinges and make the most stubborn track hung door open and close with ease lasting quite a long time before you have to reapply it... A tub of white lithium grease comes in handy when you have to open up a mortise lock case to service it and also greatly assists in keeping unruly parts/pieces of padlocks in place as you reassemble them...

Graphite -- When used properly and in moderation can be a good lube where excessive humidity and other people trying to be "helpful" by adding another kind of lubricant into the mix (graphite + any other type of lube = a black runny/caked on mess) are not a factor...

~~ Evan

[mastersmith]

Evan, I'm HPC at work (my old boss must have been getting kick backs from someone!) but a Framon fan at home. You can give me measurements over the phone and I can make a key!
I wasn't sure of the protocol where brand names are concerned. By the way, I agree with the brands you mention, none of which I use. Like I said, there's a lot of great products out there. And people still manage to use the wrong stuff!

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Dry lubricants for keyways, wet lubricants for mechanical parts (i.e. inside of mortise locks), and dielectric lubricants for electromechanical locks. The only debate comes from which company makes "the best" lubricant. Follow the first sentence's instructions, however, and you'll never go wrong.

[Evan]

Evan, I'm HPC at work (my old boss must have been getting kick backs from someone!) but a Framon fan at home. You can give me measurements over the phone and I can make a key!
I wasn't sure of the protocol where brand names are concerned. By the way, I agree with the brands you mention, none of which I use. Like I said, there's a lot of great products out there. And people still manage to use the wrong stuff!

The Framon II has its uses, and the biggest of them is the ease with which you can make a precision key using nothing but the measurements off a micrometer...

I personally find that doing production work making key after key I prefer using the HPC because much less math or referencing charts is involved in making the key...

The ITL's are awesome machines but are in my opinion clunky to use without linking them to a computer, you would otherwise need to reference charts for the different manufacturer's code numbers because it has such a small display built into the machine...

~~ Evan

[mastersmith]

Evan, I agree. Production work is handled with a computerized machine, again an HPC. Go figure, the old boss loved them. My theory is that it was easier for him as a left hander, they are set up a bit differently. I used an ITL in a previous work place, also computer driven. The computer saves a lot of head aches.

[Scope]

@mastersmith:

You couldn't have picked a more religious topic than lubricants...

Well maybe with locksmiths you could -- the whole "which code origination key machine" cult you are in with the major competitors being: HPC 1200 Blitz, Framon II and ITL-9000/ITL-9700...

Disclaimer: I am a member of the HPC 1200 Blitz cult...

As to lock lubrication:

WD-40® -- Is very useful as a cleaner and corrosion inhibitor on metal parts... But in my opinion as a lubricant it is lacking whatever "secret ingredients" it contains which provide the proclaimed lubrication quickly evaporate away...

<< External link to the WD-40® faq page >>

Tri-Flow® -- Is a better lubricant for general locks and is what I have used in the past on most lock cylinders unless a specific lubricant was specified by the lock manufacturer and there were warranty issues at play which would be void if you used anything other than what was specified...

<< External link to the Tri-Flow® product home page >>

White Lithium Grease (in both aerosol spray and grease tub format) -- I have found that white lithium grease aerosol spray can quiet the noisiest and squeakiest hinges and make the most stubborn track hung door open and close with ease lasting quite a long time before you have to reapply it... A tub of white lithium grease comes in handy when you have to open up a mortise lock case to service it and also greatly assists in keeping unruly parts/pieces of padlocks in place as you reassemble them...

Graphite -- When used properly and in moderation can be a good lube where excessive humidity and other people trying to be "helpful" by adding another kind of lubricant into the mix (graphite + any other type of lube = a black runny/caked on mess) are not a factor...

~~ Evan

Not forgetting GT85!!, 2in1 oil or ck-10 maybe?

[selim]

lock saver , areasol spray for most of my cylinders.

wd40 if it's real dirty, soak, wipe, & blow out with compresed air

tri flow, or outer's gun lube for my machines

extra grease that I get out of schlage padlock's for mortise body's till I run out then it's W L grease from then on

selim

[thelockpickkid]

I live in a place where it rains more than it should. I find that Tri-Flow is the ticket here, never had any problems with it at all. I carry a couple of cans with me. WD-40 also works well here in locks, because it is so wet, there has never been a problem about it collecting dust because we don't have much dust since it tends to stay either really wet or always damp.

[Hedgehog]

I know this is an old thread, but has anyone experience of Kaba cleaner and lubricant, WD40 PTFE Dry Lube or Abus PS88?


How about Micronized PTFE Powder? It's a dry white powder lubricant that's supposed to avoid "caking up" like graphite does.

[ltdbjd]

I'll use dry PTFE (Teflon) that comes in liquid form. The carrier evaporates and leaves a film of PTFE behind. I've never used a straight powder though.

I think environmental issues play a part in the selection of lubricants as well. Somebody already mentioned rain. We have non-stop wind that blows dirt and dust into the locks, so I avoid most liquids for exterior locks.

Personally, I'm a Tri-Flow fan.

[billdeserthills]

I find the remains of lithium grease in locks sometimes, when I find it, the lithium grease has turned into paste and it no longer lubricates anything

[dll932]

I find the remains of lithium grease in locks sometimes, when I find it, the lithium grease has turned into paste and it no longer lubricates anything

Synthetic greases are much better, like Alisyn, Viperlube, etc. They don't separate and are good over a wider temp range.

https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-36781-Vi ... B0045NK4YK

http://www.alisyn.com/tribolube-household.php