self defrosting lock

[dll932]

Im a locksmith not a marine biologist
Ill have to do my homework in future
This year the temp dropped to nearly -20 c in Dublin I built an igloo in the garden and i got my first ever callout for a frozen lock in nearly 20 years, when i got there it was full of superglue.

acetone in a hypodermic should fix that-just don't get any on plastic!

[C locked]

An lock coated with an alkaline dimer polymer AKD. Could theoretically be resistant to being frozen. Due to it being waterresistant. Not unlike a permanent coating of wd40. ...no water no chance of it actually freezing solid. ...However it would seem like a real issue with making an unfreezable lock would be the need for wider tolerances. Due to the expansion and contraction of the metal of the lock itself. Although allowing for it and having rubber or other non metal spacers could make up some of the issue.

[C locked]

I know that it was just superglue. However the idea of a lock that is actually frozen. And the problems of such are. ...interesting.

[mechanical_nightmare]

During my college days in the bitter Michigan winter the tubular U-Lock for my bicycle would occasionally get completely frozen up, and as a quick fix I used to breathe into the keyway for a minute or two so the key would work. That Masterlock lived up to its reputation; one morning I went to unlock the bike and someone had stolen the front wheel out of frustration, because they tried and failed to cut the U-lock with bolt cutters Still had to get a new wheel though

I didn't have a clue as to how locks worked back then, but now it seems to me WD-40 or antifreeze (which are not exotic chemicals and should be easily available) would make quick work of the problem. I think the battery method that the OP detailed would work too, but it seems a bit too complex for the task, at least to me.

[JoshuaWest]

Sorry for the bringing the dead back to life,
--> Here in YYC AB, CAN, I'm sitting at -40C (Actually happens to be exactly -40F too) and reading about lock icing, as it's too cold to be stuck outside.

With regard to the original idea of a glow plug / heating element,

How feasible would using the ice itself to close the circuit be?

[ckc123]

instant heat...

[JoshuaWest]

Ahh, Good Call.

Will invest.

You don't have to worry about temperature disparity causing troubles?

[C locked]

Resurrection of dead idea
But wouldnt including a heating element in the lock
Cause the lock to nedd greater tolerences in the gap
Between plug and bible to allow for expansion of the
plug material as it heats.
Also as nature loves balance and the heating process to
Heat the plug would need to bring that temperature
above freezing surely the energy used as the plug and
bible dissipate the heat balance would mean basically using
A new 9v every time it freezes

Even something as simple as a fuse wire loop imbeaded
around the outside of the pin chamber at the shearline
In the bible would require huge (comparitavely) energy use
For a 9v
Just my thoughts about it

Simpler to use the first pin chamber with a fill hole at the top
plugged at the bottom
with an aluminium ball bearing(large expansion and
contraction difference) filled with antifreeze gel to
When the temperature causes the bb to contract the gel
seeps around it into the keyway covering over the
keyway hole temporary to the ice

But it sounds overly complicated and it is
probably just simpler to use a weather shielding escutcheon
made of water displacing coated material

[dll932]

A good soldering iron with a keyblank wired to the end would defrost in a couple of minutes. A little portable blowtorch like what chefs use would make quick work of a frozen lock too. I don't think i'll ever see one of these in Australia though

I have a small cigar lighter that works like that. Hold the key with pliers or vice grip, heat with lighter, work into the lock. May take a few tries but it gets me there. WD -40 or Tri-Flow displaces the moisture. I occasionally have to alternate between the heating and the lubing a few times.