Should I Oil My Lock..?

iPad

About 5 months ago I bough an Abus Granit X-Plus D-lock for what I though was a fair amount of cash for a lock.

I lock my bike with it every day in all weathers, but when not on my bike it sits under my desk at work, so it's not left out at night.

However recently it's started sticking, ie the key sometimes wont turn and the lock it harder to open.

My question is whether or not these should be oiled to free them up, and if so, can I use WD40, or would oiling it be a bad thing to do?

Aidy

Oil it, it'll be fine. Pretty much anything will do. Same as a door lock!

ince

I use WD on mine which are left out in all weather on the bike rack. The old issue I have with WD is it doesn't seem to hang around for long. You may find yourself having to reapply on a regular basis.

This reminds me I was meant to go and free off one of my locks this lunch.

sharm1969ca

yeah give it a good oiling mate, its a working mechanism with working parts, well when ya put the key in and turn it it is, so turn it upside down and where you put the key give it a good oiling with a 3 in 1 or similar.

salsajake

Aidy wrote:

Oil it, it'll be fine. Pretty much anything will do. Same as a door lock!

I'd take the complete opposite approach! You don't want to put oil in any lock. Oil, as we well know, attracts dirt. Dirt once in a lock will not leave. You don't need much dirt to stop a lock from working and then you can't fix it. What you need is graphite powder, which you can get from a locksmith. Its extremely fine 'dust' with a lubricating property, but is stone dry so is only of benefit to the lock.

crimsondynamo

My heavy duty kryptonite motorcycle style lock seized up almost immediately. The helpful lady at kryptonite told me to flush it out with dry lube. It worked a treat, and no negative after effects.

iainment

I thought you said oil my kok, snigger.

:shock:

Buckled_Rims

GT85 Lubricant, I've used it for years. Probably last longer then WD40 as it has PTFE.

I'd probably not use oil, graphite or grease as gritty particles can collect on it and be forced into the key mechanism over time.

Gussio

+1 for GT85. The little red tube shoud make it easy to get into the inner workings. Won't leave any sticky residue so no worry about attracting grit.

deptfordmarmoset

My lock became very stiff last year after an extended period outside. I gave it a little squirt of WD40 and it has it has been fine ever since.

iPad

Thanks for the advice.

Gave it a spray of GT85 this morning, left it for 5 mins to soak through, and all is well.

Cheers

Rich158

iPad wrote:

Thanks for the advice.

Gave it a spray of GT85 this morning, left it for 5 mins to soak through, and all is well.

Cheers

I'd make it a monthly maintenance schedule, I've had far too many heart stopping moments when the lock won't undo and make sure it gets a good blast of WD40 on a regular basis

oscarbudgie

WD40. My plumber told me that WD40 stands for 'water deterrent 40 days' although this I found out later was a lie.

salsajake

Buckled_Rims wrote:

GT85 Lubricant, I've used it for years. Probably last longer then WD40 as it has PTFE.

I'd probably not use oil, graphite or grease as gritty particles can collect on it and be forced into the key mechanism over time.

not so for graphite powder, that's what it's for - lubricating locks!

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PI ... er=froogle

ride_whenever

Yes oil it.

The issue with locks is that they're made of metal, and so you tend to get water condensing in the internals. WD40 is great for getting rid of it, and a bit of oil keeps it running sweet. Whilst i agree with graphite powder in principle, i don't think it'll keep the water out and prevent surface corrosion of the internals that causes all the problems. Generally locks are fairly well sealed from irt ingress, but the condensation is what kills them.

salsajake

ride_whenever wrote:

Yes oil it.

The issue with locks is that they're made of metal, and so you tend to get water condensing in the internals. WD40 is great for getting rid of it, and a bit of oil keeps it running sweet. Whilst i agree with graphite powder in principle, i don't think it'll keep the water out and prevent surface corrosion of the internals that causes all the problems. Generally locks are fairly well sealed from irt ingress, but the condensation is what kills them.

true, I concede, but make sure the key is free of dirt or fluff etc before you put it in each time if there is oil in there.

hoolio

After extended use WD40 can end up leaving a gunky kind of residue build up (at least I had that problem with a motorbike clutch cable once). I think that's why GT85 is generally preferred, but maybe others know different?

salsajake

Simon E wrote:

http://www.green-oil.net/

Used all year round, no complaints. I apply it using a toothbrush, that way it gets in between the rollers where it's most needed without dribbling loads everywhere.

GT85 is OK for short rides in dry weather but it's mostly solvent, which evaporates. Still better than WD40 though, which is a penetrant/degreaser and not a lubricant suitable for bicycle chains.

eh? That's about lubing a chain, not a lock?

simon_e

salsajake wrote:

Simon E wrote:

some irrelevant blather

eh? That's about lubing a chain, not a lock?

I know! :oops:

Deleted it now as I realised I'd opened the wrong thread (there's one about chain lube here too). I think I need another coffee.

itboffin

That reminds me i've left lock at the station - btw I had to pour coffee on the lock one morning just to get the key in and another day..... well! :oops:

salsajake

itboffin wrote:

That reminds me i've left lock at the station - btw I had to pour coffee on the lock one morning just to get the key in and another day..... well! :oops:

I take it the other day involved shall we say "processed" coffee?

itboffin

salsajake wrote:

itboffin wrote:

That reminds me i've left lock at the station - btw I had to pour coffee on the lock one morning just to get the key in and another day..... well! :oops:

I take it the other day involved shall we say "processed" coffee?

Cough! beer by product :oops:

wgwarburton

ride_whenever wrote:

Yes oil it.

The issue with locks is that they're made of metal, and so you tend to get water condensing in the internals. WD40 is great for getting rid of it, and a bit of oil keeps it running sweet. Whilst i agree with graphite powder in principle, i don't think it'll keep the water out and prevent surface corrosion of the internals that causes all the problems. Generally locks are fairly well sealed from irt ingress, but the condensation is what kills them.

I went to a locksmith in Edinburgh to buy some graphite powder a few years back and was advised to use WD40 instead...

Cheers,
W.

salsajake

WGWarburton wrote:

ride_whenever wrote:

Yes oil it.

The issue with locks is that they're made of metal, and so you tend to get water condensing in the internals. WD40 is great for getting rid of it, and a bit of oil keeps it running sweet. Whilst i agree with graphite powder in principle, i don't think it'll keep the water out and prevent surface corrosion of the internals that causes all the problems. Generally locks are fairly well sealed from irt ingress, but the condensation is what kills them.

I went to a locksmith in Edinburgh to buy some graphite powder a few years back and was advised to use WD40 instead...

Cheers,
W.

let me guess, they had WD40 in stock but no graphite powder...?

Graphite powder is very useful for Ford locks I think, which for years have been prone to tumbler collapse, very expensive to fix as it means new locks all round. Part of my car maintenance routine is a good blast of graphite powder. Then again, its all keyless entry these days, so less of an issue for modern cars,