Have you ever stuck your key in a lock and noticed that it gets tougher and tougher to push in and pull out?

Okay, here’s on of those things you might not ever need to use, but if you
do, boy you’ll be glad you watched this show… And not that other one with
the dancing gerbils or whatever they are. High on entertainment, low on
education… That’s them, not us.
Have you ever stuck your key in a lock and noticed it gets tougher and
tougher to push it in and pull it out? Eventually it gets so sticky you have
to take a step back and kick the key in to get it into the lock! And then
your neighbours call the cops and you end up in anger management… No,
that’s never happened. To me.
So how do you fix it? Do you:
A- Ignore the problem until it goes away
B- Just buy a new lock and change the old ones out
C- Blast that sucker with an entire can of WD-40
D- Move
Honey, the locks don’t work anymore, so… We’re gonna take the coward’s way
out and leave..
If you answered A, B or D – you’re crazy, and if you answered C, you’re
doublely crazy. Doublely WD-40 crazy.
While WD-40 is a handyman’s secret weapon, and it’s usually good at fixing a
lot of different problems, it isn’t gonna help you in this case.
If you squirt off a shot of that into the lock it might loosen things up for
a bit, but then, as it dries out it just starts to gum up the works…
Anything liquid-based in a lock is a disaster – it just attracts dirt and in
the cold it can freeze and it’ll just trash your lock. Instead, what you want
is dry lubricant. I know nothing says oxymoron more like dry lubricant, but
hear me out.
For locks they make something called graphite powder. You just put a little
puff of this magic fairy dust into the lock, and then run your key in and
out, until it loosens up.
There are little metal bars that hang down from the top of a lock called
tumblers – when you push a key in that has the right shape it pushes them up,
and allows the lock to turn. The graphite coats the tumblers and allows them
to slide. No more sticky.
Now, graphite isn’t the only dry lubricant, and locks aren’t the only thing
that need one:
There’s Teflon spray that you can use for everything from door hinges to
curtain rails to garage door openers. You spray it on, like an aerosol can
and then when the liquid evaporates it leaves a bit of powdered teflon
everywhere.
Some other handy dry lubricants include things like using candle wax for
sticky zippers and rubbing screws on a bar of soap to help them go in easier.
I’m sure there are a million more, but we’ll let you post some up in the
comments, because that’s what they’re there for.
So this’ll lubricant anything right? No? Let’s try it out.
Eventually it gets so sticky you have to take a step back and kick the-.. Oh
boy.
Transcribed by: LtSten
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22 Comments
The Perspicacious Loris
Oh, boy!Mati
This I do when I have no access to my graphite: You can take sanpaper and a pencil and ...jakykong
If you're curious as to how lubricants, dry or wet, work: Consider ball bearings. If you put a lot of ...jjf+4.5
i guess i better tell my husband (full time chef, part time home-handyman) that the olive oil he put in ...weggles
In all my years of using locks... I've never seen that. I've lived in this house roughly 13 years now, and ...Nospinplease
Flying Shoe! I actualy did that once... I promised the person I hit it was an accident.steph
Don't need any ideas I pick option C!!Phil
Heard from a man who lived "in a prior generation": use the oil from the side of your nose to ...Johnb300m
Holy heart failure Batman! Did you see that flying shoe!?steve
Hey Ryan - ewwww! Good thing your grandfather lived in the days before electric locks...Meandering
Are you saying not to use WD-40 on my garage door? Why would that be bad? However, that ...Laura B
Did you use the lube on your shoe? haIngrid
Nice show again... I never had this problem, maybe someday I will, and I probably will be glad I watched ...Ryan
Hey Steve - my grandfather's car door lock froze one winter (before I was born but not so long ago ...HuTcH
Of course anyone who has been in a pinewood derby would konw about graffite. At least all the winners would.Steve
And for bonus points, if your lock is iced up, use a blow dryer. Not hot water like my friend ...InsaneAI
I'm with EmperorWhiteThunder... I want in the 22 club... Good tip on lubricants though, I didn't know that.Teagan
And here I thought WD-40 was a lot like duck tape: used for EVERY problem. I wish I could join the ...GenJ
hehe we had to use some of this last weekneil
Cost of internet ---- 29.99 a month Watching wyotk ------- Free watching shoe fly ---- PricelessScott
What?! The flying shoe of death! Hai-Ku!!EmperorWhiteThunder
My day is complete . . . if only I could join the Secret 22.