Emergency Local Locksmith
What Can You Use To Lubricate Locks
It’s important to lubricate your locks every now and then to make sure that they work smoothly all the time. A simple lubrication can help a lock that is sticking, and it could go a long way. Many experts have debated upon a simple question for a long period of time now. Some swear by a lubricant that others immediately disagree upon because of a small problem it could cause or another. Of course, there might not be a perfect lubricant, but knowing each one’s pros and cons will help you know what to keep in your home for emergency purposes and of course, routine maintenance. Read on for more information on the different lubricants that are being used in locks.
The “WD” in WD-40 stands for “water displacing”, and it has been around since the 1950’s. You can easily find one in a department store, and it has a lot of uses from cleaner, rust remover to lubricant. It could easily dry up and cause some extra jams. It could also collect more dirt to hinder your lock even more. It’s good for a backup when you need it, and it also works as an excellent cleaner for the interior of the lock. It can even remove water from the parts of the lock, but never leave it inside.
Though many locksmiths swear by graphite, it’s not recommendable for warm and extremely humid places. Once it absorbs moisture from the air, it can gum up and become extremely sticky, causing a jam and collecting more dirt, possibly worsening an existing problem. For places that are not so warm and humid though, graphite can be very useful in unsticking a lock and making it work smoothly again.
Silicone lubricants work fairly well in any temperature. It doesn’t even dry out. Its fumes are a little toxic though. It sadly can’t help you in fixing corroded locks, and are not a good choice for very rusty ones. If you are working in a place undergoing extreme temperature, such as very warm summers and freezing winters, then they are actually a very viable lubricant, so you might want to have one around.
3 in one oil is another lubricant that you might find in the market. It’s a lubricating, penetrating and cleaning oil, so as it name suggests, it has three functions in one formula. It’s a fairly decent formula overall that has some similar properties with WD-40. It’s also good in protecting metal surfaces. Sadly, it can easily dry out and leave sticky residue that can attract dirt and cause future stuck locks.
There are many kinds of lubricants that you can find in the market. Those above are just the most common types that can be found in the market and are prefered by many people who are into do it yourself. Knowing their pros and cons will be a good way to know what kind you should choose from, and if their cons are bearable enough for you. Check out http://www.emergencylocallocksmith.com if you need some help.