Lubricate A Sticky Door Lock & Key, Instead of Replacing Them

 The two locks on my front door were becoming very difficult to operate
and sometimes the key would become stuck inside the keyhole. I was
ready to go buy new locks, but then I remembered how my grandfather
would use graphite powder as a dry lubricant for delicate pocket
watches.

I took pictures of the lubrication process and wrote up a guide. The
total cost for the lubricant was about $5 ordered online.

Here's the guide -
http://www.paulstravelpictures.com/How-To-Fix-A-Sticky-Door-Lock-and-Key

The locks work great now and require very little effort to operate.
The tube of lubricating powder still has enough in it to lubricate at
least 10-15 more locks, so it was a great value.

Cheers,
Paul Michaels
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

  Paul Michaels wrote:

But don't put too much in, or it will jam the works.  It will also get
on the key and stain your clothing. And don't get it on aluminum, over
time graphite can corrode aluminum.

There's a material (boron nitride) called "white graphite" with
similar properties (except for the staining).  Ace Hardware sells it
online for $2.79, it's probably about that in their stores.
Locksmiths often recommend a spray called Tri-Flow, it's sort of like
WD-40 but doesn't leave a gummy (or graphite) residue (it's got teflon
in it).

In a pinch, I've used a soft pencil rubbed on the key, since pencil
"lead" is really graphite and clay.  But that's for an emergency, not
as good as the pure stuff.

Dave