Lock maintenance

Jacobe Hazzard said:

My kryptonite U-lock sees a lot of use in all sorts of
weather. The barrel is starting to be less smooth than it
was new. The krypronite website says to lube the lock once
a month to repel dirt, and also states "It is critical that
the ingredients of the lube include one of these: SILICONE,
GRAPHITE, TEFLON or PARAFFIN."

Would it be OK to use a bit of phil's tenacious oil, as
this is all I have. Not sure of it's makeup.

Also they don't mention anything about cleaning the lock.
If it's already dirty, might it be a good idea to flush it
out with some distilled water or alcohol, and blow dry?
Don't want to have to buy another lock for a long time.

I've always used Tri-flo on my locks, including
kryptonites.Drip some in and insert the key and give a few
turns. I also drop some in the main body where the U ends go
into the body.

Tri-flo is also good for household door locks, door hinges,
squeaky toilet seats, all sorts of things. For $3 or so,
it's worth having.

Maybe flush it with some WD-40, let dry for a bit, then the
oil? Using water is risky. Alcohol? Hadn't thought of it...

I wouldn't use Phil's Tenacious (tm)- pretty heavy weight
for a locking mechanism.

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 03:49:20 GMT, "Jacobe Hazzard"

may have said:

My kryptonite U-lock sees a lot of use in all sorts of
weather. The barrel is starting to be less smooth than it
was new. The krypronite website says to lube the lock once
a month to repel dirt, and also states "It is critical that
the ingredients of the lube include one of these: SILICONE,
GRAPHITE, TEFLON or PARAFFIN."

What all of those have in common is that they do not attract
and retain dirt.

Quoted message said:

Would it be OK to use a bit of phil's tenacious oil, as
this is all I have. Not sure of it's makeup.

No. It will attract and retain dirt, potentially crudding up
the pins and making the lock inoperable.

Quoted message said:

Also they don't mention anything about cleaning the lock.
If it's already dirty, might it be a good idea to flush it
out with some distilled water or alcohol, and blow dry?
Don't want to have to buy another lock for a long time.

Cleaning it out is probably a good idea.

Lube with the stuff that's recommended. I lean toward
graphite to an extent, but I won't avoid silicone or teflon
lubes if that's what is available. Be cautious with some of
the things that have teflon in them; many are actually oils
with a little teflon added, which does not avoid the
"attract and retain dirt" problem.

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Quoted message said:

My kryptonite U-lock sees a lot of use in all sorts of
weather. The barrel is starting to be less smooth than it
was new. The krypronite website says to lube the lock once
a month to repel dirt

It's a good idea to keep that lock clean and dry; I left a
closed Kryptonite U-Lock sitting in my drafty, leaky storage
shed for a couple of years, and it seized solid.