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.