Is the key to your armoured door no longer turning as smoothly as it once did? Is your armoured door lock stiff to open?

If you don’t know me yet, let me introduce myself: my name is Mauro from Ariete Security Doors, an expert in locks and security doors, and in this article I’ll explain how to lubricate your stiff lock.

We’ll look at the causes and their solutions, and I’ll reveal the two specific products that solve the problem in just a few seconds.

Ready? Let’s get started!

Stiff lock? Here’s how to lubricate your armoured door

If your lock is stiff to open and the key doesn’t turn properly, don’t worry: in most cases this is a perfectly normal thing.

Over time, in fact, it’s common for the lock to seize up and for the key to struggle to turn as easily as it once did.

The most frequent cause? A dirty key!

You should know that keys for European cylinder locks have tiny holes that can become clogged over time because of dust.

The solution, then, is to clean the key by lubricating the lock. Here’s how to do it.

How do you lubricate a cylinder lock?

In the past I’ve come across comments on blogs and websites recommending that you lubricate the lock using oil.

Well, you should know there’s nothing more wrong than that!

Oil, in fact, attracts dust and gums up the key, which will then struggle even more to turn.

So what’s the solution?

You need to lubricate your European cylinder using one of these two products:

• WD40
• Powdered graphite.

If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, don’t worry, I’ll explain in just a moment.

Let’s start with the first one.

Method 1: Lubricating the lock using WD40

Method 2: Lubricating with powdered graphite

An alternative solution is graphite powder.

Graphite is the material that pencil leads are made of, and it’s one of the products most widely used in the past to lubricate locks.

If you go to an “old-school” hardware shop, they’ll undoubtedly recommend this product.

It’s ideal because the powder clings to the metal, lubricating without leaving any greasy residue (so it doesn’t pick up dust or other debris) and without damaging the internal cylinders of the locks.

How do you use graphite powder?

To lubricate the locks, follow these simple steps:

1. Insert the tip of the powdered graphite tube into the lock.
2. Squeeze the tube a couple of times (don’t use too much, even small amounts will be effective for a long time)
3. Insert and remove the key in the lock two or three times (this way you can tell whether the graphite has worked properly)
4. If the key still goes in with difficulty, add a little more graphite
5. Try again.

Where do you buy graphite powder?

Just like WD40, powdered graphite can be bought from any hardware shop or on Amazon.

It’s usually sold in small containers fitted with a pointed nozzle, or in tubes that fit very well into the keyhole; a tube generally costs from €7 to €20 depending on the size.

Alternative method: Using the tip of a pencil

If you don’t have graphite powder or WD40 to hand, you can try taking a pencil and rubbing the tip directly onto the key.

It’s not a guaranteed fix, but in most cases it works, as you can see from the comment this user left under my YouTube video.

Conclusions

Right, we’ve reached the end of this article on how to lubricate the cylinder lock of an armoured door, through which I hope I’ve helped you solve your problem.

If the key still doesn’t turn properly, or if you have a different problem from the ones I’ve talked about in this post, read my article on the armoured door lock or leave a comment.

Now I’ll hand over to you: did you manage to solve your problem? How did you do it?

Share your experience with the Ariete Security Doors community.

Warm regards,
Mauro