DK how it is for unfreezing (I suspect it would help), but for general
lock maintenance I use a spray that has graphite suspended in some kind
of volatile solvent. Spray it in, and it gets the graphite everywhere,
and leaves it there once the solvent evaporates.

It's not the easiest to find, but you'll find it if you look and ask.

Ray

On 12/14/2010 11:07 PM, Mike S wrote:
> At 09:45 PM 12/14/2010, John Meeks wrote...
>> This works for me:. Spray some WD40 on your key, insert key, repeat
>> until
>> key turns.
>
> Ouch. While it might provide some immediate benefit, WD40 will really
> gum things up over time. Alcohol is what's called for when unfreezing
> locks, because it completely evaporates. You can buy small tubes
> designed exactly for that purpose (sometimes with a bit of graphite for
> dry lubrication) for under a buck. A thin lubricant, such as RemOil or
> Kroil or maybe even PB Blaster, would be better than WD40, but I
> wouldn't recommend even those, unless trying to free up a lock which is
> already gummed up (as opposed to simply frozen).
>
> One can also use the old trick of heating a key with a lighter, then
> inserting it to thaw a lock.
>