Anti-rust padlock

[mark]

What sort of padlock is best for an outside shed. I'm thinking of one that doesn't jam after a few months in the rain.

mark

[Phil L]

IME stay away from anything made of brass, and whichever type you buy, soak the entire thing in WD40 (inside a sealed plastic bag is best) for a few days prior to using it outside, then, each year, give it another soaking....all mine have lasted for years doing this.

[Andrew Mawson]

Screwfix do a Stainless Steel disc one that seems ok, I have several of them round the farm.Though I do squirt wd40 in them occassionally.

AWEM

[mark]

Have found one on the screwfix site. Thanks

mark

[Andy Dingley]

Best? Abus Diskus Plus. Failing that, a decent copy of it.

It's a "disc" padlock, which is a good design for outdoors. Rather than small pins to control the lock and a shackle relying on loose locking balls and a bit of spring assist, the rotating circular shackle of a disk is moved positively by turning the cylinder. It'll get just as sticky as a straight shackle, but you've got much better "wiggle" to move it loose afterwards.

It's a close shackle, so it's hard to cut off.

It's a simple design with fewer ways to make cheaper and nastier - so the cheapies are still reasonable.

The Diskus Plus also uses an Abus key patent for keys actuated by the angle of a cut in their face, not a pin depth. This makes them secure against picking, but also far more robust against worn keys and internal stickiness.

Never put WD40 near a lock, and 3-in-1 is even worse. They're sticky, so they collect dust in the future. Good fix today, bad for next winter. Best thing (esp. indoors) on a pinned or wafer lock is just dry flake graphite (flake, not pencil) which you buy in a little puffer bottle from a locksmith or decent hardware shop. Couple of quid, lasts a lifetime. For outdoor stuff, the PTFE gun oils (Tri- flow, Break-free) are hard to find but good and weather resistant. For re-assembling lever locks (i.e. "mortice" locks) after dismantling, use a light grease or vaseline.

[Alang]

I have a steel Yale padlock bought about 1966 on my extension ladders outside. Shot of 3in1 oil every year or so keeps it going. Generally what you get is what you pay for

[Rick Hughes]

Screwfix sell a stainless padlock

or a big brute of a galvanized version

[Dave Baker]

I've got a very cheap padlock on the garage, no idea of the make, and that still works perfectly well after over 20 years without ever having had any oil or WD40 sprayed in it. I'm not really sure why you'd expect only something expensive or fancy not to jam in outside use.

[Bob Eager]

I bought two shed padlocks over five years ago. Nothing special except for a long shank.

Still working fine; occasional (annual) oil on the shank, and a bit of graphite in the cylinder.

[newshound]

This is conventional wisdom, and some locks do seize up and refuse to come free with additional WD40. But, some locks do seem to tolerate them long term, either a question of the clearances or lack of dust in the local environment. 3 in 1 has very good corrosion inhibitors, so is particularly effective on brass body steel shackle padlocks that get wet.

that's the key point, graphite *may* give you galvanic corrosion on steel if wet, especially if there is salt in the air

Agreed

Agreed

[The Medway Handyman]

Me too, B&Q I think, brass, 4 combination, odd squirt of WD40. Been there

15 years.

Why does everyone slag off WD40, I think its great stuff?

[Frank Erskine]

It tries to be all things to all men. It isn't a penetrating 'fluid'. PlusGas is very much better.

It isn't a lubricant. It may act slightly as lubricant, but not very effectively. Powdered graphite is a much better lubricant for lock cylinders, and PTFE spray (such as 3-in-one Professional) for padlocks etc.

WD-40's best avoided for HT leads in cars etc - much better to simply clean the leads with methylated spirit or similar. WD-40 'is' a water dispersant, but its straw is too easily lost. Having said that, I've lost the straw for my 3-in-one stuff... :-)

[Rod]

If WD40 were such a good lubricant (as many suggest), it would perhaps be surprising that the WD40 company bought up 3-in-one.

The WD40 aerosol MSDS describes the product as "Anti-squeak. Moisture repellant. Releasing agent". (Though elsewhere they do claim lubricating properties.)

Also, if WD40 were such a good penetrating fluid, it would perhaps be a surprise that WD40 brought out a 3-in-ONE penetrating spray.

(3-in-ONE is now used to brand not just light machine oil but silicone, white lithium, copper grease, PTFE lubricant, penetrating spray and degreaser products.)

When our exterior padlock starting to become a bit reluctant and look a bit rusty round the edges after around 4 or 5 years outside, I sprayed a touch of white lithium (no - not 3-in-ONE!) into it. It has been fine for the last 3 years.

[Appin]

The message from Frank Erskine contains these words:

Straw? Buy it by the 5 litre container and use it from squirty bottle!

[Frank Erskine]

Better still, don't buy it at all, since it's so pretty useless.

HTH -

[Dave]

It is good for one thing though.

On military aircraft that are left out in all weathers, a build up of water that can collect under the countersunk head of the fasteners can cause corrosion. This is one reason why a Water Dispersant was invented. All military services use it for Water Dispersal.

Dave