Lock Restoration: How do you Restore?

[Papa Gleb]

I hope this thread fits in the category.

Aside from beating a challenge and picking locks open, I also much love, maybe even more than picking, taking them apart, cleaning them and of course restoring. Its something about taking an old locks that looks like kaka and making it look nice n shiny BUT I am knew to restoring old items and am always scared to screw up so I figured this can be a thread were we all post how we clean and/or restore our locks as well as before and after pics. I also know that some old locks should NOT be restored to shiny new as they may lose their value.

So to begin, here is an American series 5200 that I got off ebay with no key. I picked it, gutted it, cleaned it all and made a key. I used sand paper on the body as it was cover in paint then used steel wool on the insides. Then air pressure in a canned out all the wool pieces and used braklee to de-grease all of the parts. Probably not needed but still wanted to cleeeeean. Sorry no detailed cleaning pics of this one but I got many more to show.

[jeffmoss26]

I think you are on the right track.
With most of my locks, I am more concerned with the cylinder working than how the lock looks. I use Houdini spray to clean the insides and if there is rust, usually clean it off with my wire wheel.

[Papa Gleb]

fully agree Jeff. I would never start cleaning a lock that doesnt work. Im going to order that Houdini spray. Gotta see what the hype is.

What type of wire wheel? steel or brass?

[jeffmoss26]

My wire wheel is steel, others may use brass. Not really sure.

[Papa Gleb]

I know brass is softer so on still i wont do much to the metal except maybe clean it a bit but steel on brass may leave scratches / scuffs.

I tried many times to use my dremel with a steel wheel and it does nothing than make the steel black. I am not sure why, maybe I used to much speed or too little but I stopped using it

[frostypicker]

I'm not an expert on locks, but I do a lot of work with metal so...

There's many ways to clean metal, although it depends on what type of metal you're working with and how crazy you want to get with it. For stainless steel, pickling acid works wonders. However, it will eat through carbon steel and discolor aluminum. So we're gonna stay with physical cleaning for now.

Outside of the lock, don't use sandpaper. Sandpaper doesn't restore so much as remove. A wire brush or wire wheel will clean it without removing an excess amount of material, remove the lettering, grind of the edges, etc. You can follow that up with Scotch Brite, it's a very gentle type of sandpaper than almost feels like fabric. Makes things nice and shiny and will work on the shackle really well.

On the inside, a healthy amount of Brake Clean will do wonders for getting the crap out of it without leaving any type of residue like WD-40. As long as there isn't any rubber/plastic parts in it, Brake Cleaner won't hurt anything. Next, depending on the condition of the lock, you might need to replace springs and pins as necessary. On the internal parts I would shine them up with Crocus cloth, it's a very gentle type of sandpaper used on internal transmission parts to shine them up without being too abrasive. You can get it at any hardware store, or should be able to anyway. If not, auto parts stores may have it. (I would also use crocus cloth on the ball bearings for the shackle, if yours has those)

After it's all cleaned up and working, put it back together, spray some lube in there and work it into the pins with a rake, and you should be good to go.

P.S. - While you have it apart and cleaned, if you want to paint the body, now would be the time. Just make sure to plug all the holes with paper towels or something so you don't get any paint on the inside.


Hope I helped at least a little.

[jones]

If you are working on older locks you shouldn't destroy the patina that has developed on the case.
I have many smokehouse locks in my collection and sometimes when I find one, it will have been wire-brushed until it's
shiny, which is a good way to destroy its antique value, I understand

[oldbiscuit]

Just a safety note on aerosol brake cleaner. I use it a lot in many different applications and it works great, however Never, Never, Never take a torch to a part that you have used brake clean on. The fumes from the burning brake clean are very toxic and can cause immediate death. I like to use aerosol carburetor cleaner also and it is actually much safer. Like Jeff, I'm a firm believer in Houdini lock spray, I've been using it for years. Mark

[Oldfast]

Its something about taking an old locks that looks like kaka and making it look nice n shiny....

I can very much relate! Hard to put into words... but yeah, a VERY GOOD feeling to see something come back to life.

.....BUT I am knew to restoring old items and am always scared to screw up....

Again I can relate. There are just so many cleaners, polishes, brushes, etc. etc. to choose from.
Being cautious is not a bad thing. But I always hate that feeling of uncertainty, lol. As a general
rule, MOST chemicals in my experience usually seem to be safe AS LONG AS it's not prolonged
exposure (ie. submerging/soaking overnight). My other rule of thumb that helps ease my mind -
always thoroughly rinse & brush the chemical back off your piece as soon as you're done with it.

I've always used a heavy-duty degreaser (which I dilute to different degrees depending on what
I'm doing. Another degreaser Altashot just turned me onto is LPS ZeroTri Heavy-Duty Degreaser.
You might be interesting in giving this a try as well. I just purchased some and I've been loving it.
It thoroughly degreases then dries completely... ready to accept some lube. This is especially nice
to get inside those locks that cannot be disassembled.

And don't forget about Brasso! Even those pins in that American will be like brand new.
Brasso also leave a very fine polished finish, which aids in smooth operation between
parts (I've always thought so anyway, lol). Just remember the same principal applies
to brasso as with cleaners - thoroughly rinse it back off when you're done.

Gleb... that lock looks great. I look forward to seeing more & hopefully add some of mine.

Frostypicker... I'm not a 'metals man' so it's really nice to hear from someone who is.
I like some of the tips you've given and some of the products you made mention of.
Some of them I've never heard of till now. So I just might have to go shopping

[Papa Gleb]

Guys a huge thank you to you all. This is exactly what I was looking for when I made this thread.

Oh wow a metal man, sweet. Let the brain picking begin. Can you please tell me why when I use a steel wire wheel on my Dremel does the metal I use it on turn black?

As I was reading this I had questions which I forgot but they will come to me lol.

[Papa Gleb]

Frosty, you mentioned painting so am curious to know what type of paint? Regular spray paint?

Also that American (pictures at top) is now nice clean and shiny but it is also exposed metal which will attract rust naturally. I do not want to paint it but do want to protect it just don't know with what. Jeff had the same idea I did to spray it with WD for a light coat. My other thought which may not work for obvious reasons is a coat of clear coat spray.

Anyone has any ideas?

[frostypicker]

Oh wow a metal man, sweet. Let the brain picking begin. Can you please tell me why when I use a steel wire wheel on my Dremel does the metal I use it on turn black?

Hmm...Honestly I'm not sure, I haven't seen that happen on Carbon Steel, any grade of Stainless, Hastelloy, Inconel, Monel, Aluminum, or any of the other alloys we work with and we use wire wheels all the time in my shop. I don't have much experience with brass though. It could be that there is already a coating of some kind on the metal, and that you're burning it with the friction from the wire wheel, or it may just be what brass does, or it may be that there is some other kind of chemical/polish/something on your wire wheel already that is causing it. Couldn't really say without seeing it in person, or at least pictures.

**EDIT - It could very well be that the lock is plated or in some other way coated. I don't have much experience with this, but metal that is plated, anodized, galvanized or in some way coated will do weird things that bare metal just doesn't do. I believe I saw on my American Lock A1100 that the box mentioned something about it being plated. That could very well be why it is turning black.

Frosty, you mentioned painting so am curious to know what type of paint? Regular spray paint?

Also that American (pictures at top) is now nice clean and shiny but it is also exposed metal which will attract rust naturally. I do not want to paint it but do want to protect it just don't know with what. Jeff had the same idea I did to spray it with WD for a light coat. My other thought which may not work for obvious reasons is a coat of clear coat spray.

Anyone has any ideas?

For exposed metals, any type of oil lightly applied to the surface will keep it from rusting/oxidizing for a period of time. WD-40 is good because it has rust-inhibitors in it. However, it's more temporary than anything, and the metal will probably feel greasy every time you touch it. There are clear coats made for metal, so if you don't want to change the color that would be the way to go. HOWEVER, what you use largely depends on what kind of metal it is. If it is carbon steel, it will rust if exposed to air and moisture for any period of time, and needs to be covered. If it is a non-ferrous metal like Stainless or Aluminum, then you don't have to even bother. They don't rust.

**EDIT - If it is plated then that changes things. I'll have to find more information on it before I can give any advice though. We don't typically deal with treated/coated metals in my shop, because you can't weld them.

I found this thread on a metal sculpture forum, you may find it interesting: http://www.sculpture.net/community/show ... php?t=2171
(I don't personally guarantee the accuracy of any of the information in that link, as I didn't read it all, it's strictly for possible extra information. However, they did mention they used "Krylon Acrylic Clear" to clear-coat their metals. Might be something to look into. They also talk about Rustoleum paints a bit.)

If you have any other questions or can provide me with more information so maybe I can answer your former questions better, just let me know and I'll do my best. I'm a welder/fabricator, so I've done a lot with metal, but I'm not 100% sure what metals are used in which locks and how they are made, and can't really tell without having it in my hands.
I do also work with a bunch of guys that have been in the metal business for many, many years, so if you have a question about metals that stumps me and google isn't helping, I can always ask them.

Just a safety note on aerosol brake cleaner. I use it a lot in many different applications and it works great, however Never, Never, Never take a torch to a part that you have used brake clean on. The fumes from the burning brake clean are very toxic and can cause immediate death. I like to use aerosol carburetor cleaner also and it is actually much safer.

I dunno about "instant death" but it's true that heat applied to chemicals is never really a good idea. Most brake cleaner nowadays is non-chlorinated, but no matter what it is, any chemical (and metal) releases toxic fumes when intense heat is applied, so it's never a good idea to stick your face in the fumes, although I doubt it will cause you to die instantly. Honestly I'd be more worried about the risk of fire, since both brake cleaner and carburetor cleaner are extremely flammable. The advantage brake cleaner has in this particular instance is that it evaporates quicker and once it does it's completely fine to apply heat to, but either way I'd make sure it is completely dry before applying heat, or just use heat before even using any chemicals.

[oldbiscuit]

Actually when heated, brake cleaner can produce Phosgene gas and if you are welding with tig or mig and are using Argon as a shielding gas, the mixture can cause Hydrogen Cloride gas. Both of which can cause instant respritory and heart attacks. Phosgene gas was used in WWI and is a very dangerous gas in its own right and Hyrdogen Cloride is even more lethal. I'm just passing on information that I know to be true, if you want to ignore it and take chances with your health, go right ahead.

[Papa Gleb]

Thanks much for the great info. As for the toxic fumes, I don't even own a torch but I will most surely keep that in mind.

[frostypicker]

Actually when heated, brake cleaner can produce Phosgene gas and if you are welding with tig or mig and are using Argon as a shielding gas, the mixture can cause Hydrogen Cloride gas. Both of which can cause instant respritory and heart attacks. Phosgene gas was used in WWI and is a very dangerous gas in its own right and Hyrdogen Cloride is even more lethal. I'm just passing on information that I know to be true, if you want to ignore it and take chances with your health, go right ahead.

I didn't say I was going to ignore it, I was under the assumption you meant a different type of heat. I figured you meant a propane or oxyacetylene torch, not a welder. Because I legitimately cannot think of an instance where you would weld on a lock. I'm assuming you mean car parts or something.

As for welding, we don't use brake clean in my shop, as there isn't a use for it other than the old forklift we have out back. And as far as toxic fumes go, welding by itself is pretty toxic as is - argon can asphyxiate inside a closed space (which we work) in minutes plus welding naturally gives off hexavalent chromium and all kinds of fun carcinogenics. Which is why I said you never really want to go sticking your face into anything you're heating up, especially when chemicals are involved.

I did not however, know about the phosphene and hydrogen chloride, which is interesting. I'll have to go look that up.



Anyway, back on topic. I had a brief conversation with my foreman about this whole lock restoration thing. As you may know, plating is the process in which they dunk the metals in a chemical and run an electric current through it, which causes the chemical to bond to the metal. It is possible to remove this plating if you are very aggressive with sanding or wire wheeling, so that's probably not the best idea. Most locks I've seen have some kind of plating, be it on the body or the shackle.

Now about it turning black... My foreman thinks this is most likely either caused by running the wire wheel too fast or there is some kind of clear coat on the lock, which the wire wheel is burning. So I would advise being as gentle as possible. Probably would have been better to try some low-speed buffing, maybe some polish and see how it goes. Or maybe a soft wire brush or scotch brite if the rust/varnish was pretty bad.
Since you already sanded the body, I'm not sure how much and what kind of material was removed. If it starts to rust, you may have removed either the plating, the clear coat, or both; depending on which is present. In which case I'd definitely recommend applying either paint or clear coat when you're done.



So let's back track a bit. What kind of condition is the lock and shackle in right now? What have you done to it thus far? And what do you still need to do with it?


P.S. - I'll also be getting an American A5200 from eBay next week, and it does have a bit of wear on it, so I'll be able to examine one myself and see what it's made of and what it needs. Then I might restore it and post the how's and why's when I'm done, provided I get the time to.