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PSA: A little bit of chalk line dust can save you a ton of time with a sticky door lock
Had a call for a finicky door lock on a 90s Dover that kept binding. The customer said it was sticking about once a week. I was about an hour into checking the linkage and solenoid when I remembered an old guy at a training in Chicago years ago saying 'dry lube first, real lube last.' I put a tiny pinch of chalk line dust on the lock's pivot pin. That was three months ago, and I just checked in with the building. Zero callbacks since. It's not a permanent fix for a worn part, but it can buy you time to order the right piece. Has anyone else used a dry lube trick like this on something other than rails?
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anthonykim3d ago
Used to think graphite was the only dry lube worth using. Chalk line dust seemed like a joke. Tried it on a sticky elevator door interlock last year as a last resort. The thing ran smooth for months. Now I keep a little film canister of it in my bag. It's just powdered clay, so it won't attract dirt like oil can.
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Calling that a fix is just kicking the can down the road. You're putting abrasive dust in a moving part. That chalk line stuff is just ground up clay and it wears things down over time. Anthonykim might have gotten lucky for a few months, but you're adding grit. It's going to accelerate wear on the pivot pin. Real lube protects the metal. That dust soaks up moisture too, which can lead to rust in the right conditions. Always better to clean the part properly and use the right lubricant from the start.
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