Beeswax is definitely a solid choice—used it myself on an old pantry door latch that kept sticking. Worked like a charm, and no weird residue or discoloration either. But speaking of antique hardware, has anyone here ever had trouble with skeleton keys getting stuck or snapping off inside the lock? Happened to me once, and let me tell you, fishing out that broken piece was a nightmare...
"fishing out that broken piece was a nightmare..."
Been there, and you're right—it's a total headache. Had a similar issue with an old Victorian property I was flipping. Skeleton key snapped clean off, and I spent hours trying to coax it out without damaging the original hardware. Ended up using a tiny drill bit and needle-nose pliers—slow and steady did the trick. Definitely recommend patience over brute force in these situations... antique locks can be unforgiving if you're not careful.
"Definitely recommend patience over brute force in these situations... antique locks can be unforgiving if you're not careful."
Couldn't agree more. Antique hardware is tricky—I've seen folks rush it and end up damaging irreplaceable pieces. One thing I'd add: graphite powder can be a lifesaver. A tiny puff into the lock before you start working can help loosen things up without gunking it like WD-40 sometimes does. Learned that the hard way after spending half a day wrestling with a stubborn lock...
Good call on graphite powder, never thought of that. Usually I just carefully jiggle and hope for the best... hasn't failed me yet (fingers crossed). But question about WD-40—does it really gunk things up for you? I've used it a couple times without problems, but maybe I got lucky. Could it depend on the lock type or something?
"antique locks can be unforgiving if you're not careful."
Yeah, learned that myself after snapping an old skeleton key off inside the lock—lesson painfully learned.
Graphite powder is definitely the safer bet for locks, especially older ones. WD-40 isn't exactly a lubricant—it's more of a water displacement spray, hence the name. It can temporarily loosen things up, but over time it tends to attract dust and grime, eventually gunking up the mechanism. I've seen it happen firsthand.
"antique locks can be unforgiving if you're not careful."
Couldn't agree more. A few years back, I was restoring an old Victorian-era cabinet with original brass hardware. Beautiful piece, but the lock was stubborn as anything. Without thinking much about it, I sprayed WD-40 inside to loosen things up. Worked great at first—key turned smoothly, thought I'd solved the problem. Fast forward a couple months later: key started sticking again, worse than before. When I finally opened it up, the inside was coated in a sticky residue mixed with dust and dirt. Took me hours to clean it out properly and get everything moving again.
Since then, I've stuck strictly to graphite powder or dry lubricants specifically designed for locks. They're cleaner and don't attract debris like WD-40 does. Of course, if you're in a pinch and nothing else is handy, WD-40 might help temporarily—but I'd recommend following up with proper cleaning and lubrication afterward to avoid long-term issues.
As for snapping keys... been there too. Had an old skeleton key snap off in an antique wardrobe lock once—spent half a day carefully extracting the broken piece without damaging the lock itself. Lesson learned indeed; patience and gentle handling go a long way with antiques.
