Why does my key stick or not turn?

Keys sticking or difficult to turn

often times we get calls from customers whose keys stick or the home or vehicle owner reports having to "giggled" or fidgit with the key to get it to turn, while worn keys and cylinders do contribute greatly to this problem and re-keying or cutting new keys by code does solve the issue 90% of the time, sometimes it is a matter of debris, lack of lubrication, or the varnishing of improper oils or greases used in the lock that is the culprit, in these cases rinsing thoroughly with WD-40 is often enough to remidy the issue, as a solvent it breaks down old oils and washes away pocket fluff,dust and debris, it mostly evaporates only leaving a silicone teflon lubricant film behind, in cold climates it is a great prebventative maintenance execise to spray it in the cylinders of your car before and after car washes to flush out the water. An interesting fact is that the WD  in WD-40  for stands Water Displacement and the 40... well it was the 40th formula that they came up with that finally worked as required. if your interested you can read more about WD-40 right here


if that doesn't help call us!


Cutting Keys by Code


  •   Cutting keys by code is the simplest and most efficient way to  produce reliable keys to precise original specification. 
  • There are many  reasons to have keys cut by code.  
  • Keys may be cut by code to replace  lost or stolen keys. 
  • Keys for cars and trucks, mail boxes, desks, filing  cabinets, and cupboards are often cut by code when no original is  available to copy. 
  • More commonly for the purposes of Re-Keying or Master-Keying locks, when generation of new keys is required.
  •  Different lock manufactures, have specific key-ways, or unique “key  blanks” that fit into their cylinders. Additionally, they may also also use unique bitting that dictate the incremental depths and spacing or placement of  the cuts along the blade of the key.  
  • Common duplication machines “copy”  keys by tracing the original cuts and transferring them to a blank.  Conventionally these machines have a pair of jaws or small vice like  clamps that hold the original, “cut key” and the blank, to be cut in  alignment with a corresponding reader, that traces the cuts in one key, and a cutting blade that removes material from the blank in the same pattern. Calibration and variance due to  mechanical wear of these machines dictates the accuracy of copies  produced by these machines. More importantly is the quality of the key  provided for duplication, and the accuracy of the operator when aligning  the keys in the jaws of the machine.    
  •  Over time as keys are copied  and re-copied, slight variances in the depth of the cuts or their  spacing along the blade of the key can compound issues for users like  “keys that stick” or have to be “jiggled” in the lock.  Cutting new keys  by code in combination with re-keying or re-pinning can often times  simply make the difference between a lock that works or not. 
  •  Pictured in the image at left, the key in front is cut by code with appropriate depth and spacing of cuts, the key behind was cut to the right depth but at the wrong spacing and as such would not operate the profile cylinder in the customers door when the key had to be withdrawn slightly to align the cuts with the pins, and failed to engage the clutch to rotate the cam at the back of the cylinder. 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call.  

Patrick. D. Harrington