How to Remove a Broken Key
You’re anxious to enter the house, but as soon as you stick in your key and turn it, the other half, or the shaft, remains inside. While this seems like a simple dilemma, it can cause such a lot of hassle. Instead of calling a locksmith to take care of the job, though, you can do it yourself. You just need a few tools and the right instructions.
What You’ll Need:
WD-40 or spray lock lubricant
A coping saw blade piece
Eyebrow tweezers, Needle nose pliers or nail clippers
Procedure:
Lubricate the lock (keyhole) before you begin. This will allow the stuck key shaft to slide out better. You can use WD-40 for this, or a spray lock lubricant, if available. When both these aren’t at hand, just use cooking spray.
broken key
Carefully insert a saw blade piece in the lock. When you do this, make sure that the blade’s teeth are pointing out to you, back out of the lock.
As you slide in the saw blade beside, make sure it’s lying beside the key’s grooved edge and not on the smooth side. Otherwise, this tactic won’t work. For you to find this out, study the key and look at the grooves running down the length of the shaft; there are teeth sticking up. On one of the teeth’s side, the key shaft is either cut back or thin. This is where you’re going to slide the saw blade in.
Twist the saw blade a bit, so you can grab on the key shaft. As it grips, try to carefully slide the shaft out of the lock.
When the shaft is slightly protruding from the keyhole already, use tweezers, needle nose pliers or even nail clippers to grab on to it. Pull it all the way out.
If it won’t budge, it’s likely that the lock is not in a neutral position, and the tumblers in the keyhole are holding on to it. If this is the problem, turn the sawblade in the lock.
Some Tips:
If you notice that your keys are already aged or old, have a duplicate made. Prevention is always better than having to deal with the problem later.
Don’t throw out the two key pieces. A locksmith can use these to make you a new one.
Spray locks with lubricant every now and then, so they’ll turn properly.
A key stuck in a lock is an unpleasant dilemma, but you don’t have to struggle to get it fixed. Solve this in a flash with these easy steps.
If you enjoy learning this article, you’ll also be interested in reading how to pick a lock.