THE KEY IN THE DOOR BROKE: IS IT POSSIBLE TO PULL IT OUT ON YOUR OWN AND HOW TO DO IT

The device of a door lock is no less complicated than a clockwork. At the moment when the key is turned in the well, many elements of the mechanism begin to move and change the position of the locking devices. We do not see this process and we are sure that there is nothing easier than opening or closing the lock with one turn of the key. If something goes wrong, and when you try to lock or unlock the door, the key suddenly breaks, few people are able to remain calm.

According to statistics, a broken key in the lock is the most common reason for contacting specialists in emergency opening of locks. Not a single type of lock is insured against such a breakdown – neither primitive padlocks, nor lever locks, nor cylindrical locks. But there is also positive news – in most cases such a breakdown is not critical, and you can pull out a piece of the key from the keyhole yourself. And below you will learn what to do if the key in the lock is broken and with what improvised means you can remove the chip.

5 GENTLE WAYS TO GET A BROKEN KEY OUT

All methods for extracting a key fragment from a lock can be conditionally divided into 2 categories: sparing and radical. The first group includes methods that allow you to pull out a broken key so that the lock remains safe and sound. That is, immediately after the problem is fixed, it will be possible to open or close the lock with a spare key. It is the gentle methods that should be applied in the first place. Here are 5 of the easiest ways to do it.

USING A SCREWDRIVER AND NARROW NOSE PLIERS

To pull a broken key out of the keyhole, you will need a flat screwdriver and narrow nose pliers. If these tools are not at hand, a screwdriver can be replaced with a small penknife, and narrow-nose pliers with pliers.

First, you should inspect the keyhole and determine how deep the chip is. If the broken part protrudes at least a couple of millimeters from the gap, that’s great. You can immediately try to gently grab the chip with narrow-nosed pliers and pull it out. At the same time, it is important not to rush and not overdo it with force, so as not to aggravate the problem.

If the entire chip is in the well, you first need to at least partially pull it out. To do this, carefully insert a flat screwdriver or a knife blade into the joint between the debris and the well, and then try to pry it. When part of the fragment begins to protrude from the slot, it remains to carefully remove it with narrow-nosed pliers or pliers.

Helpful Hint: To remove a broken key faster, it is recommended to pre-lubricate the lock. To do this, you need to pour a little grease, machine or even vegetable oil into the keyhole with a syringe.

WITH A MANICURE SET

In case you need to get a broken key out of the lock, the tools from the manicure set are a great alternative to repair and construction tools. To help solve the problem will help:

• tweezers;
• nail file;
• scissors with a curved tip.

You can try to pull out part of the key from the keyhole with ordinary tweezers. If it doesn’t work to grab a chip with tweezers, first you need to pry it a little with the tip of a file or scissors.

WITH A JIGSAW BLADE

This method is suitable if the size of the keyhole allows you to insert a jigsaw blade into it. The blade should be inserted all the way so that it is between the key and the borehole wall. The teeth on the jigsaw blade are at a certain angle, so they will catch on the protrusions and grooves of the key.

To pull out the chip, you need to sharply and strongly enough to pull the blade. If the key does not come out the first time, try again.

WITH SELF-TAPPING SCREWS AND PLIERS

This method is only suitable for locks with a wide keyhole and large keys. Its essence lies in screwing a self-tapping screw into the fragment that remained in the well. The self-tapping screw is drilled in such a way that its upper part protrudes from the keyhole. Then it remains to grab the protruding part of the self-tapping screw with pliers and pull it out along with a piece of the key.

WITH A POWERFUL MAGNET

You can try to remove a broken key using a powerful magnet (for example, neodymium). The magnet should be attached to the keyhole, and then slowly pull it towards you. It is important that you cannot twist and move the magnet from side to side.

We note right away that this method is effective only if the area of ​​contact between the fragment and the magnet is large enough. If part of the key is deep in the well, it is almost impossible to pull it out with a magnet.