How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

A key breaking in the core of a lock is an extremely unpleasant occurrence, especially if you want to keep the lock, and you also have spare keys. A stuck key fragment not only prevents you from opening the lock, but can also render it completely unusable. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with this problem using available means. We bring to your attention seven ways to remove a broken key from the core of a lock.

Dismantling tools


  • A set of locksmith picks for locks (pins, hooks);
  • Eyebrow tweezers;
  • Small furniture screw;
  • Household knife with a short conical blade;
  • Fishing hook;
  • Drill 2-3 mm;
  • Narrow blade for metal.

Metal scissors, a screwdriver or drill, and pliers will also come in handy.

Seven ways to remove a broken key from a lock


Before starting removal, be sure to spray the keyhole with WD-40 lubricating aerosol, especially if the lock has been idle for some time.
How to remove a broken key from a lock

We use locksmith picks


We will combine a set of locksmith picks, even if they are represented by different types of devices, into one, the fastest and most reliable way.Manufacturers of this tool probably imagine a variety of locks, so this tool is available in a wide range of types and sizes. So in our case, we use an inexpensive set of metal brushed pins and hooks made of flat plates with handles.
How to remove a broken key from a lock

First, we insert a hairpin between the key and the walls of the keyhole. With a short sharp movement we try to pull the piece out of the lock. It happens that you need to slightly rotate the cylindrical core of the lock to the desired position. In this case, a flat hook will help us out. Having placed it as deep as possible in the core, we turn it until the key is symmetrically positioned in relation to the walls of the lock, and, hooking it with the end of the hook, pull the key fragment out;
How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

Using eyebrow tweezers


Eyebrow tweezers (micro tweezers) can also serve as a tool for such work. Most locks have a small cylindrical depression on the outside of the core. Sometimes it is enough to hook the edge of a broken key with tweezers, like tweezers, and pull it out of the lock;
How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

The self-tapping screw comes into play


A more original way is using a self-tapping screw. We twist it with force between the fragment and the wall of the lock core with pliers or a screwdriver. The thread of the self-tapping screw may well serve as a brush for pulling out the fragment with pliers. But even if not, it will be possible to easily insert a thinner locksmith’s pick, for example, a hairpin, into the hole widened by it;
How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

With a knife


Needless to say, an ordinary knife is the most versatile tool for any household work. So in our case, it can be useful if you use a sharp tip to pry off a fragment and use a lever to try to pull the edge of the plate out of the lock.There will be a greater chance of success if you use the second knife in the same way, only on the other side;
How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

Fishing hook


A fishhook increases the chances of defeating a broken key stuck in a lock. We stretch it slightly with pliers and use it as a hook for the edge of the fragment;
How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

We use a drill


You can try to solve this problem with a thin drill. It may well work out if you drill a little to a depth of about 0.5-1 cm and try to pull the fragment together with the drill from the core of the lock. An ambiguous method, since very often with such holes there is a high probability of the drill breaking and the fragment wedging inside the lock;
How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

We use thin fabric


You can make a rough, flat pick from a narrow blade for a hacksaw for metal. Using metal scissors, cut the canvas lengthwise to the width of the free space in the core of the lock. Most often it is 3-4 mm, no more. We align the master key with pliers and try to hook the edge of the fragment with the teeth. If necessary, the plate can be sharpened.
How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

How to remove a broken key from a lock

Even in such a critical situation, it is important to remember that there are no hopeless situations. Of course, a professional tool helps, but often the most common devices made from scrap materials also help. Dare, try, and you will definitely succeed!
How to remove a broken key from a lock

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Comments (10)
  1. Akril
    #1 Akril Guests April 8, 2019 11:30
    2
    Cool tips, the main thing is that burglars don’t use them... although they are not new, and even those pros have their own methods)).. in general, great!..
  2. Masha
    #2 Masha Guests April 8, 2019 11:36
    3
    And if time is running out and there is not a single master key or tool at hand, what to do then?
    1. Akril
      #3 Akril Guests 8 April 2019 12:52
      4
      Maria, among the special tools in the article, only the Chinese set of master keys is indicated; the rest of the devices are just for such a case and are indicated when there is no time and you need to make do with what you have at hand.
  3. Partisan
    #4 Partisan Guests April 8, 2019 12:01
    4
    Tell me, where can I buy a set of the same master keys? Our mail works in such a way that they will arrive in a month, two,....
  4. Guest Andrey
    #5 Guest Andrey Guests 8 April 2019 17:40
    4
    I wonder where the door is? And the second question, how did this whole set of tools come to hand when I can’t enter the house?
    1. Akril
      #6 Akril Guests 9 April 2019 10:35
      4
      Andrey, we are talking about a padlock here, not a mortise lock, as in previous articles. Secondly, apartments are not locked with such locks, except in a private outbuilding. Well, thirdly, if you want to open the lock, you’ll try, look in your neighbors or in a barn without a lock. Is it worth clinging to details when it comes to WAYS, and not to CIRCUMSTANCES?
  5. You
    #7 You Guests 16 April 2019 14:57
    4
    It seems good, but it’s not clear - “WD-40 lubricating aerosol”? Is it possible to do something more natural?
  6. Alx
    #8 Alx Guests 17 April 2019 19:34
    3
    Just a club of crazy hands.The main question is why to pull out the fragment. Half of the methods will tear the cylinder apart so that it will still be impossible to use the lock normally. The best thing to do is just cut the shackle with a bolt cutter and just hang a new one.
  7. sanya110
    #9 sanya110 Guests 10 June 2019 13:29
    1
    Who is interested in these creative explorations within the confines of a cozy workshop? Or do your keys always break in locks neatly clamped in a carefully painted vice? In real conditions (midnight, darkness, entrance/basement/barn, drunk, thirty-degree frost, tools are carefully stored behind the same lock), all your efforts will only be enough for a colorful multi-story curse to the key made of Chinese duralumin sawdust.
  8. Guest Sergey
    #10 Guest Sergey Guests 5 July 2019 22:57
    5
    Using two clock screwdrivers, we insert one into the gap between the face and the teeth of the key fragment at an angle of 45 degrees, the other on the opposite side, and at the same time pressing on both sides, we gradually pull out the fragment. If the lock is padlocked, sometimes it helps to hit it hard at a slight angle (face down) on a hard surface; the fragment will move out of the lock by inertia.