How To Get A Broken Key Out Of A Lock

It happens to almost all of us at some point of time. You are in a hurry and turn the key to lock the door but all it turns is the head of the key while the body stays within the lock. This basically means the key has broken off. But before you go on to spend money on a locksmith, follow these simple steps to get that broken key out of the lock.

Before you go about getting the key out of a lock, there are certain tools that you would require. Here is a list of the tools:

A piece of saw blade
A piece of jigsaw blade
A small hacksaw blade
Dental pick
Spray Lock lubricant like a WD-40 spray
Needle nose pliers.
Eyebrow tweezers
Nail clippers

Follow these simple steps to get the broken key out of the lock:

The first step is making the lock a little smooth. Do this by spraying some lubricant in the keyway. This will make it easier for the key to slide out. After spraying the lubricant in the lock, insert the piece of saw blade inside it. Please make sure that the teeth of the blade are pointing towards you and not towards the keyway.
The next step is to make sure that the saw blade slides in besides the edge of the key. Now, have a look at the key. You can most probably see some grooves running parallel to the shaft. The key shaft is thinner on one side while it is sticking up on the other. Now, the saw blade should be put inside through the thinner area so that it goes in effortlessly.
Now, twist the saw blade just a little bit and grab hold of the key shaft. After you have got a proper hold, slide the shaft out of the lock.
After the key shaft is visible, now is the time to use the needle nose pliers, tweezers or even the set of nail clippers. Use either of these and grab hold of the shaft and pull it outwards till it comes all the way out.
However, if you are not able to pull it cleanly or the shaft won't give way, it means the lock is not in a neutral position. Since the obstructions that are inside the lock are still holding onto the key shaft, the lock is not moving from its place. What you need to do to get it into a neutral position is to get it aligned properly with the saw blade. Do this by turning the lock with your saw blade inside.
The broken piece of the lock will come out now. You can use this broken piece to get a new key made from the locksmith which would be identical to the old broken one.

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