Some practical tips for when your key breaks into the lock

Have you ever broken a key in a lock? Actually, there’s no need to ask, as it happens to everyone once or twice in their lives. Moreover, it’s not that difficult; just tighten the key a bit more, and the problem is done. The result is something full of warmth, as we have half a key in one hand and the other half in the lock. Not to mention that it seems impossible to get out of there. Our only hope in this case can be a locksmith or another locksmith.

Different cases

In most cases, we don’t have much of a choice, because let’s not forget: this is their job, they deal with it every day. However, we can even incur lower costs if, let’s say, the incident occurs at night, on weekends, or during holidays. It is also a fact that in 99% of cases, such problems occur at an inconvenient time, so we can certainly expect a small additional cost, even if only because we urgently want to ask for help from a specialist.

Tips

However, there are a few tips we can try. The first and most important question is whether the blocked half of the key is somewhat visible? If so, we have a chance. In this case, spray the lock from both sides with WD-40 or some contact spray, then try to remove the key with small pliers or tweezers. Basically, we have quite serious chances of success if we can grasp the key.

Magnet

Don’t be discouraged if you can’t get hold of the end of the key. It might happen that we have a good, strong magnet at home, which can provide an immediate solution. There may be a chance for this, as brutal “key fishing” videos with a powerful magnet are also widespread on YouTube. Some people swear by strong glue, trying to glue the broken key together and then ripping it out of the lock again after some time. These are also proven methods, although to be honest – we can succeed in a small percentage of cases.

Saw

There is one more thing we can try. Find a small saw, preferably a very small one. You can almost certainly get one for windows that are sold in DIY stores (we usually store this in a storage room or an external room). It is important that the saw has sharp teeth! Push the saw into the lock so that the teeth catch the key at the exit. It is important to have a small and sharp saw that we can insert next to the key. Then start moving the saw, and sooner or later the key will come out!