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The key is broken in the lock. Solutions to the problem

A small dog - does not bark, does not bite, but does not let it into the house - do you think you know the correct answer? Lock? But no - a broken lock. More precisely, a broken key in the lock of the door. This unpleasant situation is not so rare - you are standing with a broken key of a closed door and do not know what to do. However, not everything is so deplorable, especially if you are on good terms with your neighbors. In most cases, the situation can be corrected on its own without the help of a locksmith.

What tools are needed for the job

As mentioned above, first of all, you need to turn to your neighbors for help - knock, call, do not be shy. How quickly you get to the apartment depends on your determination. So, depending on the situation, you may find it useful:

  • Pliers, pliers, wire cutters.
  • Fine tweezers.
  • Flat and shaped screwdrivers.
  • Manual jigsaw with replaceable nail files.
  • Magnet.
  • Several pins.
  • Lubricant WD-40.
  • Drill hand or electric, drills.
  • A hammer.
  • Chisel.
  • "Fomka".
  • Wrench.

If there is no lubricant in the can, any alternative will do - kerosene, diesel fuel, brake fluid, in extreme cases, refined sunflower oil will do. Sometimes sparing methods that allow you to save the lock and the door are useless. In such cases, only the grinder remains. But these are extremes - first you need to try to get by with "little blood".

We solve the problem

There are two ways here - try to remove a piece of the key or break the lock, in extreme cases - the door. With a high degree of probability, even after extracting the remains of the key, the lock will still have to be broken. This happens if there is no second key or it is broken due to the failure of the lock secret.

Gentle methods

First you need to pour lubricant into the keyhole. Then wait about twenty minutes for the grease to spread well throughout the mechanism. The simplest case - the key is broken, but its fragment sticks out of the well. You need to try to pull out the remains of the key with pliers or wire cutters. Holding the chip, you need to carefully shake the tool from side to side, while trying to pull out the key. It will be possible to pull it out - you can consider that you are very lucky.

If the tip of the fragment is barely visible, try to get it with tweezers. The main thing is to try to pull the remnants out a little, then you can use pliers. In this case, the chances of "painlessly" pulling out the chip are much less.

When the key in the disk lock is broken, before removing its remains, it is necessary to turn all the elements of the secret with a pin or a thin awl until it stops clockwise until it stops. This is done in such a way that all the details line up in the tunnel.

After that, lightly tapping with a hammer or a screwdriver handle on the end of the cylinder creates a vibration that pushes the chip towards the exit. This is done until the tip of the key sticks out far enough to be pulled out.

A piece of a key made of steel alloy can be pulled out with a neodymium magnet. Checking the "magnetism" of the key can be done on its fragment, which remained in your hands. A neodymium magnet is ideal in this case, but in practice it is quite difficult to find such a thing, especially urgently. You can try to remove the chip with a magnetized tip of a screwdriver - provided that the tool is of high quality. Chinese screwdrivers are not suitable for this purpose.

You can tightly hook the piece of key remaining in the lock with a nail file from a manual jigsaw. To do this, the nail file is inserted into the well with the teeth towards itself, they cling to the chip and try to pull it out. You may have to be patient to achieve the result, but the result is worth it.

If all else fails, there is only one option left to pull out the chip and not damage the lock. A necessary condition is a sufficiently thick key and a sufficient breakage area - at least 2x2 mm. You need to try to drill a hole in the fragment and screw a self-tapping screw into it. If it works, the chip can be pulled out.

Destructive methods

So, sparing methods did not bring results, it remains to penetrate the house, as it will. First you need to try to crack the secret of the castle. The armor plate, if available, is unceremoniously cut down with a chisel or cut down with a grinder. Self-tapping screws are well pulled out by a "crowbar", it is also a nail puller. You can try to pull out the secret of the mechanism with a nail puller along with self-tapping screws. If it worked out, then it remains only to turn the cam with any suitable tool and open the lock.

When the screw cannot be screwed in, but there is a drill and a drill with a diameter of about 6 mm, you can try to drill a secret in the part where the pins are located. You can also try drilling the mechanism in the middle. This must be done carefully so as not to accidentally drill the cam. If you still damaged the cam, then you will need to find a suitable piece of wire, bend it in the form of a hook and open the lock.

There is an option how to do without a drill. This is only possible when the cylinder mechanism protrudes more than half a centimeter beyond the trim. In this case, it can be hooked with a gas wrench and unscrew the end of the mechanism. After that, it remains to shake out the contents of the mechanism and use a screwdriver to open the door.

If the mechanism does not protrude beyond the overlay, then you will have to break not only the mechanism itself, but also the overlay. It can be knocked down with a chisel or torn off with a nail puller. If the cam is turned, the inside of the lock can be seriously damaged when knocked out. It will probably have to be changed, in addition, the lock may not open. If the secret is cheap, it is easy to cut it down with a chisel, pull out all the insides with the tip of a screwdriver and open the lock.

If the key is broken, this indicates that the lock has already worn out and it is time to change it. The cause of the breakdown can be dirt and small metal particles that have got inside - the products of the production of the lock and key. If the secret of the lock does not work well, starts to jam and creaks, it is better to change it immediately, then you will not have to break the lock and the door.