Removing a Broken Key from a Jammed Lock

Key broke off inside your door lock? With the right tools in hand and armed with this step by step instruction guide, you can be your own locksmith for the day and remove your broken key from the lock with ease. 

Sometimes when a lock is well used and aged over time, you can find yourself running into a situation where you put your key into the lock, and it just doesn't come back out, sometimes even breaking into two, with part of the key still left behind! If this happens to you, not only will be left with a broken key, but your door will be stuck either locked or unlocked, niether of which is a very safe choice, as someone could easily break in to your house that way.

Dealing With Jammed Door Locks

What if that very same thing happens to you when you rush to your car to leave to work? Now you won’t be able to leave your car unattended and you might not even be able to unlock the car door, leaving you really stuck. What are you to do in such a situation? Well… You could certainly choose to call a AAA tow truck to take your car to a mechanic and pay a couple hundred dollars to get your car in working order again. Geared with some patience and the proper equiptment for the job, you might succeed at fixing the issue on your own.

Tools You’ll Need for the Job:

• WD40 or Pam spray as lubricant 
• Sharp Nail clippers
• A pair of tweezers
• A toothpick
• A bit of a sharp metal-cutting blade and a piece of a hacksaw blade

Removing the Key In Just 2 Steps:

Step Number One:

Spray the lock well with the spray that you chose as lubrication. This will help you ease the jammed key so that is can make its exit from the lock. The concept for removing the broken key is pretty simple. Place the piece of saw blade into the key hole (where the key is) very carefully so as not to cut yourself or damage the lock in the process. Be sure to ease the saw blade in against the ridged edge of the key, keeping in mind that the sharp side of the blade should be facing towards you always.

Step Number Two: 

You’ll want to grasp the key shaft tightly until it is pried loose. Grab ahold of the key shaft by turning the blade of the saw slightly. Once you see that you’ve got a grip, try to release the shaft from the lock as much as you can and then extract it fully with the aid of your tweezers or nail clippers. That’s it, you’ve done it! You got your key out! If you don’t have a backup key, you should hold onto the two pieces of the broken key so that a professional locksmith technician can make you a new key replacement.

Calling In the Big Guns

It is also a good idea to give you keys the old looksee from time to time to make sure they are still strong enough for use. If you don’t feel comfortable removing the broken key on your own, our professional locksmith service is here to care for all you locksmith needs for you. To prevent your home or car locks from jamming shut, you’d be wise to lubricate your locks on a regular basis, as this will insure that they’ll be able to turn easily, saving you money and time in the long run.