My entry door lock and key are pretty old. A couple of days ago, when I inserted the key into the lock and twisted it to open the lock, the key broke off at the point of entry. So now I have an unusable lock with a piece of the key stuck inside and the top portion of the key on my chain.
Is it possible to remove the broken piece from the lock? If so, can I do it myself or can I take it someplace where they can do this? Can the lock be used later as before or is the process destructive?
I’ve taken the lockset out of a Kwikset deadbolt before and managed to get the broken key out of it. Yes, it can be done, but with brands other than Kwikset YMMV.
I also had a set of small tools (screwdrivers, fine needle nose piers, etc.) from my model railroaders toolboks which helped immensely. ANY lock can be taken apart, but may require specialized equipment to get the job done. Once you can get the cylinder out, you should have a way to remove the broken key.
I know a tiny bit about picking locks - and when I’ve looked at lock picks for sale - I have often seen “broken key extractors” along with it. Not sure how hard it is to do yourself.
As bob said - most locks can be taken apart (wouldn’t recommend doing this), but I have taken a lock (car trunk) in this case to a lock smith and they removed it for either $10 or $12 (not sure which). That was probably 15 years ago or so.
If you call a locksmith - they should be ale to tell you how long their wait is. You could remove the lock from the door and take it to them. You should be able to remove and replace the lock yourself if you feel somewhat technically inclined.
ETA: oh - and unless you did serious damage to the lock by twisting pins or something with the key - it should be ok.
If you have a small jigsaw blade it’s possible to fish it in and hook the teeth of the key on the teeth of the sawblade. Just maybe. Worth a try before taking the lock out of the door.
If you or someone you know plays guitar, you can take a piece of steel guitar string, bend a little hook on the end, slide that alongside the key and pull it out.
Take the top portion and put a small drop of crazy glue on the break. Insert it into the lock so that it meshes with the broken part. When the glue sets, you may be able to extract it.
Be very careful if you try this plan. One small mistake with the amount of glue or moving the key around and you’ll have glued the piece into the lock.
What I’ve had luck with is nail clippers - the blades are small enough to fit a bit into the lock depression and you can get a good grip on the teeniest bit of metal.
Theoretically, you could take off the door, orient it so the pins no longer hold the fragment in place, then turn the door keyhole-down to let the key drop out.
You may have to bend the end of the break a bit so it’s not wedged against the side of the keyhole, but otherwise, this should work with a few good whacks. I don’t know how old or heavy your door is and whether that would render this approach untenable.
If you know how to remove the handle it is easy to get the key out. Depending on the brand, If you can turn the keyway half way to unlock. Push the pin or the tab holding the handle in and pull handle off. Remove the cylinder, if you have access to the back of the keyway push the broken key out.
That is exactly what the “broken key extractor” in a lock pick set is.
Teeth to back of blade in mine is less than 1/4". Very effective.
But if you are not going to replace the lock, I hope you have a supplementary dead bolt lock, at least.
Most residential locks I’ve ever dealt with have no “back” to the cylinder (the part you put the key into) so if you disassemble the lockset, you should be easily able to push the broken key out from the inside.
Then, you have a few choices:
Get a new key cut.
Re-key the lock with a re-key kit. If you’re jittery or hate dealing with tiny parts, this may not be a good option for you as the pins are small, and there is a possibility of losing the springs. Read and follow the directions carefully, and you should be OK.
Skip the part about pushing out the broken key and replace the entire lockset. If the lock is as old and wibbley-wobbley as you describe, this is probably the best option.
