Having a key break off in one of your locks can be a real pain in the neck. But with the proper information you can better understand the problem and take steps to solve it. With the information I provide in this article, you stand a very good chance of removing the key yourself and preventing it from happening to you in the future.
We locksmiths have a variety of tools for removing broken keys from locks. One of the more common tools I use is made of springy steel that is 5" long, 5/16" wide at the handle and .022" thick. There is a small tapered barb at the end of this tool that will dig or "bite" into the broken key piece so the piece can be pulled out.BROKEN KEY REMOVAL TOOLSBergez said she is not sure how many UNO students and faculty have iPhone but that the university plans to expand the application to the Blackberry and Droid platforms.Now that you have read through this information, you should be ready to attempt removing a broken key on your own. Good Luck! NOTE: This article (with pictures) can also be found on my web site www.GoldKeySelect.com.WHAT CAUSES KEYS TO BREAKWhen a deep cut gets too weak somewhere in the middle of a key, you end up with the front part of the key in the lock and the remainder in your hand. The good news is the lock is probably in the proper position for key removal (more on that later).FIRST - as in Procedure #1, we suggest spraying a lubricant such as WD-40 or Tri-Flow in the lock's keyway first.PROCEDURE #1 - Partial Key Broken Off In Lock2. The key is made of a light-weight material not suitable for everyday use. Keys cut on aluminum blanks are a prime example. They will also break at a deep-cut "weak point" only sooner. Identified by their light weight and either grey in color or sometimes bright colors such as red, green, blue or gold.Both the UNO and Tulane applications are designed by Tulsa, Okla.- based application developer Straxis Technology, which has designed applications for schools such as West Point and the University of Nebraska.Students can now pull up the campus dining lunch menu, connect to the university Twitter feed and YouTube channel and even play the UNO fight song on their phones, she said.It is not absolutely necessary to invest in a broken key extractor tool. As long as the tool you use is made of sturdy metal, is narrow enough to enter the keyway, and has a barb to grab on to the broken key you will likely be successful. A scroll saw or jig saw blade should do the trick.Both the universities introduced the free applications this year that allow iPhone users to view course offerings, scroll through campus news and events, and navigate the campus from their phones.THIRD - let the barb "bite" into one of the cuts of the broken key piece and give the tool a sharp tug towards you. The key piece should coming flying out of the keyway.When the first cut in the key is deep and gets too weak, you end up with just the head of the key in your hand. Most of the time what remains in the lock is the operating part of the key. That is, all key cuts that are necessary to operate the lock are stuck in the lock (if you are really lucky, enough of the key will be sticking out so a small pliers/tweezers are all you need to remove the broken piece-but that usually doesn't happen). You can test if the lock will operate by taking a small screwdriver and, using it like a key, try turning the lock cylinder. If the lock cylinder does not turn follow procedure #1. If you can turn the cylinder more than a few degrees to the right or left you have to make sure the lock cylinder is positioned so the key can be removed. Let me explain...Sarah Bergez, associate director of marketing at UNO, said the university started developing the application earlier this year after students requested the service. The UNO application was released July 16.FOURTH - take the two pieces of the key to your local locksmith or key center and get another one or two made.1. The key has one or more deep cuts which become the "weak point" of the key. After so much use (or just a little abuse) the key will break at these points. Having a deep cut as the first cut (next to the head of the key) can be real trouble but a deep cut in the middle of the key can cause big problems too;Most keys, even brass and nickle-plated keys, will eventually wear out and break along any of a key's cuts. But some conditions will speed up the process such as:SECOND - insert the removal tool into the lock's keyway so that the barb (or teeth) can contact the cuts of the key piece to be removed. You should be able to tell how far to insert the tool based on how much of the key you still have in your hand.
Now that you have read through this information, you should be ready to attempt removing a broken key on your own. Good Luck! NOTE: This article (with pictures) can also be found on my web site www.GoldKeySelect.com.
Author: Roger J. Fischer
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