Has a Broken Key Ever Left You Stranded?
Is there anything worse than that sinking feeling you get when something happens and your power to rewind time fails? You know what I mean….watching your wedding ring slip down the drain, the slow motion descent of that glass falling out of your hand…your car key breaking off in the ignition…
While the shattered glass at your feet isn’t fixable, other situations, including that broken key, are, when you know what to do.
Prevention is Key
Before you learn how to fix your problem, you should understand how you got into trouble in the first place. Yes, the lecture before the help…. Your key, by definition, is a “small piece of shaped metal cut to fit a particular lock that will open or close it.” Note: a key is not a bottle opener, nor something to dig out something else wedged into a tiny crevice. It is not intended to pry rocks out of shoe treads, or any of the many other uses people seem to find keys handy for.
Your keys are not made of Amazonium (the fictional metal of Wonder Woman’s bracelets) which means they can bend and they can break. If you notice your key is bent, it has weakened. Assume it is broken. If you notice your key is cracked, anywhere, it is broken. Replace it.
If your key is hard to turn, something is wrong. Invoking your Hulk strength to force it to turn, because, of course, man cannot be defeated by simple machine, is most likely going to result in machine (your car) winning.
Get Down to Fixing
Gather all your tools before you start. Since there is no one guaranteed solution to getting a stuck key freed, you may have to try more than one trick. Being prepared and getting it on the first go will make you feel like a pro. Not solving it the first time and having to go in search of more tools will only make the whole process tougher – likely on everyone.
With these basic supplies, you should be able to solve your broken key problem:
- Lubricant (WD-40)
- A thin hacksaw blade
- A wire hanger
- A screwdriver
First Steps
The first thing to do is spray some kind of penetrating oil – like WD-40 – into the key hole. Loosening any dirt and providing a smooth path will help your efforts.
The lock must be in the proper position – the default position you initially inserted the key in – for the key to slide out. If the key broke while you were turning, you may have shifted the alignment slightly so you’ll want to insert a screwdriver and just gently move the lock back into the correct position.
Evaluate
If the key broke part way down the shaft, you may be able to use a pair of needle nose pliers to gently extract the key now that its path has been oiled and realigned. Often, even just a small bit of the neck is enough for this to succeed. If that didn’t work, next …
Gently slide the blade of your saw – teeth pointing down – into the keyhole along the grooved edge of the key. Gently twist the blade toward your key until you feel it connect with the cuts on the key. Slowly pull the blade out and hopefully, you’ll find the key comes with it. Even part way out will allow you to go back to the pliers to complete the task.
The same principle can be applied using a wire coat hanger. Use what is left of the broken key as a guide to help you line up a piece of the wire along each side of the key in its groove. Remove the broken head and twist the pieces of wire together to grip the broken piece. Pull the piece out gently, ensuring the wire stays in the groove. Again, back to pliers once it’s out part way.
Didn’t Work?
If you tried everything, and nothing worked, remember there are professionals with both the tools and experience to get the job done quickly. A professional locksmith service like Green Locksmith offers 24-hour emergency service and can often be at your side in less than 30 minutes.
Do try it yourself now that you know some simple tricks but remember, hope, and help is out there.
