Key Stuck or Broken? Use this Quick and Easy Solution

Is your key stuck in the lock? Has your key broken inside the lock? Here’s help right when you need it!

If you find yourself with a key stuck or broken in the lock, don’t panic. Use our tips to get out of that situation quickly.

How do you free the key stuck in the gear?

The first idea for most people: take out your smartphone and look for a solution on the internet… and that’s probably how you are on this page. If you’re dealing with a key stuck or broken issue, you’re not alone. Many people face the frustration of a malfunctioning key, and searching online is often the quickest way to find advice. Whether it’s a physical key or a digital one, there are several fixes you can try before resorting to professional help.

How to Remove the Stuck Key Yourself

If you have a key stuck or broken in the lock, it is not always necessary to call a locksmith just yet. A locksmith in Phoenix can help you remove the key from the lock, of course. However, before considering this solution, it may be useful to experiment with the following few techniques.

Freeing a stuck key is not necessarily very complicated. All you need is a little patience, ingenuity, and skill, especially if the key is stuck or broken. With the right approach, you can carefully identify the issue and resolve it, restoring your keyboard to full functionality.

1. Check to see if someone is home

If your lock allows it, all you have to do is make sure there is someone on the other side of the door. They can insert their key on their side, and by turning it in the lock, they will be able to free the key stuck or broken on your side.

2. The key is intact

If no one is at home, nothing is lost. Since you were delicate, your key stuck or broken in the lock did not break.

Why is your key stuck in the gear? This may be due to the formation of rust along the metal walls inside the lock.

It is therefore necessary to be able to lubricate the walls, and in this kind of situation, you probably have what you need on hand or in a store nearby.

A penetrating product will therefore be necessary.

All you need to do is apply a greasy product or a non-greasy lubricant that can be applied as a spray.

The procedure is very simple: apply by spraying the lock with lubricant. A little patience will be useful, especially if the key is stuck or broken, because you will have to wait about ten minutes for the product to take effect.

Once these few minutes have elapsed, always with delicacy, start turning the key in the lock in order to extract it from the barrel of the lock in which it was stuck.

3. The broken key in the lock

As you tried to pull harder to remove the key from the lock that imprisoned it, you broke the key. Now, you have a piece of it left between your fingers. If you find yourself in this situation with a key stuck or broken, it’s arguably the worst-case scenario, and the Phoenix locksmith seems to be the only solution.

If you find that your key is stuck or broken in the lock, it is still possible to take action. By going to a store, buying strong glue, and putting a few drops of the product on the tip remaining in your hand, you can help resolve the issue. Apply the glue to the part of the key stuck in the lock and wait for it to take effect. Once the two parts of the key are glued, gently retry to get it out, even if it means using techniques that require a lubricant.

In the event that one end of the key comes out of the lock, consider using flat pliers or tweezers to attempt to extract it from the gear. A sufficiently thin hooked metal rod can also do the trick. If your key gets stuck or broken during the process, applying lubricant can help loosen it up for easier removal.

Once out of this mishap, it will be useful to acquire the ideal tool to get out of such a situation: a key extractor. It is usually sold in several sizes as a kit. But what if, in the process, your key gets broken in the lock?

How to Remove Broken Key from the Lock

1. Broken Key Extractor

This is a tool most professional locksmiths use to address a key stuck or broken problem. If you can lay your hands on one of these, good for you. Using them requires special care. If your hands are too shaky, you may end up pushing the key farther into the lock, and the extractor will be of no use at this point.

To effectively use the extractor, carefully place this tool in the key, hook the teeth of the extractor on the teeth of the keys. Then turn and pull. This may take several attempts, so have some patience and repeat the process until the key is successfully out of the lock.

2. Stop using the key immediately

It probably crossed your mind before reading this to use the key. As long as you don’t push in too hard, you should be able to unlock the door, right? No, you definitely do not want to do this. No matter how careful you feel you are, using the key, especially when it’s key stuck or broken, will not unlock the door.

Besides, the more exposed the broken part is, the easier it is for you to pull it out. If you force your key in too hard, the rest of the contents of this article will be virtually ineffective.

3. Adhesives can help

If you’re dealing with a situation where the key stuck or broken, using adhesives to tackle this problem seems like adding salt to injury, which of course is what it’ll be if you’re not extremely careful. Apply a strong adhesive to a small piece of strong wood.

Very carefully, attach the wood to the key and wait for the bond to set. Make sure the adhesive doesn’t come in contact with the cylinder. When the bond is set, pull the key out. It should come clean through.

This procedure works best if the key is a little way out of the cylinder, especially when dealing with a key stuck or broken in the lock. Don’t attempt this if the key is deep in the cylinder.

4. Strike the cylinders

If you find yourself dealing with a key stuck or broken in a padlock or lock with a removable cylinder, this method works best. What you have to do is strike the cylinder or padlock on a solid surface, preferably with a hammer.

We advise you to strike the cylinder/padlock from the bottom where the keyhole is. Striking the other way works fine too. A little side note here: when striking the lock, the keyhole should be pointed downward – towards the ground. The gravitational assist gives the key the extra pull needed to free it from the lock, especially if the key is stuck or broken.

No matter the type of lock, any of these methods should work as long as you use the right tools and are extra careful with your hands.

And when all the options above fails?

Need a reliable locksmith? Contact Alcatraz Locksmith now for fast, professional service!