The key broke inside the lock - what to do and what you definitely shouldn’t try

The client's name has been changed.

Let's call the client Robert. The lock had been working hard for several weeks. One day Robert applied a little more force and the key broke. Part remained inside the cylinder.

First question:

“Is there any way I can get the fragment myself?”

Sometimes the fragment can actually be removed without replacing the mechanism. But several popular Internet tips can seriously worsen the situation.

First, stop rotating the mechanism

If part of the key is inside, further attempts:

• turn the lock with another object;
• push the fragment deeper;
• move the mechanism repeatedly

can change the position of the fragment. After this, extraction becomes more difficult.

Don't use superglue

The original article suggested gluing the rest of the key to the piece of wood. This is bad universal advice. If glue gets inside the cylinder, instead of one broken key, you can end up with a completely damaged mechanism.

Do not drill the chip

The original material also describes drilling a key and using a self-tapping screw. This is an excessively risky intervention for the client:

• the cylinder may be damaged;
• the drill may go into the mechanism;
• an originally repairable situation will turn into a replacement.

What is important to determine

Answer a few questions:

• the door is now open or closed;
• the fragment is visible;
• the key broke while turning or even before it;
• the mechanism had jammed before.

The first point is especially important. If the door is open, do not close it until the problem is fixed.

Why you need to find out the cause of the breakdown

Simply removing the broken piece is not enough if the key is broken because the lock has been working hard for a long time. The reason may be:

• key wear;
• cylinder wear;
• incorrect duplicate;
• door load;
• internal fault.

Do I need to change the cylinder

Not automatically. After removal, you need to check its operation with a working key. If the mechanism is damaged or continues to jam, replacement may be smarter than repair.