Helpful Tricks To Pull Out A Broken Key From The Ignition

Have you ever got into a good day but once you got home, everything sucks because your key broke off in your lock? Wondering how you can fix it before it happens (again)? Here are some ways you can try when the thing goes down the hill.

Tweezers — A lot of people go for a tweezer when a key breaks off in the lock. The main concerns of it are the thickness of your tweezer and how far the broken key is in the lock. The size of most tweezers is not appropriate for this task and it will only end up pushing the key even farther into the keyway. Please make sure your tweezer can open wide enough to fit around the key but not so thick it cannot fit along the sides of the key. Due to the guarding on most keyways, your regular tweezers are not going to fit. It will only work out if there is a bit of the key poke from the keyhole. The chances of you pushing it even deeper increasing when the key is too far back. Only try this method if you are confident enough in your ability and your tweezers.

Broken Key Extractor — The professional solution is to use a broken key extractor tool. The locksmith you call probably does not make their tools then this will be the tool they use. You would want to place the tool inside the keyway along the bitting of the key. To be clear, you would want to try to hook the teeth on the key with the hook(s) in the extractor. Once placed over the bite, turn and pull, then it should grasp and remove the key. This might take several attempts surely. If you are looking to buy one, I should warn you that much like buying lock picks, these tools come in sets that include unneeded variations.

Jigsaw Blade — You could make your broken key extractor out of a small jigsaw blade if you do not want to buy it. What you need is a thin piece of metal that can fit in your keyway along with your broken key, so the smaller, the better. You can also break the blade with some needle nose pliers so its serrated edge can be inserted into the lock. If the serrations on the blade are at an angle, place the blade in the slot so the serrations are facing you. This would allow the blade going in easier and easier to hook the key. This can be used like the broken key extractor aligning the serrations on the blade with the bitting on the key. With a twist and a jerk, the broken key must be out. If the key does not go out on your first try, then just try again. This method is excellent when you have some blades around, or still have the means to travel to a hardware store.

Those are the tricks that you can try when you happen to have your key broken off in your lock. If you still found those tricks frustrating or you just do not have the time to do it yourself, you can give All Time Locksmiths Southwest a call. We offer 24 hours service, you wouldn’t hesitate to call us. A professional car locksmith like us will offer you advice, knowledge and recommendations which do not only help you get the number one locking systems but also leave you more informed and educated about car locks.