how do you get a broken key out of a door?

Answer 1

Hire the locksmith with the key extracter from a previous answer

If the locksmith is not available, disassemble the lock. Remove the inside doorknob by pressing the release pin. A small flat blade screwdriver is usually needed or a piece of stiff wire. Look for a slot or hole close to the inside side of the door. When you push in the spring loaded pin, the knob will slip off the shaft. Next, remove the flashing around the shaft. The same pin usually holds the flashing in place. There are usually through-door screws under the flashing which hold the two halves of the mechanism together. Loosen these and you should feel the front side loosen as well. Remove the screws and remove the front side which may also pull the shaft from the door latch mechanism. Examine the interior of the front side and see what you can see. You may be able too see the end of the key or have access to a hole to use something like an unfolded paperclip to push the key out of the lock from the backside of the mechanism. Reassembly is simply a matter of reversing the order. Put in the frontside and shaft through the door latch mechanism, tighten the through-door screws, then depress the backside pin so the flashing and backside knob will slide back on and lock in place. I have personally done this on two house front doors.

OK, there is another way, superglue, but this has to be done very carefully and can potentially disable the key forever (as other answerers have pointed out). You will NOT be using the other part of the broken key for this, too much of a chance to get superclue where you don't want it that way by it squeezing out when you press the parts together. No, you need a small piece of wire, like an unfolded paper cllip. You only need an inch or so, not the the whole unfolded paperclip. Bend the very end, maybe an 1/8th of an inch at a right angle. Now for the hard part. Put a SMALL amount of super glue on the short side of the bend and carefully place it against the biggest part of the key you can see, using a pair of needle nose pliers or your fingers, CAREFULLY! You want to avoid having any super glue anywhere other than between the wire and the end of the key, and then wait for a bit and then let go. And now the hard part, wait some more. Super glue may appear set, but it takes some time on non-porous surfaces, like metals. Be patient here. Let it sit for an hour and then try to ease the piece out, with fingers or pliers, whichever you prefer. Wiggling it a little will sometimes help. Be careful to not flex the wire/glue joint. Super glue is brittle when it sets and a sideways bend as the glue interface will cause the glue to fracture. I know this worked for my next door neighbor. I watched him do it. I wondered why he did not use the other part of the broken key and he told me he did that once, and the glue squeezed out with an end result of glueing the key in place! Not a good result. I have not prsonally done this, but I observed it very closely when it was being done by my next door neighbor..

Answer 2

Good question, easy answer... Very carefully straighten out a fish hook... it must be bent very slowly, or apply heat to the curve as you straighten it out... Then you have a perfect tool for "fishing" out the broken key portion... slide it in,next to the broken portion, turn it slightly and the barb will bite into the brass key and you can then pull it out... I have used this technique many, many times in my life, both professionally and at home, and it works great... Don't let anybody tease you about having fish hooks in your tool box, either ........

Answer 3

Try a pair of sharp-nosed pliers or a pair of tweezers.Grasp the end of the broken key and pull out.

Answer 4

Put a small amount of crazy glue on the piece in your hand, and gently apply it to the piece in the lock, hold for about 30 sec....use only a drop so you do not get the glue in the locking mechanism

Answer 5

Try a pair of needle nose pliers and see if you can get ahold of a piece of the key and pull it out.

Answer 6

You may have to take the lock off. When I broke my key in the door, we had to get new locks, becuase we couldn't get it out.

Answer 7

For me it is easy, I am a locksmith. I generally use a key extractor, if that doesn't work, I just disassemble the lock cylinder.

Answer 8

I think all you can do is change the lock. Or possibly call a locksmith company. But that would cost ya....if there are any of them left around.

Answer 9

i just had that happen to me. i tried using needle nose pliers at first that didnt work. i tried using some super glue to attach the broken part back on just enough to pull it out that only made it worse...... eventually i just had to buy a new lock

Answer 10

I'd love to know. I have a lock with a piece of fettuccini broken off in it, thanks to my 2 1/2 year old daughter.