Hi,
I have a aluminium/glass internal door with a 3 or 5 leaver Union lock. When I tried to open the door this morning, the key broke. The broken part is stuck inside the lock. I don't have a spare key. How do I open the door without paying £75 to a locksmiths?.
Thanks for any suggestions/ideas/tips.
Lasitha
Drill the barrel out with a 10mm drill bit, then replace the lock.
Your only options are to try to get the broken bit out, perhaps with a pair of long nosed pliers, to attack the door frame or the door itself which ever might prove the cheaper to repair.
If you can get the broken bit out, you should be able to then get a new key made up which hopefully will not break.
You may be able to get the broken bit out by putting a blob of superglue on the end of he bit you're left with and inserting it into the lock. It gets stuck to the broken bit and hey presto you remove the key.
Nick
That`s precisely what I did with a broken Yale key a couple of years ago...Simple but effective
"> > On 24/02/2004 Lasitha a wrote : > >
Quite often possible to jiggle the bust bit out with needle/tweezers combo.
Pete
This is a lever lock guys not a yale lock,if it is possible for a jigsaw blade to fit between door and frame then use a metal cutting blade,and cut through the bolt ,it works for me everytime,although it may not work on expensive locks like chubb as they have rollers in side the bolts.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I tried to take out the broken part of the key, but it just won't come out. Given that the door is still locked, I guess the only option is to cut the bolt with a hacksaw or a jigsaw. There's enough room between the frame and the door to get a hacksaw/jigsaw.
How would a locksmiths open it?.
Lasitha
First off he'd get the old key out with an assortment of tools -some home made. Whichever one suits the job. Then he would fiddle with the mechanism using another assortment of tools called picks from their shape. He has to know how the levers work on the lock and how many there are and how to lift each of them off the bolt so that it can be opened.
And while it is all in the air like that, he has to pull the bolt back. The alternative is to risk damage to the door and frame and to ruin either the hinges or the lock whichever is the easiest/cheapest.
They just told you.
Regards, NT
I tried cutting the bolt with a jigsaw. I couldn't cut the middle part. So I decided to call a locksmiths. He had to struggle for one hour to cut the bolt.
Lasitha
Just as long as he didn't have to struggle for 1 hour 2 minutes, and thereby unfortunately need to charge for the second hour...
Neil
No, this guy quoted me £45 all inclusive. All the others wanted £55/hour + vat. Paying by the hour would have been expensive.
Lasitha
Do you know any accomplished cat burglers ?
Rick
Don't you wish you had given it the odd shot of WD40 when it started to get stiff!
I did, it didn't make any difference.
Not recommended. Powdered graphite is best. WD40 is a water dispersant first and foremost.
Paul Mc Cann
Powdered graphite! - yes - but where do you find it - and the problem may not be just with the lock but also with the levers that operate the catch. Any lubrication is better than nothing. Unfortunately the oil can and dab of grease seems to have become redundant - but many houses have knackered garage door mechanisms, squeaky taps, stiff door catches, worn hinges, etc - and then there is the car.....!
Bought the last little puffer pack from CPC...lasts ages!
Or, in an emergency, scrape the lead of a pencil (remember those? ).
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