Best cheap key extractor solution.

[Vennie]

What would be the best, cheap broken key extractor. Homebrew remedies are welcome provided i have the materials. (The lock is a standard Schlage if it helps.)

[vitti]

How large is the broken piece? If it's the majority of the key you should be able to easily remove it with a makeshift key extractor. You could make one out of any thin, strong metal like hacksaw blades, bobby pins, wiper inserts. If you have a half diamond pick you can sacrifice then grind/file it to a 1/4 diamond instead of half where the angled part makes a pointed tip. Use the flat part to hook onto the cuts in the key.

If it's a smaller piece wedged in deep then you'll likely have to do a fair bit of exploration with several tools to pluck it out.

[maxxed]

I have never found a single type of key extractor to always be better in all situations than any other design. I always have a large variety of types ans sizes when on the job.
A simple design can be made from a piece of spring/ music / or piano wire. take a lenght and make a loop about 6" from the end pull on the ends so that the loop becomes very tight. Grind the loop slowly until the pieces separate and then you have two key extractors. make sets from several different diameters.
Some like to use straightened out fish hooks, I haven't had much success with them but it may only be the brand that I used.

[Eyes_Only]

I agree, you can never have too many different types of extractors with you on those kinds of jobs. Especially for automotive.

[linty]

is it a deadbolt or a key in knob? If it's a deadbolt you can just take the lock off and remove the cap and push the key all the way through.

Otherwise, you may have some luck with making something like a very small hook pick out of windshield wiper steel (or something else which is more likely to bend than snap).

[Mutzy]

Find a cheap keyring and bend it out. My best extractor tool is a keyring bent into a '6' shape. Some ring wire ends have sharp edges useful for gripping the sides/wards of keys (and picks), due to the way they're cut.

[rohi]

Find a cheap keyring and bend it out. My best extractor tool is a keyring bent into a '6' shape.

This is so true , i bend mine a tight 90 degrees and cut it about 1,5-2 millimeters past the bend. The sharp cut from the pliers is perfect for pulling whats left of the key.
Works like a charm, and the price is right

Ronald

[ggenovez]

What about something like a dental pick? Wally world sells them real cheap...

of course this would not be the only thing in your arsenal...

[Vennie]

Thanks for the replies guys ill try them out today. All most all of the key is broken off to the point where just too little is sticking out to grip with the pliers i have.

[roxylass]

if you can get an old coping saw the teeth are perfect on that.

[Mutzy]

Your best bet is to try to lever the key out with your tool of choice from the 'bottom' of the keyway (in relative terms to the picture below, it may be the top where you're from). There is usually a gap where the recessed plug fits into the housing, which can be seen here:


(photo from http://www.crypto.com/papers/notes/picking/ - Matt Blaze's paper on lock picking)

You can see the housing (brass colour) fairly well.

Hope that helps.

[Eyes_Only]

But if you decide to buy a extractor set you should really look into the Peterson set. I use that one for work and it was well worth the money I spent on it.

[maintenanceguy]

I keep a few different sizes of coping saw blades on my truck just for this. Grind a tapered point on one end of the blade so you can slide it in between the pins and the cut side of the key. Make sure it's going in so the coping saw blade teeth will bite pulling out and not pushing in. The teeth will grab the cut side of the key and pull it out most of the time.

I don't know anything that works better. You may need to use a pick or some other tool to lift the pins out of the way depending on how far the broken key is in the lock. I've been called several times after someone else has tried to get it out first and they can be in there pretty far. I've even lost a couple myself.

I find that a thiner blade with finer teeth works best.

[Dooms_day]

this reminds me of a time i got realy pissed, and just stuck the key in my lock and bent it downward till it broke off, it was prety easy to extract with one of any pick and a pair of pliers, so im wondering what is the obsession with more advanced tools for this kind of thing. do keys get broken farther up the key and then pushed all the way in cause thats the only reason i would need some help

[Raymond]

Accept that none of us have seen your lock and that we are making very educated guesses. I agree with mutzy. Try to lever it out from the bottom of the keyway. My most often used broken key exractor is just a piece of street sweeper blade with a very simple sharp hook ground on the end. (This is actually the tail of my turning tool that I keep in my wallet.) With a very small curve and a very sharp point, you can apply a LOT of leverage to a key. Make sure the plug is lined up with the pins or the key will not move. Also make sure the plug is not slipping out to the front due to a loose retainer or the pins will not line up. You can also use two of these extractors working at the same time on both sides of the key. Just be careful not to slip and stab yourself.