Removing Broken Keys

by **BrokenKey** » 4 Jun 2004 15:28

Hi. I'm new here. I registered on this website in the hopes that you will be willing to share some of your expertise with me as I try to solve a very specific problem, namely: the broken key in my mailbox lock. :oops:

For some time, the key has been sticking quite badly as I removed it from the lock. Ordinarily, some gentle up and down wiggling would remove it from the lock. The key was kind of flimsy to begin with, so the past few months of gentle up and down wiggling definitely took their toll on its structural integrity. Last Friday, the inevitable happened. wiggle wiggle, wiggle wiggle ("come on , give me my key back") wiggle wiggle, SNAP!

So now I am faced with the daunting task of removing the broken key from the lock. The mailbox is part of a panel of mailboxes. The postman has a key to the panel, so it is possible that I can get behind the lock through him.

If anyone can help me, I would be very grateful. If the best thing for me to do is call a locksmith, I can do that. But if there is a workable solution that an amateur can implement, I would prefer that. Who knows when this might happen again...

Thank you for your attention and any expertise you can provide.

Gratefully yours,
BrokenKey a.k.a. Jeremy

by **Theros** » 4 Jun 2004 15:37

Can you give some more specific information on the lock used on the mailbox?

You could buy a broken key extractor (from a reputable locksmithing site), or try to make one yourself and obtain the key that way... Not sure if it would be easier then calling a locksmith to take it out tho( would prolly take all of 10 seconds ).

Some locks have holes all the way through the lock (keyway travels all the way through) if you can get to the back (and its this type of lock ) you may be able to get a paperclip in through the back and push the remnants of the key out...

Hope that helps...

Theros

by **BrokenKey** » 4 Jun 2004 15:50

Theros wrote:Can you give some more specific information on the lock used on the mailbox?

Locksmithing and lockpicking isn't my area of expertise, but I will do my best to describe the key and the lock.

The key.
The key was the shortest key on my key ring, with the jagged section only being about a half-inch long (2 cm maybe for the Europeans). Made of cheap metal (obviously).

The lock.
To open the lock, I would insert the key with the key parallel to the ground and turn ninety degrees counterclockwise so it would be perpendicular to the ground. This would open the mailbox door. I could not remove the key when it was in this position (perpendicular to the ground). If I returned the key to the starting position and removed it while the mailbox door was open, the mailbox door would not close. I would shut the mailbox door, turn the key ninety degrees clockwise (to the original position) and remove the key. (It could be that the opening and closing directions were reversed, so to unlock was clockwise and to relock was counterclockwise, but I think it was as described above.)

It was in the removal step that the key would stick in the lock and be difficult to remove. It had no trouble turning once in the lock. It was occasionally difficult to get the key all the way into the lock.

You could buy a broken key extractor (from a reputable locksmithing site), or try to make one yourself and obtain the key that way... Not sure if it would be easier then calling a locksmith to take it out tho( would prolly take all of 10 seconds ).

Some locks have holes all the way through the lock (keyway travels all the way through) if you can get to the back (and its this type of lock ) you may be able to get a paperclip in through the back and push the remnants of the key out...

If the lock does have a hole all the way through to the back, the mailman may be my savior. I will wait to ambush him tomorrow, armed with a paperclip. If that fails, I may try to fashion a broken key extractor from something, or I may just call a locksmith.

Hope that helps...

It is helpful. I didn't even know such things as "Broken key extractors" existed! If you need more information about the lock, I can try to provide it.

Thank you!

by **Theros** » 4 Jun 2004 16:08

Lock looks something like this?

Not really familiar of what sorta lock would be on a mailbox, im in the UK I get my mail through the door

You might try to straiten a paperclip, make a 90degree bend about 1mm off the end and try to get it past the broken part above or below and try to hook it out... Im not the most knowledgeable person on here, but so long as you dont get the paperclip stuck, there can't be any harm in trying

Theros

by **BrokenKey** » 4 Jun 2004 16:17

Theros wrote:Lock looks something like this?

I think that's the one. I'll try your paperclip suggestion. Let me be sure I understand what it is.

1. Take a paperclip and straighten it all the way out.
2. 1 mm from the end of the now straight piece of wire, make a 90 degree bend.
3. Insert the bended end of the clip into the lock above (or below) the broken key.
4. Once the clip is in the lock, turn so the 90 degree bend catches the teeth of the broken key.
5. Pull the broken key out of the lock.

Also, this is my mailbox, so I don't have to worry about what my parents will think if the paperclip gets stuck in there. [dare to read other threads]

thanks Theros.

Jeremy BrokenKey

by **Theros** » 4 Jun 2004 16:24

Hopefully so long as you can catch an edge of the key, and it snapped before the wafers, you shouldnt have too much trouble, it'll just slide out... Just hope you have enough room in the lock to be able to get the paperclip past one way or the other...

Lemme know how things turn out

Theros

by **HeadHunterCEO** » 4 Jun 2004 16:27

drill it out

go to locksmith and buy new lock

less than 10 min

by **Theros** » 4 Jun 2004 16:32

lol HeadHunterCEO, that seems a bit drastic if he can hook it out, tho I will admit, it wouldn't be the most expensive lock in the world to replace, nor the hardest

by **HeadHunterCEO** » 4 Jun 2004 16:38

not drastic at all man

its SOP for any lock <than $10 in value

fishing broken keys out with extrctors is annoying enough
trying with a paperclip well thats gotta suck

by **funboy79015** » 4 Jun 2004 16:50

I have no experience with broken keys, but if I had that problem I would call the post office and see what they say to do. I would guess they would frown on you messing with your mailbox lock since it isn't really your property. It belongs to the post office. If the key was sticking then I would guess there is a problem with the lock that needs to be fixed.

by **HeadHunterCEO** » 4 Jun 2004 16:54

In apartments like this gy speaks of the property owner actually owns the mailbox and is responsible for the locks on the box.

the lack on the back that the mailperson uses to access all the boxes is a USPS approved lock and they all have the same cuts.

by **Theros** » 4 Jun 2004 16:57

lol I have nothing but wierd things to say about that... Im English so we dont have that whole wierd postie thing going on over here, to me the idea of the postal service owning a mailbox seems kinda preposterous but then again, each to their own

by **WhiteHat** » 4 Jun 2004 17:14

in case anyone cares - here's a picture of a basic hook key extractor:

courtesy of http://www.lockpickshop.com
in real life, the hook is a bit more pronounced - i.e. the edge near the handle is actually at an accute angle relative to the tang. You can also get serrated extractors that look like vicious torture instruments.

also, I'd just like to comment on how refreshing it is to have a new person to the forum that posts their question as well and as clearly as brokenkey has done!

WhiteHat

by **BrokenKey** » 4 Jun 2004 18:48

WhiteHat wrote:also, I'd just like to comment on how refreshing it is to have a new person to the forum that posts their question as well and as clearly as brokenkey has done!

Awww, shucks. I'm just trying to get a little help from people who know what they're doing. It's clear that you folks know what you're doing. If the paperclip routine fails and the ambush the postman routine fails, I'll get a real professional involved.

Thanks again. I'll report back how things went.

Jeremy BrokenKey

by **funboy79015** » 4 Jun 2004 19:06

In the few apartments that I have lived in, the the post office was responsible for the locks on the panel of mailboxes. Maybe this isn't always the case.

Whether the USPS is responsible for the lock on the mailbox or not, mailboxes are considered to be property USPS. That is one of the reasons why it is a federal crime to steal mail.

That is the way I have always understood it.

Removing Broken Keys

Removing Broken Keys

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