Help.... Need to get in lock asap!

[Heva]

Have a chest that's been left behind by a deceased relative ad we have no idea where keys are..... But need to get in this chest for house deeds etc
I have no idea what type of lock it is but think it was a small round cylinder type key, but smaller than your old chest or drawing cabinet types.




Please help

[JasonAller]

Have a chest that's been left behind by a deceased relative ad we have no idea where keys are..... But need to get in this chest for house deeds etc
I have no idea what type of lock it is but think it was a small round cylinder type key, but smaller than your old chest or drawing cabinet types.

Call a Locksmith. This really is the right time to call in a professional.

[Squelchtone]

Sorry, we don't know you and there fore we don't know if your story is legit. We get a lot of people every month asking for our help to get into this or get into that because their mom took the Wii controller or their cell phone away. Who knows your case could have a gun in it, Oxycontin, anything...

If it is THAT important, please call a local locksmith (don't just call the first thing in the phone book, you'll get ripped off, call a real local locksmith that has a real store in town, not just a guy working out of his trunk who'll want $200 to pick that or drill it out) or bring it to one on Monday and pay them $20 to $50 to pick it for you. Teaching you lockpicking over the internet to open that style of lock would be a long term process; there is not quick tricks like bending a paperclip or using a screwdriver.

Or you could just bust the box open, or use a hole saw to cut the lock out, but that's as far as I will get into destructive entry, it's not what we're about here. We pick locks for fun, but not locks that don't belong to us, and not locks we don't have business to be picking.

I know you're probably just trying to help your family out, but this is the best we can do for you.

Squelchtone

ps. JasonAller types too fast!

[Heva]

We bust the lock in the end which is a little heart destroying and hoping we can replace it. Turns out deeds were not in it, but so much family history and letters from pre war. It's also not a chest but it's a writing bureau!
Shall get a pic tomorrow as it's just stunning!
Need to find good antique refurb locksmith in the uk

[Solomon]

We bust the lock in the end which is a little heart destroying and hoping we can replace it. Turns out deeds were not in it, but so much family history and letters from pre war. It's also not a chest but it's a writing bureau!
Shall get a pic tomorrow as it's just stunning!
Need to find good antique refurb locksmith in the uk

That's gonna cost you a hell of a lot more than it would have cost to just get a locksmith to make a new key for it in the first place. Well done.

[mhole]

Sigh.

That bureau has externally fitted hinges, 5 minutes with a screwdriver would have opened it without any damage. Why do people always fixate on the lock anytime something is locked?!

[Ortin468]

Sigh.

That bureau has externally fitted hinges, 5 minutes with a screwdriver would have opened it without any damage. Why do people always fixate on the lock anytime something is locked?!

LOL I dunno I always wondered too...

I had a customer, Not the sharpest tool in the shed.. calls me..

(customer calling) Do you sell batteries for remotes? ..
Sure I do, pop on over, we will see what you have. Happy to help.
(customer) Ok I will..
20 minutes later, I get the call.
(customer) I can't get into my car, the remotes not working.
Ummmm errr did you try the key ??? (phone clicks)....
20 minutes later,
(customer) The car won't start Can you come and put a battery in the remote?
Do the lights work at all or anything in the car
(customer) No, nothing works, the car is dead.

Gee I wonder why the remote didn't work....

[lunchb0x]

Sigh.

That bureau has externally fitted hinges, 5 minutes with a screwdriver would have opened it without any damage. Why do people always fixate on the lock anytime something is locked?!

LOL I dunno I always wondered too...

I had a customer, Not the sharpest tool in the shed.. calls me..

(customer calling) Do you sell batteries for remotes? ..
Sure I do, pop on over, we will see what you have. Happy to help.
(customer) Ok I will..
20 minutes later, I get the call.
(customer) I can't get into my car, the remotes not working.
Ummmm errr did you try the key ??? (phone clicks)....
20 minutes later,
(customer) The car won't start Can you come and put a battery in the remote?
Do the lights work at all or anything in the car
(customer) No, nothing works, the car is dead.

Gee I wonder why the remote didn't work....

Had the exact same thing yesterday for a 2009 Nissan navara.

Remote not working and the lock is hidden, he couldn't find it to get into the car. Told him to look properly, he found it and the car wouldn't start, told him battery is dead, there is nothing wrong with the remote.
He then wanted me to go jump start him because he didn't want to pay for a mechanic....

As for the OP. Why do people insist on "saving money" and destroy things especially on something like this. It is now going to cost you a lot more to repair the box than it would of to get it open and it will never be in the same quality as it was before. Getting someone who knows what they are doing is always the better option.

[Rickthepick]

...jeez, crowbar first, think later, always the way

[Solomon]

:roll: ...jeez, crowbar first, think later, always the way

Tell me about it... went to change an adams rite earlier this week and they'd decided to screw the old cylinders out themselves. Completely knackered the grubscrews, took forever to get them out to replace them and after installing the new cylinders it only locked from the outside so they'd messed up the spring and all.

Makes you wonder, it really does. How does someone not have the comon sense to unscrew the faceplate and have a look underneath? Instead of just saying "hmm this won't unscrew, I know I'll get the mole grips out". Turned a 5 minute job into a complete episode...

[Rickthepick]

I find the most common cause of this kind of damage is a large butch neighbor that lurks sheepishly in the background and Fooks off quietly when you open the door

[femurat]

It's like trying to undo a rusted bolt with pliers, ruining its shape. Then the right hex key becomes useless too, and you have to drill it out. If you start with the right tools it's an easy job, but if you don't have them at the moment and want to do it immediately, you risk to screw everything up! Next time you start by spraying some wd40 and with the right size hex key. If you don't have the key it's better to postpone the job.

Well, to be honest, I screwed up a lot of things while learning... that's what happens if you haven't the right tools or knowledge. I'm a big fan of DIY and try to do everything myself. I try to understand how something works, then I try to fix it. Sometimes I fail. But if you never try, you'll never succeed!

The most important thing that I learnt is to know when it's better to stop. You must understand if what you're going to do is irreversible. Then you should just stop and call a professional.

Cheers