PLease help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pickey]

Someone else just tried the paper clip and piece broke off inside so now it is <all of the horrible words in the world spoken in each entire language in the whole wide world> stuck. So now, logically the only way is to just destroy the thing.

If all that is in the lock is a paperclip you can easily get that out with a broken key extractor. If you don't have one you can maybe use needle nose pliers (if its a decently bigger keyway), or you could try to hold a magnet up to the keyhole and maybe it'll pull the paperclip out.
If you haven't destroyed the lock yet, don't. It can be a fun thing for you to play around with

[Varjeal]

Pickey: No probs. In truth the lock percentage is probably 50/50 wafer to pin depending on the area and types of cabinets/desks sold in that area, so we're both right...hehehe..

If you noticed, (which you probably did) I recommended an obscenely large bit, which is also why I recommended drilling in the middle of the lock. Trust me, using a bit the approximate size of the key way will get it open (eventually, the lock is destroyed regardless). Trying to drill a smaller hole means it would need be accurately placed and if that's the case he might as well remove the broken paperclip and learn how to pick the thing.


So, again, your thinking is correct.

[Pickey]

Okey dokey
Thanks for clearing that up

[skold]

after reading this topic i decided to drill one of my lockwood wafer lock, just to see where to drill..
i drilled at the bottom of the keyway then turned it upside down ...all the wafers fell and the tensioner was used to turn it...maybe turning the cabinet upside down isnt a good choice, but it may help.

[SBF9304]

another method I heard was I could try freezing the lock with liquid nitrogen (just a few drops) and then just smash the lock off. Supposedly that would then force the thing open.

Just would this work and where would I get the liquid nitrogen?

[PickPick]

A few drops of liquid nitrogen will make a quiet hissing sound and evaporate. People always regard it as some kind of magic stuff that freezes everything on sight and makes it brittle enough to shatter with a tiny blow. Once you've used up gallons of the stuff you're not that impressed anymore, believe me.

So, it will definitely not work. And I don't know where the average person gets its liquid nitrogen, we get ours from the lab supplier on the first floor.

[MrB]

Just to add: liquid nitrogen is dangerous. It is not readily obtainable outside properly controlled environments.

(You can't just store it in a bottle and drip it on with an eye dropper. )

[Sabin37]

The only way a magnet would work is if the paperclip has a magnetic substance in it like iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium, or manganese. Considering that it's probably made of steel, which contains iron, it should be magnetic. This would only work if the piece of paperclip was loose and not stuck on anything.

You could also try a thin pair of tweezers but they might not fit in the keyhole.

[Fallen_Pin]

Try hitting it with a hammer. Many times =)

[pick them all]

hi guys, this is my first posting, one of my students told me about the site.
sometimes if you drill a hole level with the top and bottom of the wafers (double wafer lock) you will see two chambers the wafers need to clear to rotate the cylinder. once you can see these simply push the wafers in on both sides and the pug will turn.

[SBF9304]

Over the past several days, my mom had tried jamming a nail in it, but that had only pushed the lock in further. Eventually though we knocked the lock out of the hole but it was still locked. However, I suddenlty noticed that one of the drawers was really slacking. Not hesitating a second I stuck a wood file thru and pushed the bar that was keeping the thing locked and managed to pop the drawer open. The real problem remained with the top drawer because there was this big piece of metal that prevented me from pushing the metal bar aside. Once I finally managed to get that out of the way, I still couldnt get it open. Finally, I just tried pushing it aside at the top and that got it open. Then I just had my mom remove the top drawer so I could take the metal bar out. I had to bend it three times in order to get it out, but it was real cinch compared to getting the top drawer open. Thankfully + luckily removing that bar was indeed the locking mechanism and the file cabinet will still work just as an ordinary one.

[Sabin37]

Congratulations!

[Chucklz]

LN2 freezing hasnt't worked on the lock I tried it on. I immered the poor sample in a large dewar with gallons of the good stuff until it stopped boiling. Then I smacked it around for a good long while-- Nothing.

BTW, I've never found LN2 to be extremely dangerous if you are just careful and thoughtful. For example, you can pour a good amount on your bare hand ...... well no dont do that.

[hung82000]

One could always try dry ice. No, it won't get you any closer to being able to shatter the lock, but it will scream like a banshee when it hits the metal, which is always fun. Same warnings go for dry ice handling though, it's dangerous!

[MrB]

Chucklz: Perhaps liquid nitrogen is not so hazardous when handled sensibly by people with half a clue; but I am sure there are many Darwin award candidates out there who would love to prove the opposite.

You are lucky to work in a lab where you can get your hands on the stuff. For lock destruction, you need to investigate low temperature metallurgy. Maybe typical lock materials like brass don't suffer from low temperature embrittlement?