Antique cabinet lock stuck

[MuseChaser]

I have very little experience picking locks, and don't know much about lock terminology, so please forgive my ignorance. I was recently given several pieces of furniture that have been in the family for several generations. During the move, we locked some drawers and doors shut on various pieces to make it easier to move and pack. Unfortunately, now I can't unlock the door to a wardrobe and and a small door to a sideboard. I have the correct keys, but have tried every possible combination anyway. Also tried everything I can think of in terms of picking them... tiny allen wrenches, paper clips, miniature screwdrivers, etc. Nothing.

Let's start with the wardrobe, which is the one that I really care about it; I can get access to the sideboard from the other side easily. The wardrobe doesn't have accessible hinge pins, so getting the lock open is a necessity.

Symptom... insert the key, rotate clockwise. At about 150 degrees, I can hear and feel it engage something lightly, then at 180 degrees it stops cold.. completely stuck. Rotate back to starting/insertion position, then continue rotating 180 degrees counterclockwise, and it stops cold again. Haven't gone full gorilla on it, but have applied more than enough force to know it should have moved if it was working at all.

I'm attaching pictures. One is of the key itself, one is just a straight-ahead view of the keyhole, and the others are pictures taken with a cheap boroscope attempting to get at least SOME idea of what is in there. I've annotated some of the pics with color-coded arrows. The yellow arrow indicates where the key seems to apply pressure to retract the locking tang/deadbolt/whatever it's called that sticks out of the door. The red arrow indicates where the key applies pressure to move it back into the locked/extended position. The green arrows indicate other parts that i don't know the function of, but have tried to move into different positions unsuccessfully with whatever tiny tools I could find.

I've spent about four frustrating hours so far, and would GREATLY appreciate any advice, tips, pictures, beer, links, whiskey.. anything that might help get this open.

Thanks so much in advance!

[MuseChaser]

Quick addendum... just managed to retract the locking tang in the other piece, so that one is solved. Could really use some help with the one posted above! Thanks..

[Squelchtone]

[ADMIN EDIT: Moving this to This Old Lock]

[MuseChaser]

Thanks for moving the posts to a more appropriate place, Squelchtone. Apologies for not putting it here initially.

[MartinHewitt]

The piece where the yellow and red arrows point is the actual lock bolt. The green arrows are pointing to a post holding the lock together and something which holds the lock bolt in place. It might be as simple as that: http://images.zeno.org/Brockhaus-1911/I ... 20641b.jpg

[MuseChaser]

Thanks for the help, Martin. Are the two small slots on the tang of the key part of the puzzle? Do you have any idea which way I should try and nudge the green arrowed parts in order to release the bolt? I've been able to open other similar locks with nothing more than a sturdy paper clip bent into an "L" shape w/ a short leg before, but this one is driving me nuts.

[MartinHewitt]

It might be that your paper clip is not strong enough.

I don't see any wardings on your photos. So a key would need no such cuts. But you can see probably better into your lock.

Something between the lock bolt and the front metal cover needs to be lifted. I would try to lift more towards where the key would lift then where your green arrows point. You could try coat hanger wire, piano wire or similar more stiff wires - one for moving the locking bolt and another for lifting what ever needs to be lifted.

[GWiens2001]

It may not require any lifting. Have seen a lot of these which only have the flag on the key move the bolt.

Have seen two that have needed to slightly lift the bolt where the key catches the bolt.

Gordon

[MuseChaser]

Thanks for responses.. please keep them coming! I spent another couple hours on it, and still no joy. To clarify, just in case, I DO have the key, but the key stops turing completely, as in hits a dead stop like hitting a rock wall, at 180 degrees past the insertion point, either direction. Prior to that dead stop in the clockwise, unlocking direction, I can hear and feel it engage and move something slightly at about 145 degrees, then the dead stop at 180.

The thick piece of metal indicated by the topmost green arrow in one of my previous photos appears to be more of the bolt.. I was able to get at it with a sturdy paper clip while observing with the boroscope. I can move it slightly front-to-back, but not horizontally in the direction it needs to go to unlock. I can't for the life of me see or feel what's stopping the bolt from moving.

Do the two small slots cut in the flag of the key have any function? This lock is clearly broken in some way. Unfortunately, it's in a fairly valuable piece of antique furniture that I REALLY don't want to damage or alter. Door hinges can't be removed w/out severly damaging the hinges and the surrounding finished areas. The door opposite the lock is latched shut from the inside, and the lock bolt engages that door. There is barely enough clearance between the closed doors to insert a piece of paper or thin plastic card...even a regular credit card won't fit. Considered trying to insert a hacksaw blade, but that would wreck the cabinet in that area.

I'm certain one of you experts could have this open in minutes, but I just can't get it. Tried lifting upwards in the area where the key first engages while attempting to move the bolt with a second wire..nope. Wiggling key/door/laying cabiinet on side for gravity to help, bumping cabinet...none of that helped.

Sigh.

[Raymond]

The ward cuts in the side of that particular key are fakes, put there for appearance only. Other slightly more complicated locks do require the side cuts for the key to rotate.

There may be a possibility that the cabinet doors have shifted during the move and are putting considerable pressure on the lock bolt. I would hate to see you break that key so get another one before anything happens. Make sure it operates the other locks smoothly to verify the correct key dimensions.

Can you turn the cabinet up side down and put some light oil (sewing machine or 3-in-one) into the lock. Then try again with more force. If the flag on the key is too small it can sometimes move the bolt half way and then not work anymore. Try moving it to the locked condition before trying to unlock it.

Good luck as you have stumped most of us.

[skygear]

Back to the basics here, have you tried using spray lube? penetrating oil?

can you see the locking mechanism/deadbolt etc. from any angle? You could use a sharp knife to 'stab' the mechanism and add inward force as you are turning the key. Additionally if you can see it, spray it with a lube/ penetrating oil. We used to open grandmas wardrobe cabinet with a 90º Traveler hook from her sewing kit.


Have you tried shaking the cabinet to remove the tension on the locking mechanism?

[MuseChaser]

Thank you for the additional replies. I finally got the cabinet open a few days ago, but was never able to get the lock itself open. I've tried all of your suggestions, including putting the cabinet on its back, on its sides, and even lying down with the cabinet resting on my two knees and one hand on top of me so I could see if could unlock it face down. The bolt was always free... it was never a question of it binding against the cabinet itself, but rather something in the lock itself preventing it from moving more than about 1/4" total in either direction. I made picks out of very strong but thin spring steel, trying to hold the plates inside at various angles while moving the bolt with either the key, an allen wrency, or strategically shaped strong wire... nothing. Lubricants, patience, gentle coaxing, good amounts of force... nothing. I took a dremel with a tiny grinding bit and ground away a bit of the metal keyhole shape to try and get a better image of the internals with my boroscope, and that did help slightly... I'm pretty sure I can see what was supposed to happen, but I just couldn't manipulate the bolt free.

Sooo... I managed to slide the entire lock itself inboard a bit further into the door into it's mortised slot, and that recessed the bolt just barely far enough so that I could force the doors far enough apart to free the bolt from being engaged in the other door. It's not real apparent how to get the lock out of the door... it looks like it should just pull out of the mortise, as there are no screws holding the cover plate around the bolt. However, it comes out about 1/4" and then is stuck. I'm afraid to really horse on it for fear of damaging the door. I'd like to get the lock out so I can replace it, and so I can open it up and see exactly WHAT was wrong with it, just for a bit of closure. If i'm successfuly, I'll take a couple pics and post them.

Anyone know how to get it out of the door?

Thanks again!

[GWiens2001]

Anyone know how to get it out of the door?

Not without pics! Once you post them, I am sure we can help.

Gordon

[mick-the-pick]

Have you tried rotating the key anti clockwise and “working it” slightly, back and forth to loosen up the mechanism?
Also try jiggling the door as it may have jammed in transit.

[Squelchtone]

I found a special lock pick online to solve your problem: