Emergency
Broken key stuck in a lock? Extraction at the door
A key snapped in a door lock, a padlock or the ignition: we take out the broken piece and can cut a new key.
Where
South-eastern Pennsylvania
What we cover
Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Lancaster County and Philadelphia
How we work
We are a mobile locksmith. We come to you.
What this covers
Broken key extraction is for a key that has snapped off inside a lock: a house door, a business door, a padlock, or a car door or ignition. The broken piece has to come out before the lock can be used again, and pushing at it can drive it deeper. We work to remove the broken piece and, if you need one, cut a new key so you are not left with half a key.
How we approach it
Keep both halves of the broken key if you can. The half in your hand shows how the key was cut, which helps with a new key, and the way it broke tells us something about the lock. We look at the lock before starting, because a key that snapped in a worn or binding lock may point to a lock that needs repairing too.
Where it stops
Extraction covers the broken key and the lock it is stuck in. If that lock was already worn or has been damaged, it may need repairing or replacing afterwards, and we will say so. When the key broke in a car's ignition, we check that the ignition turns and starts the car before we finish.
What broken key extraction covers
Remove a broken key from a door lock, a padlock or an ignition, cut a new key when the old one broke.
Worth knowing
When a key breaks in a lock, stop. Do not push the broken piece further in, do not try to hook it out with a paper clip or a small tool, and never put glue anywhere near the lock. Each of those can turn a simple extraction into a lock that has to be replaced.
Keys break for a reason. A key that has worn thin, a key that was bent and straightened, or a lock that has been binding for months all put extra strain on the blade. If a key snapped because the lock was hard to turn, the lock needs attention too, or the next key may go the same way.
Retire keys before they break. Hold your key next to a spare: if the ridges look rounded, or the blade shows a crack or a bend, stop using it and have a new key made from the spare, not from the worn one. A copy of a worn key copies the wear.