Broken Key Extraction in Springfield, IL

Where keys snap in Springfield

Broken key extraction removes the piece left inside a cylinder so the lock works again. A key breaks when twisted harder than the lock allows, and a few Springfield settings make that likelier.

• Shared street doors. In Enos Park's converted houses, more than one household can sit behind a single street door. A door every resident uses daily tends to wear sooner than any one unit's lock, and keys copied from copies bind in it.
• Mailbox and storage locks. In shared buildings these take thin keys that bend easily; the owner or manager usually controls that lock, so tell them.
• Iced-up locks. On a cold morning, moisture inside a cylinder can turn to ice, and twisting against it can snap a key. Use lock de-icer instead and give it time to work.
• Original storefront doors. Downtown, the Historic Sites Commission's design guidelines steer owners toward keeping an original storefront door. A careful extraction may let the original lock stay in service, so mention it if the building is under the Commission's review.

What not to do

• Do not put superglue on the broken piece; glue that runs into the cylinder can ruin it.
• Do not push another key or a tool into the keyway, which drives the fragment deeper.
• Do not try to turn the lock with what is left of the key.
• If the key broke in a car door or ignition, do not try to start or drive the car.

What to send

• Photos of the half you hold and of the keyway, so it is clear how much is left inside
• Which lock it is: street door, unit door, storefront, mailbox, garage or car
• Whether the door is stuck locked or unlocked, and whether you are inside or out
• Whether a working spare exists

A broken key can often be copied from its two halves once the piece is out, so keep the part you have. If a lock that keeps catching is the cause, see lock repair. If you cannot get in, the request is also a house lockout. In a rental, tell the landlord about a break in a shared door; they may want that entry rekeyed.