Broken Key Extraction in Worcester, MA

Where keys take the strain

Most broken keys are the end of a long wear process, not one bad turn. In Worcester, a few locks carry more than their share.

• Shared stairwell doors. A three-decker's front and rear stairwell doors serve all three flats. Keys from three households going in and out every day wear both the keys and the pins, and a worn key eventually cracks at the shoulder.
• Old cylinders. By 1890, three-deckers stood on Vernon Hill off Millbury Street. A cylinder in a building that age may be decades old, and a lock that needs a jiggle and a hard twist puts sideways stress on the key each time.
• Copies of copies. A key cut from a worn copy fits the pins loosely, so it binds and twists in the keyway.
• Iced keyways. Meltwater that runs into a lock during a January thaw can turn to ice inside it, and forcing a key against ice can snap it.

What not to do

• Do not push the broken stub deeper with the other half of the key.
• Do not put glue on a stick or wire to fish the piece out; glue that reaches the pins can ruin the cylinder.
• Do not spray oil into the keyway. If anything goes in, use only a dry lock lubricant.
• Do not keep gripping a small exposed piece with pliers; it can tear and leave less to hold.
• On a shared door, leave a note so neighbors do not push their own keys in beside the piece.

What to have ready

Take a close photo of the keyway and of the piece you still have, so you can describe both. Then note:

1. Which lock it is: front or rear stairwell door, your flat's door, or a vehicle.
2. The floor, and whether that door is the only way in for anyone.
3. Whether the lock turned before the key broke, so it is clear whether the door is locked.
4. The neighborhood or nearest cross streets.

If the cylinder is damaged once the piece is out, lock repair is the follow-up. For more, see broken key extraction in Massachusetts and Worcester.