Broken Key Extraction in Saint Paul, MN

Where keys take the most wear

A key seldom snaps on one bad turn. It gives out after months of strain, and three Saint Paul conditions add to it.

• Busy building entries. Saint Paul homes sit in big buildings more often than the U.S. average: 18.6 percent are in buildings with 50 or more units, against 6.9 percent nationally. A shared entry door turns many times a day, often with copies cut from copies that fit loosely.
• Old cylinders. More than four in ten Saint Paul homes, 42.0 percent, are in buildings from 1939 or earlier. In the late-1800s flats and rowhouses beside the pre-1865 houses of West 7th Street, a cylinder may have served generations of keys.
• Frozen locks. Frost that stiffens a cylinder is the moment to stop, not to push harder. A twisted key can snap, and pouring hot water in can leave ice inside the lock.

What not to do

• Do not push the stub back in or try to turn the lock with the broken piece.
• Do not glue the pieces together or dab glue on the broken end; it can lock the fragment in place among the pins.
• Do not keep working the lock with a piece still inside.
• Keep every piece. The bow usually carries the maker's stamp, which helps identify the key.

If it broke in a building's door

If the key broke in a building's front door, tell the building manager first and ask which locks belong to the building. If the broken key was your only working one, ask whether the cylinder should also be rekeyed once the piece is out.

What to send with a request

• a photo of the lock face, showing whether any of the key sticks out
• both key pieces photographed side by side
• which lock it is: house door, unit door, building entry or garage
• whether the lock was frozen or stiff when the key broke

Service details are on the broken key extraction page. For the local housing behind these examples, see Saint Paul.