Broken Key Extraction in St. Louis, MO

Where keys snap in St. Louis buildings

A key usually snaps when it is twisted against a lock that will not turn. Three situations in St. Louis buildings set that up:

• Walk-up street doors. A walk-up puts one main door in front of a shared stair hall, so every household turns the same cylinder. It is the busiest lock in the building.
• Two doors on one facade. On a two-family flat, the door to the lower apartment and the door to the upper unit's stair sit side by side on the front, and the two sets of keys are easy to confuse. A key tried in the wrong door and then forced can snap.
• Winter cold. NOAA's state climate summary describes cold arctic air reaching Missouri in winter. Damp left in an outdoor cylinder can freeze, and a key forced against frozen pins is one hard twist from breaking. Keep lock de-icer in the house or a bag, not inside the car it is meant to open.

What not to do

• Don't push another key, or the snapped-off half, into the keyway. It can drive the broken piece deeper.
• Don't use glue on the fragment. Glue that runs into the cylinder can ruin it.
• Don't keep working the handle or thumb-turn while part of the blade is inside; the pins can bind on it.
• Keep the half you are holding. Its cuts show what the key looked like, which helps when a new one is made.

What to send

1. A clear photo of the keyway with the fragment in it, and one of the piece you kept.
2. Which lock it is: a walk-up street door, a flat's upper or lower door, or a unit door.
3. Whether the door is locked or unlocked right now, and whether anyone has a spare key.
4. The neighborhood and nearest cross streets.

If the fragment comes out but the lock still sticks, lock repair is the next step. See broken key extraction and the St. Louis page.