Broken Key Extraction in Bend, OR

Why keys snap in Bend locks

A key usually breaks after a lock has been getting stiff for a while and someone finally turns hard. A few Bend settings can set that up:

• Older hardware. Nearly every home in the Drake Park Neighborhood Historic District is from 1910 to 1954, so a door there may still carry a worn cylinder, and a key duplicated several times over may no longer match the cut exactly.
• Shared gates and doors. With a house and as many as two accessory dwelling units allowed on one Bend lot, a side gate or shared door may see keys from three households, each a slightly different copy.
• Grit. Bend lies on the dry east side of the Cascades, where grit can work into keyways. Forcing a sticky key is how one ends up snapped, so clean the lock instead.

What not to do

• Do not push the fragment back in with another key or a pin, which can drive it deeper.
• Skip glue. If it runs into the pins, the cylinder may need replacing.
• Keep both halves of the key, since the broken half helps when cutting a new one.
• If the door is locked with the fragment inside, treat it as a lockout instead of prying at the door or frame.
• Stop turning as soon as the key feels stuck, because more force is what snaps it.

Photos and details that help

1. A photo of the broken half of the key
2. A close photo of the keyway, showing whether the fragment sticks out or sits flush
3. Whether the lock was locked or unlocked when the key broke
4. Which door it is: house, accessory unit, gate, business or car
5. Your district and cross streets, such as Southern Crossing, which spans the Deschutes River in central Bend

If the cylinder was worn or damaged, it may also need lock repair. This service has its own page at broken key extraction, and the Bend page describes the city's neighborhood districts.