Broken Key Extraction in Salem, OR

Where keys break in Salem

A key usually snaps after months of strain: a worn cylinder that needs a twist and a lift, a thin copy cut from a copy, or a lock that has gone stiff in the cold. A few things in Salem put more strain on keys than others.

• Downtown's older buildings. The Salem Downtown State Street–Commercial Street Historic District holds buildings from about 1867 to about 1950. A cylinder on a shared street door or an upstairs entry in a building that age may be decades old and worn by constant use.
• 1970s cylinders. About 16.3 percent of Salem's homes date from the 1970s. Unless a cylinder has been replaced since, it is now roughly half a century old, and worn pins make a key bind.
• Rented doors. More than a third of Oregon's occupied homes are rented, so a broken key can be in a door someone else owns. Tell the landlord before any work starts.
• Cold mornings. Salem has recorded −12°F. Old lubricant thickens in the cold, and a key forced through a stiff lock is more likely to shear.

What not to do

• Do not push another key or any tool into the keyway. It can pack the fragment in tighter.
• Do not use glue to grab the broken piece. Glue that reaches the pins can ruin the cylinder.
• Do not spray oil in. It holds grit around the fragment.
• If a stub sticks out of the keyway, do not twist it. If it sits flush with the face, stop.

What to send

• A close photo of the keyway showing the fragment, and the half of the key you still have.
• Which door or lock it is: house, unit, building entry, gate or business.
• Whether the door is locked or unlocked right now. If you are shut out, it is also a lockout.
• For a rental or shared building, whether the owner or manager has approved the work.

A lock that keeps binding afterward may need lock repair. The Salem page has more on the downtown district's buildings.