This might help:
"Extracting a Broken Key from an Automobile Lock: It's always
difficult to remove a broken key blade from an automotive lock when
the fragment is small and has been pushed to the very back of the
plug. In cases like this, all the wafers fall in front of the
fragment, making it nearly impossible to remove even if you manage to
get a spiral extractor into one of the grooves of the key. It's
usually disassembly time ? and if you're dealing with an ignition lock
with an active retainer (the plug must be turned to a release position
before the retainer can be depressed), you have a real problem. Here's
a solution that works many more times than it fails. First, get a key
blank of the appropriate type and remove both shoulders, making the
blade continuous from tip to the beginning of the bow. Now file or
grind the end of the blank into a bull-nose shape, making certain the
slopes of the tip are smooth and gradual so it will feed easily into
the keyway. Now insert this modified blank into the keyway as far as
it will go. Butting it up against the fragment at the rear of the
plug, you are essentially moving all the wafers out of your way and at
the same time lining up the grooves of the modified blank with those
of the fragment. You can now feed a long key extractor into one of the
grooves of your helper key and carefully move it all the way back to
the broken blade. Use a spiral extractor for best results. You can
'screw' the spiral wire into the soft brass of the fragment, then very
carefully pull both the modified key and (hopefully) the broken piece
out of the lock in one operation."
http://www.lockpick-usa.com/pick-a-car-door-lock.htm |
