How to get a broken key out of a door lock. How to unscrew a broken bolt and cut the thread. Welding a nut as a way to unscrew a bolt without edges

  • 27.07.2018

Very often, an old bolt, which has not been unscrewed for a long time, almost "tightly" sticks to the thread. If you apply excessive force when unscrewing such a bolt, then it can simply break. Arises pretty difficult situation, which can confuse even an experienced master. How do you get a broken bolt if there's nothing to grab onto?

The locksmith comes within a short time to fix the problem. It is good to hire an experienced locksmith to perform tasks such as removing a broken key from door lock and other settings. Locksmiths have the following attributes. They are certified to perform any locksmith task.

They take care of home security needs. They are quick to use their services. Install original locks and get replacement parts. When you use an expert locksmith, you save money as they complete the task, such as installations and fixes.

First, it is worth pouring some kind of lubricant on the broken bolt, and also, if necessary, a rust-dissolving agent. After that, the bolt is tapped well several times with a small hammer so that the liquids better penetrate deep into the threaded connection. Such a simple treatment will make removing the bolt much easier.

So, a broken bolt cannot be grasped with any tool if it is broken below or flush with the surface. In such a situation, you can drill a small slot for a screwdriver. To do this, you only need small size drill.

Did the key suddenly break in the doorknob, bolt, or lock? If so, you may find yourself in a panic with no apparent way to open the lock. You're not entirely out of luck, as these five tips will help you open the lock or prevent things from getting worse.

Avoid key insertion

A broken key may feel like you're completely out of luck, but there's still hope. Look at the broken key in the lock and see how much is sticking out. If any part of the key can be grabbed, you still have a chance to remove it with relative ease.

With the help of such a drill, a series of holes is made, and then partitions are broken out between them. The result is a groove where a screwdriver is inserted and the bolt is unscrewed with it. At the same time, they press hard on the screwdriver from above. And to unscrew the bolt was easier, the screwdriver can be clamped with a key.

If this method is not suitable, you can glue with an aggressive adhesive based on strong acids or weld a metal rod, handle or other bolt to a broken bolt. This will allow you to simply unscrew it quite simply, but it is not always possible to glue something to it with sufficient reliability, and welding may not be available, therefore this way not used very often.

Insert pliers or needle tweezers

Do not try to push the broken key further into the lock and turn it. This can make the situation worse, as the key will be much more difficult to remove from the lock when it is deep inside the locking chamber. You may be able to remove the needle nose pliers. Start by rotating the lock so that it returns to its upright position. Clamp as much of the wrench as you can with the tip of the pliers and pull the lever back with a little pressure.

Tweezers can be used if you don't have needle nose pliers. The small edges of the tweezers may make it easier to grab the tiny edges of a broken key. You can actually use super glue to get the broken key out of the lock, but it will require some care so you don't damage the lock in the process. The super glue method requires some kind of key to still be sticking out of the lock, as you want to avoid sticking glue to the locking chamber.

The third way is to first drill a hole in the bolt, then make a thread inside it (reverse orientation), and then screw another bolt inside. The other bolt will be slightly smaller, but that doesn't matter. Most importantly, now you can easily unscrew both bolts.

And the last thing you can do if nothing works is to completely drill out the bolt. To do this, use several drills. Drilling a bolt begins with a fairly thin drill, but gradually moves to an increasingly larger one.

Start by getting something small, as wide as the broken section of the key, like a paper clip. Place some super glue on the end of the paperclip, then carefully place it on the end of the broken key. You will need to hold the paperclip with the key until a connection appears between them. If the connection seems solid, gently pull back on the paperclip and pull out the rest of the key.

The super cell trick can also be used by placing super glue on the edge of a broken key that is outside of the lock, but this is only advised if no parts of the broken key are touching the lock. The cylinder cutting technique can be used on locks that you can turn so that the lock chamber faces the ground. The technique is ideal for locks and cannot be used on door handles unless you can remove the lock handle from the door.

As a result, the walls of the bolt will become thin and they are simply broken. Pieces of a broken bolt are not a problem to remove with tweezers.

This way to cope with the task always works. But there is one subtlety that should always be kept in mind. A broken bolt must be drilled strictly in the center.

If the hole is off-center, then by the time the bolt is almost drilled out, the thread will be damaged on one side, and on the other side there will still be a rather thick wall that is not so easy to break. If you drill the bolt strictly in the center, of course, such a problem will not arise.

Recommended for viewing on how to unscrew a broken bolt using a drill and an "extortor"

All you have to do is press down on the lock with enough pressure so that the broken part of the key falls out due to gravity. You can press the lock onto a hard and flat surface or use a hammer on the back of the lock. This happens all too often and sometimes it happens right in your car's ignition! Luckily, you can usually get broken pieces out without calling a locksmith.

Removing the key with a metal wire. Remove all obstacles in the ignition switch. Remove any debris that might be blocking the key fragment with compressed air. Do not spray cleaners or lubricants into the ignition lock as these chemicals may damage the lock. This is especially true for new vehicles with additional features.

Repairing a car is not the easiest job, a car, regardless of the country of manufacture and the name of the manufacturer, is constantly subjected to stress, so it is not surprising that it is prone to breakdowns. However, it often happens that a particular malfunction is complicated by the appearance of a new one. Such situations include the situation when you, while repairing your car, while unscrewing the bolt, tore off the thread or completely broke it. A lot of questions immediately arise: what to do in such a situation, how to continue the repair, and most importantly - how to remove a broken bolt? You will find the answers to these questions in our today's article. Let's go further...

Place the entire key back into the lock. This will help you get to the broken part of the key. Slide the thin, stiff wire to the sides of the broken key. You can straighten them so that they slide next to the key into the lock. Sometimes it's best to bend the ends slightly to help grip the key fragment.

How to unscrew a broken bolt by welding

Remove the head of the broken key from the ignition switch. Be careful not to pull the wire out with the handle. You want to keep it in place on the broken part of the key still in your ignition. Take the broken part of the key between the wires. This can help wrap the wires around each other to provide a good grip. You can also use them just like chopsticks or tweezers.

Most often, the bolt breaks when you are a "hefty guy", and your bolt, well, the one that you broke, is very stuck or rusty. As you understand, we are not talking about cars that "just" came off the assembly line. Typically, this problem is faced by ancient cars or those whose storage or operation left much to be desired. More specifically, we are talking about threaded connections that often came into contact with moisture. For example, it regularly comes into contact with moisture (, rain,), so it is not surprising that something has rusted somewhere.

You can also bend the ends down so that the wire has more surface area in contact with the key fragment. It might help you understand the snippet and pull it out. While you are pulling out, by shaking up and down slightly, you can reduce the risk of getting a broken part.

Use long, thin needle nose pliers to unroll the key hole. Insert the tip of the pliers into the keyhole and then open them to expose the hole in the keyhole. Opening the keyhole will provide a clear path for the piece to be removed.

What are the "breaks"?

Bolts can break in different ways, the most unpleasant "bolt break" is when it is cut flush, in such a situation it is simply impossible to unscrew it without special tools (drill, welding, etc.). It will be more lucky if the bolt breaks already at the exit of the thread and a little "body" remains on the surface. Firstly, in this case, you have already “torn off” the bolt, which means it will get out, which is important, and secondly, such a torn off bolt can be acted upon, for example, using pliers, a screwdriver, welding, etc.

Take the broken piece of the key with the pliers. After you have opened the keyhole, slide the pliers as far as possible into the lock and try to grab the key fragment with them. If the pliers don't fit far enough into the hole to grab them, then you can try using wire or tweezers.

Pull the broken part of the key out of the hole. Once you are holding the broken piece of key, pull it straight out of the hole. Now you can use the spare or new key. You can look in the phone book or on the Internet to find a castle blacksmith in your area. You can also use websites designed to match you with a locksmith in your area.

Effective ways to unscrew a broken bolt

There are several ways how to remove a broken bolt, however, before starting work, you must perform preparatory work. These works include:

  • Cleaning the place of work from dirt, oil, etc.

Handle threaded connection WD-40 fluid or at least engine oil. Alternatively, you can hit the fragment with a hammer a couple of times or heat the bolt with a soldering iron or lamp, provided that this is possible and others will not suffer from heating important details(, plastic, fabric, etc.).

Locksmiths are often available at any time at no extra charge and will quote you a price over the phone. Calling more than one locksmith can give you best price. Be sure to ask a locksmith if they offer services for cars and some don't.

Take your locksmith of your choice. Once you decide which company you want to use, give them a call and ask them to start servicing your vehicle. No matter what method you used to get the ignition key, it is now broken. You will need to use a spare key or buy a replacement.

How to unscrew a bolt if it broke above the threaded surface

1. If you have already managed to "break" the thread of the bolt at least a little, meaning if it has already begun to get out, you can try to unscrew the broken bolt with pliers or a good adjustable wrench.

2. The second option will require you to have a hacksaw or a grinder (depending on the size of the bolt), a chisel also sometimes helps, the main thing is not to overdo it. The principle is as follows - make a transverse hole for a screwdriver and try to unscrew the bolt with a screwdriver.




The concept of muscle transport started quite simply: the shoe handle is an extra big engine from the main full-size sedan to a much lighter, smaller intermediate one and allowing you to run racing tires. An attempt at convulsions speaks of big block or figure out a way to get him into an even smaller car.

Is the key left inside the lock and is it broken? In many cases, after a series of simple steps, you can remove the key from the lock yourself. If the key has been broken closed door and the key is removed, it is advisable to contact a reliable locksmith in Zaragoza who effectively solves your problem.


3. The third option is welding. As you understand, this method requires a welding machine, everything is done as follows - take a bolt with a hat of about the same diameter, and weld it to the wreckage, then using the key, carefully without applying excessive force, trying to unscrew the broken bolt. Rumor has it that there are so-called "aggressive adhesives" that supposedly can perform the role of welding. However, this method has not been personally tested, so we will not argue about its effectiveness.

This step will be very easy if the bowler is in the normal position as it is in front of the turn of the key. If the door is open, it is enough to insert the key on the opposite side and change the cam. In case the key was broken when the cylinder was turned, extracting it will be a little more difficult. We will have to use a screwdriver or the strength of our hands to help free the bowler hat. If the key is broken in half and we can insert the part of the key that we have the lock with, we can help her turn the bowler.

Retrieving the Broken Key Fragment

Once we've removed the pot from the lock, the next step is to add some lubricating oil inside towards the end where the broken key is, this way it will be easier to remove. Place the bowler in the rest position, if you have another key that can be entered from the opposite side of the bowler, we will use that. If we do not have a key that can be inserted, it will be necessary to make a series of blows on a hard surface and with the help of lubricant, a fragment of a broken key will fall from the bowler.

How to unscrew a broken bolt by welding - video

How to unscrew a broken bolt if it breaks off flush with the surface or below it


  1. In this situation, you will have to act more drastically, you will need a drill with a thin drill and good skills in using this tool. You need to drill 2-3 or more thin holes in the body of the bolt, in order to then combine them into one. It will be necessary to install a screwdriver in this hole and unscrew the fragments of the bolt.
  2. The second way is more complicated. If you cannot unscrew the broken bolt by any of the above methods, you will have to use more drastic measures. You will need a drill, a tap, a lot of skill and patience. Your task is to drill a hole in the center of the bolt, then carefully cut a left-hand thread in it (on your own or ask someone who knows how to handle a tap). When you screw a new bolt with a left-hand thread into a freshly made thread, then having reached the end, that is, having twisted it completely, the old broken bolt should begin to unscrew.
  3. Third way remove the broken bolt that broke flush with the surface - drilling. This method is the most difficult and most dangerous, since when doing this work you risk damaging the thread.

The principle is as follows - you need to drill a hole exactly in the center using a thin drill, after that a thicker drill is installed, and the procedure is repeated. The most important thing is to drill the first hole exactly in the center. When the "body" of the broken bolt is almost gone, and the walls are thin enough to break, try very carefully to break off the remaining threads using fine, sharpened wire or tweezers. If you do it right, you won't have to cut new thread or "drive" the old one. If you have an "extractor" with a left hand thread, you can use it to unscrew the rest of the debris, see the view at the end of the article for more details.

When the fragment that was inside the pot is very small, it will be necessary to use a strip of wire or a very thin tool that is shaped like a hook to push the small fragment out of the pot. The best solution there is always a locksmith specialist in Zaragoza, we will solve your problem and help you repair and install your lock without damage.

If you're here, it's because when you open or close the door, you broke the key inside the lock and now you don't know how to remove it. In this article, we will show you how to remove the broken part of the inside of the lock so that you can continue to use it without problems.


And finally, if after several attempts you notice that something doesn’t work out for you, you don’t need to act in haste, because you will only complicate everything, it is better to entrust this work to someone who has already repeatedly encountered this problem. We wish you good luck in your hard work, we hope the article was useful for you and helped to solve your issue. Until we meet again - Question Auto.

Remove the separation key with the door closed

First of all, we remind you that the older the lock and key, the more likely it is that the key may break. If the problem has already happened to you, read on. You can find out best advice to get the BROKEN KEY. If you're unfortunate enough that the break happened while the lock was closed and you can't open the door, you can try removing the key with one of these two remedies.

If you can see the broken part of the key, it might be a good idea to put some oil in the lock and use tweezers to try and remove it. This task is not easy, and it will be very expensive. If you see that this option does not work, try to find a powerful magnet. With a little luck, the key won't get stuck much, and you'll make the key piece go out. If, as in the previous case, the key does not respond and you cannot get it out, then you will have to ask a professional for help so that you can get it out as soon as possible.

We recommend watching a video on how to unscrew a broken bolt using a drill and an extractor