This is emergency work. Call (202) 900-5625. It is outside the grand opening discount.
A snapped key out of the plug before anyone reaches for a drill
Extraction starts by stabilizing the broken tip so it is not pushed into the cylinder. A spiral extractor is the usual first tool. The plug follower comes out only if the plug has to be pulled. Drilling is not the opening move. Once the tip is out, the wafer or pin stack is tested. A replacement key is cut if you still have a pattern or a code we are allowed to use. Lubricant is applied when the cylinder is dry, not as a substitute for removing the metal.
Call when a key has snapped in a house, office, or vehicle cylinder and the stub is stuck. If you already have a working key and the lock is fine, you need a duplicate, not an extraction. Tell us if someone already poked the tip with a screwdriver.
Blanks, lubrication, and the tip that got pushed deeper
Included is a non-destructive attempt, a test of the cylinder, and a new key when a pattern exists. Not included is a promise that a destroyed plug can be saved. A pushed-in tip, a scratched plug, the wrong blank, and a dry cylinder are the conditions that change the outcome. Authorization to work on that lock is required. The drill is a later conversation if the tip will not move.
Night calls in DC are often a tenant who broke a copy in a worn Kwikset. The blank aisle and the original keyway are not always the same. We confirm the keyway before a new key is cut. A Maryland or Virginia office cylinder that was already scratched by pliers may need a new plug even after the tip comes out.
Frequent questions
Should I try needle-nose pliers before you arrive?
If a short stub is proud of the plug and pulls straight out, yes. If it is flush or broken inside, pliers usually push it deeper. Stop there and leave the cylinder dry.
When does extraction turn into a cylinder replacement?
When the tip is jammed behind the pins or the plug face is already torn up. A new key in a ruined plug will stick again. We say that before we drill, and we only drill with your go-ahead.
Can you cut the replacement from the broken pieces?
Sometimes, if both pieces show the full cut and the keyway is a normal one. A restricted keyway still needs authorization. A bent fragment that hides a depth is not a pattern.
Why lubricate only after the tip is out?
Oil on a stuck fragment makes the extractor slip. Dry metal grips. Lubricant is for a cylinder that turns again, not for a key that is still in pieces inside it.