SpudFiles

My dear old mother has managed to lock a door with the key in the inside. Using a spare key from the outside isn't working, nor is trying to knock the key out with a piece of piano wire. Will a blast of compressed air work d'ya reckon?

It might. If the door is not deadbolted, you can use a credit card to shim it open (if it opens inward, doing this from the outside is easiest). You can then take apart the lock.

Alternatively, turning the key around and around swill usually resolve it (don't break off the key).

If you can't get the door open to access the lock, you might be able to remove the hinge pins to open it.

What type of lock is it? Cylinder, warded? How old is it, approx???

The keyway on any modern lock is not open on the far side. Air will not blow a broken key out.

It might have worked on an old inside door skeleton keyhole, but not on any you can't see into the room beyond by looking through the keyhole.

Only way a pneumatic cannon is going to unlock a door is if you load it with a beanbag and blow the lock off.

Hotwired wrote:Only way a pneumatic cannon is going to unlock a door is if you load it with a beanbag and blow the lock off.

The idea is not to open it but to knock out the key that is in the keyhole from the inside, so it can be opened from the outside with a spare key.

Thanks for the replies guys, it's a fairly modern and complex "burglar proof" front door lock so it seems air is not going to cut it, professional locksmith it will have to be.

Bought one of these years ago.
Never failed me yet
http://www.gadgetsdirect.com.au/index.p ... d0cec8dc64

Sadily it's not going to help me with the other key inserted in the opposite keyhole :-/

you could try a disploible wax sabot with a pin in it and fire that pin into the lock to knock it out a bicivle spoke like object may work

Not going to work.
Too much blowby and too much grip on the key.
Plus the bridge and shifter in the middle are in the way.

I do this for a living..

Send me a picture of the lock or one like it.
I'll get you in, but you will need to replace the cilinder afterwards.

They're usually around 40 euro.
You'll at least take out the middleman...who will most likely charge way more for work alone.

Thanks for the offer brian but we managed to sort it, a couple of sharp blows to the lock shifted the offending key enough for the spare to work who said violence doesn't solve anything

12 gauge shotgun works pretty well might have to replace the hole door even the whole wall but you will be sure to gain entrance!

If it's on a building, just break a small window. It'll be WAY cheaper and easier to replace a pane of glass than it will be to fix door, lock, and key if you mess up the lock.

If you can't break a window, or if the window is too big to replace cheaply, I'd call a locksmith. He can probably open the lock without charging you too much.

Luck with that.

Dropping down onto the balcony from the roof and breaking/removing a window was plan B but thankfully it's sorted now.

Thats always a good thing. How'd you manage it?
I admit, blowing the lock off with a spudgun DID sound like fun