Accidentally locked out of your house, bedroom, or bathroom can be frustrating, especially when you're in a hurry. Fortunately, ordinary household locks and padlocks can be easily pryed out with two bobby pins and a little practice.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Preparing the Equipment
Step 1. Straighten the first bobby pin so that it becomes a long, even wire
Open the crook of the bobby pin so you get a long straight iron wire. This will be your prying tool, which is inserted into the keyhole and used to move the pin out.
Peel off the rubber or plastic guard on the ends of the bobby pins, as that will hinder the process. You can do this with your teeth, or with a pair of wire scissors if you have one
Step 2. Use a wrench to bend the end of your wire into a hook
Insert the wire into your keyhole about one cm. The flat part should be facing up. Push the wire to the left, and bend the ends slightly. You only need a few millimeters of clearance when pushing up.
You will be pushing the wire about 5-7 cm to the left to make the right turn
Step 3. Bend one end of the wire hook to form the handle
Take one end of your wire hook and bend it in half so that it twists and loops. This handle is made to make the wire easy to hold and push.
Step 4. Make the lever yourself by bending the bobby pin at the right angle
It's easier to bend it with a pair of pliers, but if you're persistent, it can be done with just your fingers. The lever acts like a lock, turning the inside of the key's actual "house" by moving each pin (the bumps that keep the door locked) out using your wire. You only need to bend half the length of the wire away from the rubber-shielded end, so that it is at right angles to the bottom of the pin.
Step 5. Visualize the inside of the key's “house” to understand how to pry it out
A commonly used wrench consists of two parts: the barrel and the pin. The barrel is where you put the key in, while the pins are small metal cylindrical protrusions that sit inside the barrel, which stay in position until a key (or your prying tool) pushes it up and creates a gap in the barrel. The pin is cut in half, and when the other half marks snap tightly into the barrel, you will be able to turn the key. Your job as a scribe is to manually push each of those pins into the correct position, slowly turning the barrel so that it doesn't return to its starting position. Once you can remove all the pins, the barrel will rotate freely and the door will open.
A key is basically a complicated prying device. All the textures are made so that, when inserted, all the pins line up perfectly and you can turn the doorknob
Method 2 of 2: Prying the Lock Open
Step 1. Insert your lever half its length into the bottom of the lock
Insert the bent end into the bottom of the keyhole, holding it as low as possible while still inserting the lever as deep into the barrel as possible.
Step 2. Turn the key slowly in the direction you normally open the door
Use your lever as if it were the key, turning this “fake lock” as if you wanted to open the door. The "false key" won't go very far, but the pressure is important. You need to hold the “false lock” position during the process. However, it should not be done with strong pressure. You only have to move it a little, but you shouldn't press the key at all. Remember, you'll still need the pins on the barrel to be loose enough to allow them to move up and down.
If you can't determine the correct direction to turn the key, try both directions. The wrong direction will make a “click” sound, and you will feel a slight friction
Step 3. Insert your pry tool, bend it up, and feel the pin
Feel the pins by moving them up and down with your pry tool. All pins will be at the top half in the keyhole. Push the pins, feel each one move and repeat with all the remaining pins. You'll have to move your prying tool up and down to reach all the pins, and some of them may not be movable yet, but that's okay. For now, try to observe all the pins and note which pins are moving freely and which are still stuck.
- The bent end of the prying tool should be facing up. You will be pushing the entire pin up with the tip.
- If the pins don't move at all, you may be pushing your pry too hard. Release the pressure and try again.
Step 4. Find the first pin that is “trapped” or difficult to move, then pierce it and push it up until it “clicks”
As you try to move each of the pins, find the pins that don't move yet. Continue to apply pressure to the prying tool, and gently push the pin up until it makes an audible “click” sound. This means that you have successfully placed the prying tool in the correct position in the pin gap with the barrel, and the pin will now be out of the lock position.
You may notice that the prying tool now rotates a little further as you move the pins successfully. This happened because there was one more needle that had been knocked out
Step 5. Find and repeat this motion on all the pins that are still stuck
After having one pin removed, previously free pins may be snagged again. This is actually a good thing, because you now know which pins to get rid of next. Repeat this process until the prying tool is fully rotated and the door opens:
- Find stuck pins, i.e. ones you can't move around much.
- Keep pushing on the prying tool, turning it in the keyhole as if you wanted to open a door.
- Gently, press until the key clicks.
- Continue with the next pin.
Step 6. Adjust the pressure on the prying tool if you have difficulty
This is a common problem with novice locksmiths, because it's a matter of "feel", not just skill. If you push the prying tool too hard on the keyhole, the entire pin will get stuck even more and you won't be able to get rid of it. Insufficient pressure, or accidentally decreasing it in the middle of your working process, will cause all the pins to return to their original position and you'll have to start the process over again. The best tip is to start with a slightly stronger pressure, then loosen the pressure slowly as you work to move and remove the pin. This will keep you out of trouble with the pin coming off and help you gradually find the right pressure.
Tips
- Remove the black rubber or plastic guard at the end of your bobby pin, as it can get caught in the keyhole.
- Hair clips are best when used on regular/common locks and house keys.
- Don't rush when you're trying. Do it slowly and calmly, as this is the best way to avoid mistakes that could result in you having to start over from scratch.
Warning
- Never pry a key that does not belong to you or without the permission of the owner. This article is for those who have been locked out or have lost their keys. However, you can do it if this is the only way for you to survive in the matter of life and death.
- Don't play around and try this method just for fun, because the risk is that you could damage the entire lock system and have to replace it.
