How to Remove a Broken Padlock

A padlock is a portable locking mechanism with a “U” shaped loop of metal called the shackle. This lock has been used throughout the years to secure and protect our places and belongings. Whether it’s your home, business, shed, bike, gate or any other property, if it is safely secured by a padlock, you can rest assured that nobody else can access your valuables without a key.
Although there have been security advancements as the years go by thanks to the evolution of technology, padlocks still remain as one of the more iconic and easily accessible security locks for everyday consumers.

Despite the fact that there may be newer, more robust padlocks out there with special alloys and sturdy shackles to make the lock less breakable, it is still worth noting that most individuals with padlocks usually have the less sturdy types.

The padlock’s accessibility and easy internal locking mechanism makes it not suitable for high-security applications. In short, it is best to safeguard your most valuable properties with more than just your standard padlock. This is because not only is it really easy to simply cut the shackle with bolt cutters or a hacksaw, but padlocks, along with some metals in general, tend to rust and malfunction overtime.

If a padlock’s locking mechanism seems to fail or it has simply rusted all over, then what good is it if it can’t even open for the person with the key. Sure, it does its job of keeping people out, but when you want to access your own property, this kind of situation is definitely a bother to most people.

This article will show you the various methods that you can use in order to find solutions to your broken, jammed or malfunctioning padlocks.

Lubricating the Padlock

Through the wear and tear due to the years of being left idle, your padlock may have collected some amounts of rust or dirt within the keyhole or locking mechanism. To simply solve this, try getting any lubricant and spraying the substance inside the lock and along the shackle as well, in order to help the key slide in and hopefully unlock the padlock. The gathering of dust and debris is normal in most cases and it cannot be avoided especially if the lock is situated in a place where it doesn’t see a lot of movement or if it is not used every day.

Wedging a Shim inside the Padlock

This solution can only be applicable to padlocks with locking pawls, and not those with ball bearings. This is because of the fact that locking pawls have square or hooked shaped cuts, while ball bearing padlocks have circular crescent shaped slits. In order to open the padlock, you can buy a shim, which is basically a thin piece of metal, or if you’re feeling pretty crafty, make one yourself by cutting one up from a soda can into the right shape. Place the shim on the crevice where the shackle and lock meet and try to wedge it inside the body of the lock, this will in turn, hopefully move the hooked shaped cuts and open the locking mechanism. Although this solution sounds pretty simple and easy to do, it still takes some patience and a little bit of skill.

Cutting the Padlock

As mentioned earlier, most padlocks that people have aren’t robust enough to withstand being cut by the right tools. If you choose to use this method, you’re obviously acknowledging the fact that you cannot and will not use the padlock again, as cutting the shackle will deem the lock unusable. This is usually done as a last ditch effort when the aforementioned tips do not work. Simply buy, or if you have a friend or neighbor who has one and is willing to share, lend you a pair of bolt cutters, hacksaw or angle grinders. Most of the time, the best way to approach a padlock with the intention of cutting it is to cut the shackle, since it is usually the thinnest and weakest point of a padlock. However, there are some padlocks out there that are shrouded or have the shackle covered/hidden. To remedy this, simply cut through the shackle on both sides to free the lock.

Drilling the Padlock

This method will also cause your padlock to be unusable, if an untrained amateur attempts to drill out the core of the lock. Doing this will more often than not ruin the locking mechanism and essentially break the padlock. If you want to keep your padlock, it would be best to call a professional locksmith to do the job. An expert can drill the padlock in a special way that still enables the padlock to work after the drilling is done. To do this, you need to drill out the shear line of the lock, which is basically where the outer cylinder of the lock begins and where the inner cylinder ends. There are some cases, however, where you need to remove the entire internal locking mechanism of the padlock, which allows you to remove the core of the lock itself.

Contacting Cobra Locksmith NYC to handle your Padlock

One of, if not the absolute best, fastest and easiest solution for this problem would be to call a professional licensed locksmith service provider such as the people from Cobra Locksmiths NYC. We have all the necessary tools, knowledge, expertise, equipment and professional methods to safely and securely open your padlock, or any lock. The best part is that we can do it in a way that will not severely harm or damage your padlock, thus making it still usable, saving you money from buying a new lock.

Not only do we offer services to open up a simple padlock, we also offer locksmith services for all your commercial, residential and automotive needs. We here at Cobra Locksmiths have provided nothing but the absolute best emergency locksmith services and advanced security solutions for all types of locks and locking systems across all platforms.
So if ever you need help with any type of lock, just give us a call and we’ll come to your aid in no time.