Older desks, bureaus, and chests, in particular, often still have their original locks. Most of the time, a skeleton key makes it easy to get to these earlier parts, but sometimes those keys get lost and are out of reach. Most pieces written in Western Europe and the United States between the 18th and early 20th centuries are easy to understand. In reality, many locks from the past were made only for looks and are easy to get around even without a skeleton key. You might even be able to get in quickly by using things you already have at home.
You were lucky to have bump keys on hand. A bump key can be used to open a locked file cabinet if you don’t have the key. It’s often easier than drilling the lock or trying to open it with a paperclip. You can find bump keys in most hardware stores. For a small fee, they can save you a lot of time and trouble.
Once the paperclip is in position, slide it slowly from left to right until you find out how to press the pins down to spring the lock. When the lock moves to the side, you can now open the filing cabinet. Carefully take the paperclip off when you’re done.
Life is hard and full of surprises. Many of us have lost our filing cabinet key or never got it. Because of this, there will be times when you can’t open the file cabinet lock, no matter what is going on.
If you can’t find the key, you can either take the hinges off or pick the lock to open the cabinet. On many cabinets, the hinges that can be seen are no longer there, so it is not possible to open them. You could also open a nearby drawer or cabinet and use what’s on the inside to change the lock. This is a hard task that needs some creative bending to get done. The best thing to do is carefully pick the lock, which will take time.
If you wake up one morning and need to find a very important paper, you might want to look through your old filing cabinet. You can’t open it because it’s locked, and you can’t find the key. Time is running out for a very important meeting, and you put a lot of value on that file.
If the broken lock on the file cabinet can’t be opened again, it will have to be drilled open. Drilling can be used to open locks without keys or to open locks that are broken. If you want to drill the lock by hand, be careful not to hurt yourself or the filing cabinet. The best person to drill a lock is a trained locksmith, but anyone who knows how to use power tools can do it.
How do you use a knife to unlock a locked cabinet?
Begin by inserting your knife as far as you can into the lock until you feel the tip of the knife strike the back of the lock. Then, turn the knife very lightly, like you would turn a key.
How can you unlock a door with a screwdriver?
To open a privacy lock, you need a flathead screwdriver that fits into the hole on the doorknob. Once you’ve put the screwdriver in the hole, push forward. With a push-button privacy lock on your doorknob, the door should open with a loud click.
How can a paperclip be used to open a door without a key?
Most internal locksets have an emergency hole for a pin on the outside knob. A straightened paper clip can be used instead of the pinhole door knob key to open one of these locks. After you put the paper clip in the pinhole, you can push on it to open the door.
How can a penny open a door that is locked?
If a Lock Doesn’t Have a Key Step 1 Put it in through the door’s top. Put a few pennies in the space between the door and the jamb molding 18″ above the handle. The same thing is done again under the handle. Pennies should be spread out evenly between the top and bottom until there is no more room for one.
What do you need to get into a lock?
Simple tools to pick locks You need a torque wrench and a lock pick. Press the pins to the shear line with the lock pick. There are, of course, many different styles to choose from, each with its own look.
What is a tool for picking locks?
Most of the time, all you need to pick a lock is a tension wrench and some picks, which are long, thin metal bits with bent ends. Different types of picks are made for different types of locks. In a pinch, paperclips can be used as picks, and a flathead screwdriver or any other tool that can make tension can be used to make a tension wrench.