DIY Monday: Locked out...

I know I'd promised to have my hook fixed by today, but we had a little bit of trouble yesterday with a certain key to a certain front door. We came home from church and running some errands when I pulled out my keys and found my front door key was missing. Somehow I'd caught it on something and the key ring it was on completely fell off the larger ring. No key. Locked door. Sophie dog sitting patiently on the other side.

While "he who shall remain nameless" went out to search the car, I sat in front of my door dumping my purse and my pockets trying to find the key. A neighbor happened to walk by and asked what was going on. I explained the predicament and asked if we could borrow his drill.

I had heard of locksmiths drilling out locks - heck, I'd even seen it done in one of the "Oceans" movies... 11? 12? 13? 148? There was no way I was going to call a locksmith on a Sunday afternoon to make an "emergency" visit to my home when I knew the Internet could fix it. One quick phone call to Mama and so could I. My neighbor was very impressed.

So if you're ever locked out of your house and don't want to call a locksmith, here's what you do: Go to a neighbor and borrow a drill - or, as we will probably do from now on, pull your spare drill out of your trunk. If you or your neighbor have it, use some WD40 to lubricate the lock - spray it directly into the part where you insert your key. I'd use cooking spray in a pinch.

Using a small drill bit (1/2" or so) on a low drilling setting, insert the drill bit into the hole where you put your key (the rounded part). Keep the drill steady and don't push too hard, use a steady, even pressure. You don't want to overheat the bit and break it (the WD40 helps keep that from happening). Pull the bit out and let it cool if you feel like this is starting to happen. Basically, you'll begin to drill through the series of pins that make the lock work. When you feel like you've drilled through all the pins, pull the bit out, insert a small screwdriver and turn to open the door.

Simple, easy and replacing the handle was cheaper than calling a locksmith!

P.S. We found the key in the floorboard of the car several hours AFTER drilling out the lock and replacing it...