The first thing you can try for opening a jammed latch is to slide a plastic card e g.
Jammed mortice lock back door.
Wiggling the door when turning the key did not work.
This will hopefully force back the latch and the door will open.
Check the alignment of the deadbolt against the strike on the jamb if the lock is difficult to turn when the door is closed or the door doesn t lock at all.
When you are trying to figure out how to fix a door lock that is jammed it is necessary to stay patient to avoid causing further damage.
If you do not have a proper broken key extractor you can use a jigsaw blade or a pair of tweezers.
With the jammed one there is no or very slight resistance for a quarter turn then a complete block.
Remove the cover or faceplate of your mortise lock or surface mounted rim lock to repair it.
Consider covering the area of your door around the lock to guard it from stray graphite particles 4 inject some powdered graphite into the lock.
With another mortice lock i have chubb again i believe when unlocking there is steady pressure when the key engages for half a turn then it unlocks.
This illustrates why you shouldn t leave the key in a mortice lock.
The fix in instances with a door latch stuck because it is jammed by rust and other materials it is always best to disassemble the lock and do a bit of cleaning.
Soak your door lock in kerosene for 24 hours if it isn t attached to a door and has been rusted shut.
Squeeze the bottle gently to release a few puffs of powdered graphite into the lock.
A broken key extractor is one of the easiest ways how to fix a door lock that is jammed in this way to open.
Use a file to widen the hole on the strike or remove the strike with a screwdriver and reposition it on the jamb.
A credit card between the door and the frame where the latch is located.