How To Pick A Mailbox Lock Without A Key!

Despite Emails mostly taking up the place of mails nowadays, there are still quite a few things that come by mail. So, you must keep your mailbox in perfect condition by a lock. One of the ways to keep the mailbox ready is to keep it accessible at all times. But losing the key to the mailbox is a big obstacle to that.

Fortunately, if you know how to pick a mailbox lock, things will get much easier for you. The most assuring thing is you can use simple things such as hairpins and paper clips to make a makeshift lock pick. 

Since you are reading this article, there is a high chance that you have already lost the key to your mailbox. So, let’s not keep you waiting, and let me show you how you can pick the lock of your mailbox.

How To Open A Mailbox Lock Without A Key

There are two main steps of opening a mailbox lock if you don’t have a key. First, you have to prepare a lock pick if you don’t have any. Next, you have to open the lock using that lock pick. I’ll explain in detail below. 

But before I jump right down, I need to tell you there’s a third option- getting a replacement key. You can easily solve your problem through lalalocksmiths.com, as they provide speedy service for broken/lost keys for your residential/commercial locks.

A. Preparing A Lock Pick

The very first thing you need while picking a mailbox lock is a lock picking device. If you have a professional lock picking tool, that will be very good. But in the absence of professional ones, you can easily make makeshift lock picks using hairpins and paper clips as well. You can easily find professional lock-picking devices in nearby hardware stores. If you can’t, then make lock picks by following the steps below :

Making Lock Picks Using Hairpins

You will need a couple of hairpins to create a lock pick. First, take one hairpin and bend it in such a way that its ends make a 90° angle. Then take the rubber caps off from it and bend one end upwards to make sure that particular end isn’t straight any longer.

Now it’s time to make a lever. To do so, you will need to bend the second hairpin in such a way that the bend is half an inch away from the curved part. Keep bending it until you’ve made a right angle. 

Making Lock Picks Using Paper Clips

Another easy way to make lock picks is to use a couple of hairpins. To do so, make one of the ends of the hairpin straight and leave the other end untouched. Then take the half you have just straightened and slightly bend it upwards. When making the lever, take the other paper clip and make almost the whole of it straight. Leave only one bent curve as it is and bend it in such a way that it makes a right angle with the rest of the clip. 

B. Picking The Mailbox Lock

Now that you have prepared the lock pick, it is time to pick the lock. Follow the steps below and you will gain access to your mailbox in no time:

Inserting The Lever

Insert the short end of the level into the keyhole of the lock holding the longer end with your fingers. After ensuring the lever is properly inside the keyhole, press and turn the lever in the same way you would turn your key while unlocking the mailbox. Applying pressure is important while picking a lock as the lock can’t be picked without doing so.

Inserting The Lock Pick 

Now take the lock pick set and insert its bent end into the lock. There are 5 pins inside the lock which require it to be raised to the same height for the lock’s barrel to turn, unlocking the lock. The bent end of the lock pick does exactly this job. When inserting the lock pick, ensure that you are keeping it close to the lock’s opening as it is where the first pin is situated.

Checking If The Pin Is Seized

Pins are usually seized to prevent the lock’s barrel from rotating and as a result, unlocking the lock. So, push with your lock pick to check if the first pin is seized or not. If the pin doesn’t go up easily, it’s seized. So you will need to push the lock pick up and down until it gives way. If it goes up easily, that means the pin isn’t seized and you can then go to the second one. When you hear a clicking sound, that’s when a pin is moved up.

Lifting All The 5 Pins

Now repeat the same process and continue to lift all the pins using the lock pick. After lifting every pin, push the lock pick a bit further so that you can find the pin next to it. For raising a seized pin, use the aforementioned wiggling method and wait for the clicking sound.

Using The Lever To Unlock The Lock

Now use the lever that you have been holding with your other hand and keep rotating the barrel. If you successfully raise all 5 pins, the pressure applied by the lever will result in the barrel rotating automatically. The barrel needs to be rotated for the lock to be unlocked. After you are done unlocking the mailbox, remove the lockpick and the level from the keyhole.

Final Words

You don’t want to be late on your bills just because you couldn’t gain access to your mailbox. So, you must know how to pick a mailbox lock when the need arrives. Even if you don’t face this problem yourself, someone close to you might and then you can help them out.

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