Keys lost to filing cabinet, ideas?

[The Captain]

So we recently moved and the keys to an Ikea roll front filing cabinet have gone missing.  It's at least 15 - 18 years old and Ikea switched over to combination locks several years ago.

I've been to my local Ikea store (and hour+ of my life that I will never get back) and they don't have any keys.  Was on hold with Ikea customer service (HA!) for about 40 minutes when my connection got dropped .

I've e-mailed customer service but am not holding my breath.  Online searches are coming up empty (it's lockset number 005).

Short of drilling the lock or calling a locksmith any ideas?

[NancysSummerSip]

Dynamite?

Claw hammer?

Screw driver?

Elementary-school kid with an iPhone (hey, kids that age can figure out anything online)

[lexxy703]

I was going to say call a locksmith.  They can probably replace the lock for you.

[jeep108]

If you have a drill you could probably just drill the lock out.

[ArchietheDragon]

sawzall

[The Captain]

Aug 25, 2014 13:19:53 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Dynamite?
Too destructive

Claw hammer?
Possibility, but I'm trying to not damage the cabinet

Screw driver?
Already tried this, but don't want to use excessive force

Elementary-school kid with an iPhone (hey, kids that age can figure out anything online)
I offered DD (age almost 12) 10 bucks if she could get it open.  No dice.

I may have to just cave and call a locksmith.  Meh.  We need to get the house re-keyed anyway.

Comon guys!!! I was hoping for some brilliant ideas!!!

[Opti]

I think besides the options you listed, you are going to need luck.

You can post on Craigslist and Freecycle, but odds are low anyone

has a key and will let you copy it.

Your best bet might be seeing if someone has a similar model

for sale on Ebay and seeing if they will sell you a copy of a key.

[Malarky]

Try every key you have in the house in the lock. Maybe you'll get lucky and it with open.  
I could open my locking screen door with my mailbox key.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Try using the end of a paper clip - or a hairpin to pick the lock. Just wriggle it around a bit in the key slot - not always successful, but sometimes that does work magic.

Have you called a locksmith? Sometimes they have master keys for things like file cabinets, etc - not sure if they'd have one for an Ikea cabinet, but you never know til you ask.

[NoNamePerson]

Totally unfamiliar with Ikea products but is it a solid metal file cabinet? I know this is out of left field but I had a cabinet once that locked and I was able to take the back off and go at the lock from there. But this was a really cheap POS about 30 yrs ago. I was able to "punch" the lock out from the inside - Yep, I was mad and gave it a punch with the end of a bat. 

Nah, don't try that, my lock wasn't any good after that but I didn't care I just wanted my stuff.     

[Deleted]

Call a locksmith.  It's not worth the stress or possibly damaging the cabinet.

[Deleted]

Do you have a metal nail file? We used to use one to pick locks on everything. Mailbox, file cabinets, lockbox... quite handy to have around. I mean the ones in the Revlon nail kits, not the tool shop kind.

[toomuchreality]

I bought an old storage locker a few years ago. When I got it, it was locked, with no keys. My brother had given me a set of lock picking tools before he died, so I bought the trunk any way. That evening, I got in touch with a neighbor who enjoyed certain challenges, this was one of them. After trying for a long time, I looked at the lock on the front and wrote down what it said. Then I did a Google search for that info. I found a picture of what the key looked like. It turned out, my neighbor had an extra key that was very similar. Using his dremmel (rotary tool), he modified the extra key and it worked like a charm! I bought the one I found on ebay too, just in case -plus I felt a little guilty for using their picture. tee-hee...

When I got my desk, it didn't come with a key to the drawer. Every time I found/got a new key, I tried it in the lock. It took several years, but eventually I did find one that fit!   Woo-Hoo!


If you are willing to pay a little, you may find someone on ebay (or some other site) selling a similar cabinet. Send them a message, explaining your situation briefly, and ask if they would be willing to get a copy made and sell it to you for $5 (or whatever the amount you are willing to pay) I have had good luck doing this with software.

Check youtube for videos on opening ikea filing cabinet locks.

Good  luck! 



HAVE YOU GOT IT OPEN YET? 

[The Captain]

Aug 27, 2014 4:05:20 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Check youtube for videos on opening ikea filing cabinet locks.

Good  luck! 



HAVE YOU GOT IT OPEN YET? 

Nope.  Your and Opti ideas were excellent but I've been checking craigslist and ebay for a few days now, no dice.


I'm calling a locksmith today to see if they can come out tomorrow.  DH will be home.  I need to get the silly cabinet open so I can finish unpacking!!!

Thanks for the ideas!