Playing MacGyver

A few days ago, I had the chance to play MacGyver - you know, that special agent played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 80s who always managed to escape by creating gadgets out of everyday items. Macgyver could create an explosive out of a Post-it note, a rubber band, and paper clip. Well, my MacGyver experience did not include any explosives, but I did manage to pull off a trick that even surprised me.

The Task: Remove a broken key from a lock
Time: 5 mintues
Tools used: 1/2 a paperclip

Now before you say I could have just pulled the key out with a pair of needlenose pliers, the key was broken off too deep into the lock to grasp it with anything. I will say that if I had had to complete this task against a clock, I probably would have failed. It took me about 5 mintues once I decided to use the paper clip.

I broke the paperclip in half and managed to wedge it into the lock alongside the key with the rounded end of the paperclip coming out of the lock. This was possible because the grooves on the side of the key allowed just enough play in the lock to get the paperclip wedged in. Once the paperclip was in as far as it would go, I squeezed the paperclip like a pair of tweezers and slowly pulled it back out. It took a couple of passes trying this, but I managed to get the key out. I don't know if I was successful because the paperclip caused friction against the side of the key or if I actually got the paperclip to clamp down on the key around the grooves, but I was pretty pleased (and surprised) with my success. It brought back memories of working with the office furniture everyday. We always had tricks up our sleeves with stuff like that.