Make sure you’ve eliminated all excess slack from the shackle. If you don’t, you won’t be able to knock the lock loose, no matter how many times you hit it. Don’t try to grip the body of the lock itself—that’s where you’ll be aiming your hammer.
You can also use the handle of a screwdriver or another hard, blunt item if you don’t happen to have a hammer handy. [3] X Research source
This method can be useful if you need to remove your padlock without the keys but don’t want to destroy it in the process.
It’s important that both wrenches be close to the same size in order to ensure that the force is evenly distributed to both sides of the shackle, or the U-shaped metal clasp that fastens the lock. [5] X Research source
Try to position the wrenches right in the middle of the vertical shafts of the shackle. If they’re too high or too low, they may slip off once you start applying pressure. [7] X Research source Before you actually attempt to break the lock, give the handles of the wrenches a quick squeeze to make sure that they won’t slide, shift, or lose their grip on one another.
It may help to choke up your grip on the handles so that you’re pushing with the flat part of your palms rather than the edges of your fingers.
If the lock you’re breaking has a plastic body, you may be able to tear the shackle free in one piece. If you’ve squeezed and squeezed with all your might and still can’t get the shackle to budge, save your energy and try out another method, such as a few well-placed whacks with a hammer.
If possible, purchase an identical lock and compare it to your screwdriver to confirm that you’ve got a match. A bobby pin or unraveled paperclip may also suffice in a pinch, but no guarantees.
In a standard pin tumbler lock, the locking pins move up and down freely inside the body of the lock. Using a key to align the pins with the lock plug causes the lock to open. [11] X Research source
Avoid letting the screwdriver slip too far out of the lock. Doing so could cause you to start missing pins, effectively undoing the progress you’ve made.
Be careful about performing this trick in public places. If someone sees you, they might think you’re breaking into something that’s not yours. If you’re not getting anywhere with your screwdriver, come back with a hammer or pair of wrenches and see if you have better luck.
The secret to breaking a lock with compressed air is that compressed air isn’t actually “air” at all—it’s a cooling gas known as difluoroethane, which freezes the lock and makes it brittle enough to break manually. [14] X Research source
Difluoroethane is cold enough to cause frostbite on exposed skin. Always wear gloves to protect your hands anytime you’re working with compressed air. You need to use enough compressed air to cool the lock to a temperature of −13 °F (−25 °C) in order to weaken it enough to become breakable. [16] X Research source
Keep in mind that your lock will no longer be functional once you break it. In most cases, the metal will actually shatter into pieces. This method also works on chain and cable locks, so you should be able to retrieve your bike no matter how you’ve secured it. [18] X Research source
