How to Open an Old Vintage Antique Trunk or Chest Lock

How to open an old trunk or chest for which you do not have the key. I looked all over the web and YouTube but could not find the answer. Hope this helps. These main latches were never meant to secure these storage trunks.

[kgrasham]

Fun story....I locked my younger brother in this trunk when I was 6 (pre-internet!!)and couldn't get it open and then my parents couldn't get it open either.. there was lots of screaming and crying. I don't recall how my parents eventually opened it, but we are all scarred for life after that. My parents kept the trunk. 30 years later, my mom gives this SAME trunk to me when she moves for sentimental reasons (LOL). I actually used it for storage and put all my most prized possessions in it for safe keeping. Last month, I go to open it and then the key fails...over and over again. I spent days trying to unlock it unsuccessfully. I finally searched YouTube and found this stupid easy tutorial - worked like a charm. Now I am scarred for life twice, but have the knowledge to prevent a third PTSD event! (Maybe I should just burn the trunk!)

[Dudyomajik]

Thanks man! You saved my kids birthday. The gifts were hidden and locked in a chest like that.

[dougkoempel]

I was skeptical, but your method worked for an old brass steamer trunk of my late mother's. Thanks!

[michaelsanders]

I was beyond frustrated trying to open an old family trunk . . I followed your instructions exactly, and presto! Thank you!!

[mikei.]

Thanks so much!!! Your clear video let me open an old trunk in 10 seconds. I was about to take the trunk to a locksmith. You saved me much time and money! Thank you again.

[bettyjackson]

I had a screwdriver that was too large, but found that the more pointed side of scissors also works quite well well if used at the appropriate angle.
Thank you so very much!!

[mdwsb]

Thank you. While moving four of these out of my mother-in-law's attic, the latch caught on the door jam and locked the ONLY trunk for which we didn't have a key.

[willowallen]

You just helped my family reunite with old family relics. Thank you

[cmrine]

Long story short ... THIS WORKED ... !!!

My deceased folks had a trunk that has been with them since (letters show) 1953. I called several military surplus companies with no success in opening (saw, pry bar, 44 magnum). Sent pix to locksmiths and it was $75 for a service call or $50 to bring it in. Okay, I get it. It's a business.

Your video was the first that came up in my search. The hardest part for me was finding a jewelers screwdriver. I put another screwdriver under the hasp (I'd already tried to pry it open) and this kept the pressure on it. At 90 degrees it didn't open but at 180 degrees, pop!


Thanks again! Found a lot of great memories ...

[lillybrooks]

You are an angel, and a genius, and I was on the verge of paying almost $100 to have a locksmith come and open my trunks for me, because they have to get gone through before I move out of the country, and I just didn’t wanna use a pry bar to rip them open!!!! BLESS 🙏🏻🎉🥳🎉🙏🏻

[jackjones]

Am amazed how easy that was. Have two locked trunks needing this technique. Thank you.

[kathrynparsons]

I tried several times clockwise, even bought a set of T46k keys, they just bent. Just tried it again counter clockwise this time and with second screwdriver prying up on the lock & it worked! Awesome! Thank you so much!

[carolscotti]

Awesome! I had not one but TWO trunks to open. At first I wasn't successful but decided to give it another try with a smaller flathead screwdriver based on the comments others had left. That did the trick! Thank you so much for posting!!

[deadworm]

Thank you so much!! We are moving out of my old house and we found stuff that we were looking for for years!!

[giselesmith]

OMG, it worked!! Locked my husband's old childhood trunk about 20 years ago and could never find the key. There was nothing in it, so not a big deal, but I still wanted to be able to open it without breaking the lock. Jumped for joy when it worked! Turns out there WAS something in it after all... the key! hahaha.😂😂😂

[soeasytobefake]

Spent the last day looking for a key to open this exact lock. 30s of skimming this video and 10s of lock picking, and the chest was open. Problem solved. Thank you, faceless hero.

[tooldiva]

Thank you so much for posting this! I was able to open a similar lock on a trunk full of childhood memorabilia my mom put together over 20 years ago. It didn't open exactly like yours, but I noticed that one side seemed to be open so I kept it popped out while repeating the process until I got the other cylinder to line up. I really appreciate your saving me the time and money of hiring a locksmith to do this simple task.

[AnotherWS]

Wow! Effin A right buddy! Cant believe how easy that was. I have the exact same lock on an old trunk filled with important papers. Someone must have closed it - I never have - when I moved. Mesed with it a bunch of times, was about to get heavy duty with it and just pry it open with a bar.


Then watched 20 seconds of this video and BING! Opened right up. Thanks so much!

[debbiechilds]

You are awesome !!!! Thank you so much !!!! I got into my antique chest in 30 seconds!

[ddot]

Yo, it's crazy how I just did a YouTube search for how unlock a chest from 1960 and you happen to have the exact same one as my aunt did!!! I mean what are the odds!!! It took me quite a few trys to open but your how to worked for me. Thanks!!