[Zeke]

You don't want to take a lock apart w/o the key in it. I know, I do locks. However, you can make a raking tool in 2 minutes with a file, angle grinder, or bench grinder. Tons of YT's ion the subject.

One guy suggests looking to see if the key is seating all the way. If not, he taps it in with a mallet while moving it around. That should dislodge anything that has gotten out of place.

While we're on the subject of lock picking, a YT'r named the "Lock Picking Lawyer" is really damn good. Watch him for awhile and you'll be buying much, much better locks.