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Someone somehow got one of my window grill exits stuck behind a metal railing on the fire escape.

Picture of said grill

I can't close the window grill because the area circled in yellow is stuck behind the railing. This is a bit of a security concern since someone could climb up the fire escape and get into the house through that unprotected window.

Any ideas on how I can free the grill?

fussballbot3000
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  • You don't show us the rest of the grill, but I'm willing to bet that something, somewhere has some wiggle room and that's how the grill got stuck in the railing in the first place. However, whether you're renting or own, there's probably a building super who is responsible for this kind of maintenance and will have the tools/authority to disassemble whatever may be necessary (should disassembly be necessary) to rectify the situation. – FreeMan Feb 26 '23 at 21:50
  • Try lifting up on it. As noted, you don't show enough to be certain, but typically you can get some upward motion which might be enough to let it swing by, but if you just pull in without lifting up it won't go. – Ecnerwal Feb 27 '23 at 00:15
  • @FreeMan Turned out there was no wiggle room at all. I can't figure out how someone managed to get that grill stuck without using a prodigious amount of force. Anyway, the Spanish Widlass did the trick! – fussballbot3000 Mar 20 '23 at 19:38

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See that discolouration past the rod before the end, that shows that piece was bent.

Rebend it to get it back in place.

Locking pliers, pipe wrenches, adjustable wrench or just a piece of pipe should do the bending/unbending.

crip659
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  • yes! it looks like a rusty spot where the paint has flaked off. – Jasen Feb 27 '23 at 04:29
  • You really think that was bent up to get it past the railing, then bent back down to lock it in place like that? That does not, IMHO, show any of the kinking that I would think would be involved in that type of work. Also, that bar stock is probably 1/4" thick - that's gonna take some effort to bend and even more to bend back! – FreeMan Feb 27 '23 at 16:32
  • @FreeMan When I bend steel cold, usually will leave a mark just like that. 18 or 24 inch wrenches or a pipe will bend that enough easily. – crip659 Feb 27 '23 at 17:09
  • Fair enough. I would have expected more wrinkling in the metal as a witness to the bend, but I've not done it, so that was just me reasoning... – FreeMan Feb 27 '23 at 17:12
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Get some string or twine or thin rope and wrap 5-10 turns around the parts as shown below in red. Tie a knot to make the loops tight.

Now put a stick, green below (or a wooden spoon or anything convenient) inside the loop. Turn the stick end-over-end to twist the loop of string. Soon, as the loop gets tighter and tighter, you will be able to swing the gate past the interference.

enter image description here

MTA
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  • That's called a Spanish Widlass (didn't realize they came in different nationalities!) and will easily bend some metal. The bends may be permanent, though. Also, after a couple of twists, make sure you hold onto that stick - it can unwind if you let go of it and quickly become a projectile launched in a random direction! – FreeMan Feb 27 '23 at 16:29
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    @FreeMan Some of my favourite cartoons had that, usually just being wack many times in the head after they let go. – crip659 Mar 01 '23 at 21:51
  • Thanks, @MTA, that worked nicely! – fussballbot3000 Mar 20 '23 at 19:32