recycling old keys

[mogga]

Did I dream it or have I really seen a key recycling container somewhere...?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The metal recycling skip at your local tip? For steel ones, certainly.

[Stefek Zaba]

Well, there's this round building with an 'ole in the middle somewhere near a racecourse and whose nearest city centre is full of faded-glory Regency architecture which is always happy to receive old keys, specially if they've been used to protect anything interesting ;-)

[Broadback]

Reminds me of Blue Peter, one year they appealed for old keys (they are mainly brass, or were then). Worked a treat, problem was the kids were filching all their parents keys, caused some mayhem! :-)

[Andy Burns]

Did it have instructions to attach an address label to each key so they can write to "thank" you?

[Graham Anstey]

Yes, eBay...

[jacob]

Old keys are highly sort after by joiners,antique restorers and of course locksmiths. We accumulate old locks and other fittings but the keys are always missing. Boxes of old keys at auctions often get good money. Don't throw them away!

cheers

Jacob

[mogga]

Nah, I have this vague memory of somewhere like a keycutters having a box in...

I do have some oldish ones and I'm loath to just bin them...

[N. Thornton]

Cutting your own keys is simple and quick if you have an angle grinder. I imagine at least some unwanted keys could be trimmed down to fit existing locks - never tried it though. Definitely something for the frugal folk.

NT

[PaPaPeng]

There is a special metal bevelled key cutter wheel you will have to get. The cut notch angle is standard for keys. An angle grinder wheel had a thick rounded rim for safety (won't shatter that easily) and is not fine enough to cut keys. Do it the primitive way. Use the vise to clamp the blank, aka the one to be recycled, side by side with the key to be duplicated. Then use a triangle file to file down the excesss material.

[Bill Bonde ( ``And the Lamb li]

I've done this. I didn't have a key so I had to pick the lock and then take it apart to look at the top of the pins and then file down until they were even. The big problem is getting the blanks. Apparently they aren't supposed to sell them to you uncut, I don't know what they are worried about. I've heard you can fill in the grooves with a brazing torch on used keys that are correct for your lock.

Also, I've seen people who cut one side of the key for one of their cars and the other for the other. I expect this doesn't work on locks that have two sets of pins, but otherwise should work for cars with keys that work when put in either way.

[N. Thornton]

I cut some keys recently with an angle grinder, came out perfect and took 1 to 2 minutes per key.

NT

[Joel M. Eichen]

Cool. Whenever I get keys cut from new blanks, they rarely work!

Joel

[George]

The answer for that is to go to a different place to get them cut. The cutting machine is just a basic lathe and there is no reason for that if they care and keep it calibrated. The worst keys I ever got were from the local wally. They were off by .040" and would not work at all.

[PaPaPeng]

Are you using a hand grinder? What size of angle grinder is yours and what is the thickness and diameter of your grinding wheel? Weblinks?

I am a tool junkie and fairly familair with tools. But I can't picture how a regular hand grinder, I am making a presumption here, could be used to duplicate keys. A Dremel tool with a small grinder wheel might work. But the wear on a Dremel wheel costs a lot more than a shop made duplicate key and is not really worth the effort.

[SoCalMike]

or even possibly an air grinder. the angle grinder i use has grinding disks that are about a quarter inch thick. the air grinder disks are a bit thinner.

[N. Thornton]

Thats odd. I'd try another locksmith!

NT

[veteran]

I attack from the other direction. I buy only Qwik-set locks. usually at yard sales. they enable you to set the lock to use the existing keys you have. I was a landlord at the time and had to change locks of the rentals, once and a while. Everybody have a great new year! Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and the government when it deserves it. -Mark Twain

[usenet]

"once and a while." ???