[Method]

hey, i got a quick question.
If I needed a key for opening a lock but... lets say I could only have the key for a limited ammount of time... like 5 seconds, could i just use playdough or clay to make a blueprint of the key, or any other way (you name it). Then go to a locksmith and ask him to make the key for me. I mean, would he do it?

[theopratr]

There are several ways you could do it, but given the fact that you can only get your hands on the key for such a limited amount of time, it sounds like whoever owns the key isn't savvy to your copying it. I'm not passing judgement, but if you get caught, my good buddy Tyrone isn't the friendliest chap over several months/years. (He is known to most by the name "King Size".) Most locksmiths would probably not make the key for you, because if they do they are also liable to criminal prosecution for aiding in the keys unauthorized duplication.

That being said, you can do anything from a clay impression to tracing to an ultraviolet exposure of the key on UV sensitive paper. I've done them all, and it seems the more complex they are, the better they work, as you get more reliable details off of the key. Ivory soap also works in a pinch for impressioning. I used to key a nice sized slice of it in an old cigarette case in my tool box for making impressions of keys for which I didn't have a blank immediately available. Tracing doesn't work very well, but in a pinch you can do it by carefully measuring the difference in maximum depths traced and figuring out the spacing seperately.

[Method]

haha, tnx for the info.
I may be able to copy it with a file and a blank key probably, could be easy if i can just fit the key in a bit of clay where i got the print.
Can i just buy blank keys at locksmiths?

[Martin]

Method, on 30 April 2007 - 04:36 PM, said:

haha, tnx for the info.

I may be able to copy it with a file and a blank key probably, could be easy if i can just fit the key in a bit of clay where i got the print.

Can i just buy blank keys at locksmiths?

Yeah you can buy blank at your local locksmith store as I also purchased few recently.