50% of the time we head to the hardware store to have new copies of our keys made, they don't quite work right. There's alway some jiggle or wiggle involved, making us look like fools when we aren't granted access to where we need to go. Forget the hassle and simply make your own, even those pesky "do not copy" types!
There's two methods to this madness, the first is to simply use a pair of vice grips and hold your master key against a new key blank that will be the right size. The other is to take a photo of your original, make an outline of it and print out and use your Dremel to grind around the template. Check out the video above to see the concept in action!
Although this might seem like a great deal of work just to get new keys made, if you're looking to copy a key that isn't supposed to be copied (like a spare mail key for your roommate) or one that costs a small fortune to have cut, this is a perfect solution!
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Comments (7)
For all this work and all the chances of making a mistake, cutting your finger off, and messing up so that you'd have to buy a new template, you'd be better off just having it done at your local home depot or lock shop.
Fun DIY, but useless in my opinion!
jihong, you said it! This is so much work and you still have to buy the blank key as well. No way.
Like the post said, this is a great option for anyone who needs to copy a key with a "No Copy" sign written on it which a hardware store will not make copies for you. And unlike what looks like is illustrated in the diagram, if you use the dremel correctly you will not cut off your thumb.
Agreed with Comicgeek, accidentally cutting off a finger with a dremel is next to impossible. *omitted remark about being naive and commenting without personal experience*
This is a great project for the "Do Not Copy" and a really great way to make a copy of a key that you don't own so you can break into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory after getting kicked out for eating gum without permission.
I think using a scanner is much easier.
just go to a lockshop, the key machines are more accurate than the garbage machines they use at home depot/ace. Also keys stamped with "do not copy" don't mean jack unless it's an actual high security key. most lockshops will cut it anyways.
considering 80% of the public has generic keys (sc1/kw) cost of the blank is the same as the cost to get it copied. It is worth more than the pain in the ass this is and I have filed keys by hand.
While this is an interesting project, advocating copying keys marked "do not copy" seems a little unethical. We know that your roommate will return the mailbox key when he moves out, but what about everyone else? In fact, at this moment there could be numerous people who have the key either to your current mailbox or your future mailbox. Finally, I am no lawyer, but since the Supreme Court decided long ago that mailboxes are the property of the US Postal Service, no matter who pays for them, maybe copying a "do not copy key" to a mailbox is really just a federal offense.