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Need a Skeleton Key fabricated

Casey_Here

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Jun 19, 2018
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4
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Kansas City
I have a safe key that I need to have fabricated. I have a copy of the key I could send as a template. I have tried locksmiths, and plasma cutters with no luck. Let me know if you think you can help me.

Thanks,
Casey
 
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rlitman

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You need to find a locksmith that specializes in safes.
Do you know if your lock has relockers? If so, a poorly cut key may leave you locked out, requiring cutting your way in.
 

rlitman

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Here is the key.

Yeah, exactly what I expected to see. Typical jewelry safe skeleton key. You NEED to talk to someone who does safe work. Most locksmiths have a very different skillset. It's like the difference between a locksmith that does houses, and one that does cars.
 
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matt_i

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Mar 14, 2008
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SE Michigan
I don't see anything there that can't be made with a milling machine and perhaps a file to dress off the burrs.

If you make it to dial caliper tolerances ~.002", that match the original, I would hope it would work....
 

gungatim

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west mich
I don't see a picture, so no way to know if it is a standard blank you can cut with a key machine or not. I've cut keys nobody would cut because they are stamped "do not duplicate". no big deal.

if it is something odd with no blank available, I've cut keys out of sheet metal, key stock, etc and filed to shape. even did a Harley round key that way once when mine stopped working.
 

rlitman

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I don't see a picture, so no way to know if it is a standard blank you can cut with a key machine or not...

The original picture was thankfully pulled. Here's a stock photo from the web that should give you the idea of the type of key involved.

4490610.jpg


Jeweler's safes often have key locks in addition to combinations. The key needs to be long enough to reach in past the steel of the door (and through any drill plates). My concern is that on this type of safe, may locks contain relocker mechanisms that may leave you locked out if someone tries to use the wrong key, which is exactly what imperfections in a copy can do.
 
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rlitman

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It will be very hard to get copied, I once tried to get a copy of a antique pay phone key.

Also probably impossible to get at a locksmith, but by me, there's a guy who advertises antique pay phones on CL who would certainly have it. Pay phones are another very specialized type of key. Keys for vending machines are a totally different specialty too, as are parking meters, jail (and asylum) keys, cabinet keys, watchclock keys, electrical meter keys, and railroad keys, all as examples off the top of my head.

Nowadays, locksmiths mostly know how to work with the lock on your front door, but all sorts of industries have independently worked out ways to lock you out over the past centuries.
 

Bobhdus

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Oct 20, 2012
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262
Location
Missouri
It’s kinda already been said but most locksmiths won’t have that particular blank in stock but can order it. To duplicate without one in front of them, they’d need measurements for the diameter of that rod , length from the end to the bow, and the depth and spaces of the cuts (from the center of shaft to the outer portion of the ward.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

4xdog

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Aug 18, 2012
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Santa Fe, NM
I had the chance to stop by an old country church in the West Country of England a few years ago with friends who live nearby, and the lady was just locking up. I thought this 150+ year old key was pretty nifty. The technology hasn't changed much...
i-K7qMFQV-X3.jpg
 

rsanter

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Dec 22, 2007
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18,496
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visalia ca
Does not seem like it would be that hard to make, but will take lots of time to get it right.
I made one for a lock my daughter had but that was not as precise.

I would contact the safe manufacurer first if they are still around and see what they will do.
Then I would contact a real lock smith. I just had a safe at Work gotten into by a lock smith. The manager had left and did not pass on the combination, I provided the information to the lock smith and he contacted the manufacturer to get the original combination which worked.
A real lock smith is certified and can get that type of information where a regular person can’t
 

The Cobbler

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Oct 24, 2013
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Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada
anyone with some skill at metal work & precision and patience would be able to fab a key . the trick would be to have the lock with you so you can keep trying it as you shape the key
a locksmith would be able to help if they were interested however they could look at it as a long process that in the end you would be unhappy due to the cost. even at $50 per hr labour you would rack up a hefty bill in short order .
 
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