Make a plastic key?

Has anyone tried making a key (for a pin tumbler lock) out of a liquid plastic or filled epoxy material? If so then what's the best material for this?

My home has a proprietary key so I can't get a copy made at the local hardware store. Instead I need to pay big bucks for a copy. I like to play with locks anyway so I'd like to come up with a way to make a copy.

Of course I could buy an Easy Entrie machine to make a blank but $10,000 exceeds my budget for pursuit.

There are companies that make plastic keys to put in your wallet so this is proof of concept.

I could make a form out of RTV. What could fill it?

JB-Weld epoxee claims it's as strong as steel but I have my doubts.

Have there been any successes in sythetic keys?

Thanks for your help.

Reply to
qbert
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AAA club used to give the plastic auto keys away and they weren't much good after the first use.

As for making a key from an impression in a mold, you might want to check with Barney Collier. Sorry, couldn't resist.

The problem isn't so much what you are going to pour into the mold. It wouldn't be very difficult to melt a couple of keys and pour the molten metal into a mold or, as you say, use JB Weld.

The problem is the material that makes up the mold. When you are dealing with tollerances in the 1000ths of an inch so the impression has to be pretty much right on. My dentist said he made a couple of keys with the goop he uses to take impressions for crowns but they didn't work too well. I can't think of anything that would take a better impression than that.

Skip

Reply to
Skip

what exacly do you mean by a "proprietary key" ? more info about the key..

Reply to
Key

Don't know if they still do it, but Ilco used to make plastic "emergency keys" for the GM 6-cut. (The Older chevy's that had a square head key for the ig and a round head key for the door.) Or maybe they were called credit card keys.

The plastic was similar to "model car plastic" but a little more flexible.

goma.

Reply to
goma865

Proprietary-got me too.

Reply to
goma865

he rents.. and the apartment has an Abbloy or Medico or the like..

--Shiva--

Reply to
me

then his key may read (do not duplicate) ?

Reply to
Key

my sister in laws apartment front door to the building key is a Sargent Keso.. $25 if you want a second copy.. and I know of another apartment complex that uses an Abloy as the OS door key.. so, its possible, and, being how stingy some folks are they figure they can 'make their own'...

--Shiva--

Reply to
me

There are some plastic keys sold for cars. I can't remember much about them, but I have seen them for sale.

Doubt you could get a plastic blank in a restricted keyway. I can't help you much, there.

Oh, what's the brand of key? Medeco? Assa? Abloy?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Yeah, I was kinda wodnering if it was Best, Assa, Abloy, Medeco, or something I'd not seen. Fitchet, or something like that.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

That is not too reassuring from the patient's point of view. I think they put some special high precision goop around the specific stump to be crowned, and use of that together with the appropriate moulds should produce an acceptable key.

Reply to
peterwn

agree that its possible. around here, when an apartment goes to a special key, they will usually have (do not duplicate) stamped on it.

Reply to
Key

"Stormin Mormon" <cayoung61-&spamblock*-@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:yO7Cg.29611$ snipped-for-privacy@twister.nyroc.rr.com...

he is still posting but for some reason, he hasn't really clarified the type key.

Reply to
Key

To make your key, get some good industrial epoxy. Mix it up thin, then force it into the keyway. It will fit the keyway perfect.

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Reply to
Bill Halle

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