BEST key Blanks

[neoskunk]

ok so I don't know where to ask this or if it even belongs on this forum but I have a BEST key and I was wondering how do you know which BEST key blank to buy? It says 6D in the top left corner, it has a 1 in the top right corner, and another 1 kind of where the head connects to the shaft.

If i had to guess I would think I would need a D keyway blank but thats only because its the only letter on the key.

thanks and any help is appreciated.

[ElAbogado]

ok so I don't know where to ask this or if it even belongs on this forum but I have a BEST key and I was wondering how do you know which BEST key blank to buy? It says 6D in the top left corner, it has a 1 in the top right corner, and another 1 kind of where the head connects to the shaft.

If i had to guess I would think I would need a D keyway blank but thats only because its the only letter on the key.

thanks and any help is appreciated.

Get yourself the Ilco catalog and you will have a powerful reference book. I can't imagine working without this book for identification and cross reference of most key blanks, foreign and domestic.

El Abogado

[keysman]

ilco key catalogs here:

http://www.kaba-ilco.com/key_systems/li ... aspx?id=55

[neoskunk]

I dont understand how to use the catalog. I mean I found the BEST key section but none of the numbers match what I described above.

[WOT]

I dont understand how to use the catalog. I mean I found the BEST key section but none of the numbers match what I described above.

There are more than one series of Best keys. Some say Best,some are bald.

With the regular Best keys, the keyway type is stamped on the blade where it meets the bow, or it isn't stamped at all. This is at the discretion of the key system owner.

Let me guess... you're not supposed to duplicate this key.

It maybe perfectly legal for you to duplicate it, but its also perfectly legal for key system owner to chose blanks with the keyway not stamped on it to frustrate duplication.

Then, locksmith is free to not duplicate it. If I was a lockie, I probably wouldn't duplicate a keyway that is frustrating to identify when I would be charging the same amount for it when it takes five times the time looking for the blank

[neoskunk]

yes you are correct it says DND but its a key to a dorm and my roomate lost his key. The dorm wants $50 for a replacement. I was trying to identify the blank and buy one so that the locksmith wouldn't have to do this. or maybe even try to make the key myself. Heres what the key looks like:



as I said before in the top left is says 6D. top right it has a 1. and where the blade meets the bow it has a 1.

it says BEST on the other side.

can you identify which keyway it is from that?

[Squelchtone]

yes you are correct it says DND but its a key to a dorm and my roomate lost his key. The dorm wants $50 for a replacement. I was trying to identify the blank and buy one so that the locksmith wouldn't have to do this. or maybe even try to make the key myself. Heres what the key looks like:



as I said before in the top left is says 6D. top right it has a 1. and where the blade meets the bow it has a 1.

it says BEST on the other side.

can you identify which keyway it is from that?

only $50 ? that's a steal and your friend should pay it immediately. Most dorms want $200 to replace a key like that.

The 6D does not mean the keyway, its a system stamp for your college > dorm building > floor > specific door on the floor. Look at the Ilco catalog and under each key you see the shape of the keyway, start looking at your key head on the tip and see if any of the keyway shapes match yours.

Start carrying a lanyard around so you and your room mate arent loosing their keys all the time. We have posts like this about once a month, sometimes people lost their key, sometimes they want a duplicate for their girlfriend, sometimes they were picking their dorm room door and broke the lock, and they come here seeking advice on how to avoid getting into trouble or having to pay a fee or loose their deposit. Live and learn I guess.

again, $50 is cheap, just pay it, it could be 4 to 6 times as much, and I'm not kidding.

Squelchtone

[neoskunk]

yea $50 isnt ridiculous but if we could pay $5 instead at the local locksmith why not? surely some locksmiths will make a copy regardless of the DND stamp. plus I heard that is more of a suggestion than law anyways.

[unlisted]

How about it is illegal, since you do not own the lock, or the key.

[WOT]

Pay the $50.
They'll immediately re-key the lock to ensure security of the dorm.
Then, at the end of the year, you'll have to return the key, and each key is serialized, therefore, if he returns a copy, $50 will get charged to his student account, which means hold on class registration.

Pay now, $50.
Copy now and pay later $50 + whatever it costs to copy.

[WOT]

Pay the $50.
They'll immediately re-key the lock to ensure security of the dorm.
Then, at the end of the year, you'll have to return the key, and each key is serialized, therefore, if he returns a copy, $50 will get charged to his student account, which means hold on class registration.

Pay now, $50.
Copy now and pay later $50 + whatever it costs to copy.

And it looks like something in J through M. They're hard to identify even with the actual blank in hand.

[neoskunk]

well in all honesty we havent lost a key we just need another for a buddy of ours. so just paying doesn't solve our problem and we wouldn't have to return the copy so thats not a problem either. also we live off campus meaning no affiliation with the school so therefore no hold on registration either . but looks like I am out of luck then. Some people on other forums have suggested taping the key to cover the DND stamp and write like office or something on the tape. but I am more concerned with whether or not a locksmith or hardware store would even be able to make a copy of this key even if it didn't have the DND stamp on it.

[unlisted]

So, basically your trying to make an illegal copy of a key you and your buddies have no legal right to, so you can access a building you (yet again) have no legal right to be in?

Correct me please, if I am wrong in this...

[neoskunk]

http://www.mysecuritypro.com/ProductIma ... tlarge.jpg

based on this I'm pretty confident its the J keyway so went ahead and ordered 2 blanks. Hopefully I can either make them myself with a file and some time or find a nice locksmith. anyone care to tell me how hard it would be to make the key myself by hand? don't best locks have tolerance of 5/100ths of an inch or something ridiculous like that?

no no you have it all wrong. Me and my roomate live in a dorm that we pay for (ie we have every right to be here). However we have a buddy who lives off campus who would like to crash at our place between classes instead of going home. Since we are not always there it would be convenient if he could have a key as well. so yes it may be illegal in a sense but we are not breaking into somewhere we shouldn't be or anything like that.

[unlisted]

You really should look into the paperwork, etc you sign when you registered @ the school, and for living on campus. You could be opening a whole big can of worms- if you or your friend are caught.

And don't pick lock in use, or locks you do not own. You don't own the lock, so I would strongly suggest you not bugger around in any way. (including making copies of keys you dont legally own)

I'd look into getting a spare key in the first place, and leave a deposit. Give some BS excuse if you have to (parents who are paying your way in college demanded a key, or something else silly but plausible like that.)


If it was an apartment, I would not be so rude, I just know most campus' are really tight regarding security, safety and key control.