My home made barrel key collection (& how to)

[Lauren]

I recently got another "Yale & Towne", 4 lever bronze padlock without a key. I picked this lock open (not the one shown), just to discover the hasp plunger was obstructed, due to the denting on the one side of the lock body. Now I have three "buyer-be-aware" concerns when it comes to these type of locks. First, be on the look out for locks that have been taken apart, noted by dimples on the two retaining pins. Second, be aware of possible extreme wear on the lever tumblers. Levers in good condition will be flat and not rounded. They also will not be worn on the sides, or knife-like. Last, be aware of denting on the lock body which could obstruct internal parts as I mentioned earlier.

Since I was determined to have a working 2.25 by 1.75 inch (height by width respectfully) lock in my collection, I purchased yet another one. This lock (shown) saw very little use. The lock still has small traces of the gold electroplating. The lever tumblers have strong spring action with very little wear.

In order to make a working key for my lock using the impression technique, I had to pick the lock. This lock gave me a lot of trouble. Picking it required a lot tension on my tension tool. Because of the lever coding, I could not pick each lever one at a time. I had to make a "jiggler" pick. I also oiled the lock, which is something I ordinarily would not do when picking these type of padlocks. But, oiling the lock did seem to assist the process of jiggling the levers to proper alignment.

My finished brass key, which I machined on my drill press, works perfectly. This lock has a great feel to it. I drilled the holes on the key using a 3/16 in. drill bit. I used a .380 in. square as geometry to map the hole spacing. The center hole of the key is the intersecting point between two lines drawn from opposite corners of the square. The bottom two holes on the key are the lower corners of the square. I use a needle to center the points where I want to drill, and I replace the needle with the drill bit, three different times.

[GWiens2001]

As expected from you, excellent work. Even the pictures you took show artistry in presentation.

I am humbled.

Gordon

[jeffmoss26]

Simply amazing work!

[MrWizard]

That key as well as the lock looks excellent. Great job as always.

Richard

[MrWizard]

Things I really like about the new wide shoulder you created is the nice squared corners where the shoulder transcends to the blade how do you make that 90% to look so good very cool. And how thick the blank head looks with the 3 holes that line up perfectly. Balancing on it's head on the lock makes these features stand out art deco style.

Richard

[Lauren]

Richard, everything is drawn on to the metal stock using a scibe and a dial caliper. All measurements are carefully checked and re-validated during the milling process. I just purchased a new carbide rotary file bit (1/2 inch with qtr. inch shaft) for $20.00 on ebay. My old one was starting to wear un-evenly. Now, I should start to turn out some really nice stuff. What's tricky about my last key, is the fact that the key head is thicker than the key blade. Vise set up and jigging is everything if you want better accuracy.

[MrWizard]

Ya I can see the head is thicker that is what really gives it an impressive look to me. Just as cool as your barrel keys and is equally hard to make. The squared inside 90% corners of the transition from the thick head to the body of the key takes some doing to get it that clean and not just have rounded inside corners there. Unless someone has tied to do that can't really appreciate what it takes. Can't just use a rotary tool there it would be rounded looking unless it is very tiny in diameter.

Richard

[Lauren]

The transition of the inside corner was merely done with a metal file. It's like coloring; you just got to stay within the lines. That's why having a scribe and dial caliper is critical to making a good looking pattern that needs to be cut out.

[Lauren]

This "Yale" padlock was received without a key. I shimmed it open and dismantled it. I had to make a square shaped tool to remove the retaining cap. The hasp on this little lock was not cast to the cylinder. Instead, it was machined threaded to the cylinder. Also, the cylinder was drilled for a five tumbler key, but the lock body was only drilled for four pin stacks. The key I machined is as tall as the lock. I had to make four unique cuts to the blank to make it fit the cylinder. I used a small round file to make a working key. I don't know exactly how old this padlock is or who it was made for.

[Lauren]

This older "Yale and Towne" padlocks was an Ebay steel for a $4.00 purchase price. It is in excellent condition, and naturally I obtained it without a key in the locked position. The lock measures about 1 1/2 inches wide and about 2 inches tall. I took some measurements from some newer Yale key blanks to see where I could maximize the size of my homemade brass key to maintain strength. I drilled 5 holes in my brass stock to define the key head.



I made my key .091 thick in middle (raised ridge down the center of the key), whereas the Yale made the entire key .080 thick. Also, Yale made their key blade thickness .041, and I made mine .057, which is about as thick as you can go. I made my key head much thicker than the original at 1.025 thick, giving my key a robust look, but kept much of the original key head surface dimensions.



Even though my finished working key does not reveal much depth variation in the bit cuts, this simple four lever lock was a real challenge to pick open. This challenge may have also been the result of a lock that was not used very often and protected from the elements. The levers in this lock are very clean and have very little wear. My finished key works great in this lock. All of the springs sound crisp as the lock is opened and re-locked.

[GWiens2001]

Lauren,

Wish I had half the metal working skills you have. Great work, as always!

Gordon

[Lauren]

Thanks Gordon.

I'm not a machinist, but just someone who enjoys working with metal. These talents where all home grown.

[phoneman85]

This is really cool! I bought a small mailbag padlock with a key that the previous owner had made out of bar stock. It's not as classy as yours, but it works.
Awesome work on those keys, truly a labor of love!

[Lauren]

Thanks Phoneman. And we appreciate you joining LP101. Welcome.

[phoneman85]

Thanks for the welcome Lauren. Here's the pics of that mailbag lock.
http://flic.kr/p/dB3zzB
Like I said earlier, the man I bought it from made the key, and it does work.
Pics of these type lock all use the same looking key cuts, so I'd guess it's universal for the old USPS locks like these.

Here's a key I made for a medeco lock several years ago.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phone-man/8273940252/
A locksmith gave me the lock and a blank key just to mess with. the key actually works, although not as well as an original.