My home made barrel key collection (& how to)

[TCS]

My uncle is actually a fantastic gun smith, but I don't think I would trouble him with that. "You might put your eye out kid!"

Well, if you ever run out of projects…

I don't think you'd need any help skill wise, actually, at least for a matchlock! Whether you need his help legally depends on the jurisdiction, but in most of the US, it's legal to make firearms (especially muzzleloaders) for personal use without any licensing, etc, provided you're not legally prohibited from owning the result (but consult a lawyer for details).

Here's a kit for one, which I think this may have been what my grandparents had: http://dixiegunworks.com/product_info.p ... cts_id=934

But it's just a kinda lame brass casting I thing, and of course doesn't function as a real key.

[lucysmith]

Lauren, I am pretty amazed by your collections. I wish I could also own as much as you do

[Lauren]

Lucysmith:

For me, it's not about the AMOUNT of padlocks I have in me collection. It's about the intellectual achievement to do what other collectors don't do. This involves picking a locked padlock open, decoding the levers and finally, making a well crafted key out of raw materials. And should any new tooling come out of it, well that's a feather in my cap. These new tools, sometimes I share with the forum, and sometimes I don't.

Anybody interested to learn what I do, I would be more than happy to teach them. All you need is a drill press and a few basic tools...all available at your local big box store.

Welcome to the forum Lucysmith.

[Lauren]

I once had a key for this padlock made by "CLIMAX Co." and made for "ILLINOIS POWER COMPANY". I didn't think the key was originally intended for this lock anyway. It looked like an antique Yale barrel key with the three circles drilled in the bow.

With this project padlock, I wanted to show that the barrel could be machined around the bit area (first two pictures). Normally, I do this shaping by holding the key in my hand against the grinding disc. The technique worked well.

[GWiens2001]

It amazes me at how often your keys look better than original keys.

I take it you use a lathe to make the barrel part of the keys round. Or do you fasten it into the drill press and use that as a lathe?

Gordon

[Lauren]

I don't own a lathe. My drill press does everything I need it to do. I am working on using some new diamond dusted cutters for my next key, when ever I get a new lock. I don't fasten my keys to the drill press anymore (like in my early posts). I hand rotate the stock piece on a drill bit or similar material.

[Lauren]

It was such a beautiful day here in sunny California, and the perfect time to photograph my latest Ebay find-a push key padlock marked "GIANT". It was a huge monetary risk in purchasing this lock, and I won the final bid by the skin of teeth. The lock, like many others, was obtained in the locked position and without a key. When I first held this lock in my hands, I instantly knew that what I received was what I call a "virgin antique". The lock had no visible signs of having been man-handled by a locksmith or collector. The patina on the lock was true and the edges on the levers as seen through the keyhole had no shinny spots. The only thing concerning me at this point was the integrity of the hasp spring and lever tumbler springs.



I managed to quickly pick the lock open using my dog's leash for tension as I wrapped the two ends, one around the hasp and the other around my foot. This is now my third pancake padlock that I have picked using this technique. To my disappointment, the hasp appeared to not have any spring back and the hasp had a lot of friction binding against it. I saturated the inside of the lock with a silicone spray lubricant, but saw no improvement. Strangely, even the lever tumblers had a larger than normal play while the internal locking lever engage the lever stack. I have never seen that much play before with these type of locks. Not much is known about this padlock. Who made it and who was the lock designer? If I had a lot of various pancake padlocks in my collection, I would find out the manufacturer by comparing this lock with others based on two important clues. The first clue is in the little oval intent at the mouth of the keyhole. Notice how it is not centered, but offset, which is unusual.



The second unique signature on this lock can be found by the comparing the amount of material a the bottom of the open "C" formed at the open hasp. This lock has thin material at the bottom relative to "MILLER" padlocks. Again, I would compare this hasp casting to other known manufacturers.



I used my impression tool to take an imprint of the lever tumblers while the lock was open. I did this several times to make sure I was getting a consist impression. Afterwards, I locked the hasp and tried my impression tool for the first time. Not only did the lock open, but almost magically the hasp developed a super strong spring action. Apparently, the locking lever frictions the hasp unless a key is applied. This explains the lack of spring action of the hasp while in the open position. This lock is in excellent mechanical condition. The key I made for it works like a champ. The key was traced from a MILLER original flat push key (as seen in a prior post in this thread). The bit cuts on the key were all hand filed using diamond dusted jeweler's files.



These pancake padlocks marked "GIANT" are bit more pricey. Expect to pay $70.00 to $100.00 with a working key.

[GWiens2001]

Always learn something from your posts, Lauren.

Thanks again.

Gordon

[Lauren]

"THE COLORS OF FALL"

This home made barrel key is the apex of my craft. I made another key for one of my favorite lever padlocks, only this time I used a feathered alloy made of aluminum-bronze. This alloy is remarkably strong and heavy, and yet it machines like half hard brass. The other benefit is that the alloy does not dent and scratch like brass, so I won't cry should I ever drop this key. There are a variety of different bronze alloys available, some with nickle. Each type has certain benefits and characteristics used in industrial applications.













I stumbled upon this metal by accident while visiting a aluminum supply company out of Bakersfield, CA. I purchased a 2 inch wide piece, 1/2 inch thick, and 12" long for under $25.00. I got a great deal.

[MBI]

Pure. Lock. Porn.

[Lauren]

"THE THREE AMIGOS"



HALF HARD BRASS-ALUMINUM BRONZE-NICKLE SILVER

[DennisK]

Thanks everyone; I'm glad there are people out there who can appreciate the art of making these keys. It takes me about 6 hours to make one. And, once they fit the lock, I have to make them work- two problems to deal with. For me, it takes locksmithing to a whole new level, just by returning to an old one. I started making these keys because it appears that no one makes these keys anymore. I did find a foundry in Elkhart, Indiana (Crosbie Foundry Products) that sells casting of popular barrel keys (some for railroad padlocks). The quality of their keys are somewhat crude, and need a lot of cleaning. You also have to drill your own hole for the keyway pin. Drilling a hole in one can be a problem in its self. If you don't drill perfectly center, the key won't work or look professional. I do have a simple technique to solve this problem, however.

Nevertheless, I enjoy machining my own keys, it's more fun.

Would you mind sharing this technique? I have a terrible time centering up stock to drill correctly.

[Lauren]

If you are talking about drilling center on casted keys, the level of difficulty goes way up, especially if you are dealing with poorly casted blanks. I have castings that are not even round in the shaft area. The first step is to have a prismatic jaw on your slide vise to hold the blank vertical. The next step is to start with much smaller drill bit to act as a pilot for the final size bit. You don't want to go too small on the pilot bit because the bit may flex while drilling.

However, if you are asking about drilling the end of a piece of bar stock, you need to have a metal scribe and a dial caliper. You need to measure the true width and thickness of the bar stock and divide these measurements by 2. The dial caliper is then set to these calculations. You then have to barely catch the edge of the bar stock with one side of the caliper holding the tool flush to the edge. Then, take your scribe and scribe the center lines using the inside edge of the caliper. When done correctly, you will have an origin on your work piece.

In order to drill vertically using a drill press, you need to hold down the drill bit into the vise area and press the stock flush up against the bit. Sometimes it helps to have an extra hand on this procedure. While holding the stock piece up against the bit, then tighten the vise. You can make a center finder from piano wire with a sharpened tip. This tool can be used to dial in on the center of your scribed lines. Once this is done, remove the center finder and replace it with your drill bit. Again, always use a smaller pilot bit. Cutting oil and proper rpm's is important too.

[NKT]

Just read this thread, absolutely lovely work.

I've got to make some keys today, so I was reading it with interest.

I couldn't figure out how you were getting the nicely round part of the key around the blade, until you showed that one shot of the grinding disc at work. Fascinating way to solve the problem, using a pillar drill.

I've found a very fast way to do the same sort of rounding on the stem is just to chuck the rod in a handheld drill then run it against the bench grinder or mini belt sander.

I'm now wondering if I could use your techniques to make a couple of Bramah keys. Not exactly the same - it would be faster to use the sander trick since there is no bit hanging down on most of it, just a little driving lug - but for that part it would likely work better than trying to weld or solder that little tab.

[Lauren]

I don't exactly resort to one method when removing material around the blade. Each lock and key present their challenges. For the most part, I usually remove material by holding the key up to a small cut off disc, articulating the key by hand into a round shape. The human eye is capable of amazing things.