A skill known and practiced for years by seasoned locksmiths, impressioning a working key from a blank is a popular new addition in locksport circles everywhere. Get your blanks and Pippin files and get busy!
I finally found some brass 1054HT keys that fit this padlock for a reasonable price. They fit just fine. The newer X1054JK are nickel plated and much more difficult to impression.
After smoothing the top of the blade, the first marks line up pretty close to the code spacing.
Neat vintage padlock and blanks! I always try to find original brass blanks to pair with older locks - the newer nickel plated blanks just don't always look right in something with a lot of patina.
Done. Open! Had to use 3 blanks, but the marks were much clearer.
The hard thing to learn. Very shallow light dimples aren't always marks to be filed. Leave them alone. The clear dimple marks are the ones to file. It's weird that there's a difference.
