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Tips on How to make a Key Molddvslocksmith.com/2021/08/09/tips-on-how-to-make-a-key-mold

Many people often wonder how a key is duplicated. There are different ways that

locksmiths use to duplicate a key. Similarly, making a key mold is also one of the ways you

can duplicate a key. In this article, Key Duplication in Oak Park, will guide you on

how to make a key mold.

To make a key mold, you need to have the key that you want to duplicate. The key is

dropped into a liquid, or the liquid is poured. The liquid will become hard after some

time. You can use this process to duplicate simple keys without grooves. A simple key with

teeth is ideal for duplicating using this method.

How to make a Key Mold?

Tools Required to Make a Key Mold

Molding Plaster

Grease or Lubricant

Rolling Pin or any other roller

Pour the Molding Plaster

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Gather your tools and set them on a flat surface. Now, pour the molding plaster on the flat

surface. Use the rolling pin to expand the plaster. Make sure the plaster is rolled out to be

more than the length and the width of the key. The plaster should be at least 2 inches

thicker than the key.

Grease the Key

Cover the key with grease or lubricant to remove the key from the plaster and not get

attached to it. Make sure the grease covers the edges and the teeth of the key. To sum up,

this step is crucial because if grease is not used, you will ruin the mold as you will not get

the key out of the plaster.

Push the Key in Plaster

Push down one side of the key into the plaster. The key and the plaster should be perfectly

even. If you push down the key deeper, the mold will become too deep. Likewise, if the key

stays up than the mold, you will not get the perfect imprint of the key.

Remove the Key

After the key has made an imprint on the mold, remove the key from the plaster. Remove

it carefully as it can ruin the imprint the key has made on the plaster.

Wait for the plaster to dry

The last step is to wait until the plaster dries and becomes rigid. You will have a perfect

imprint of the key on the plaster. Repeat this entire process with the other side of the key.

You will have two perfect molds of your key.

How to Cast a Key out of Key Mold?

After getting an imprint of the key on the molds, you must cast the key using molten

metal. This process is more delicate and complicated and needs to be done by someone

with little experience.

Tools Required

Rubber Band or Electrical Tape

Alloy Slug (Silver, Brass, Zinc)

Stove or Torch

Small Knife or Saw

Mini File

Attach the molds

You have to attach the molds with a rubber band or electrical tape. Make sure to attach

them in the right direction of the key.

Cut the top of the mold

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After attaching the mold, you need to cut the top of the mold with a small knife or a small

saw to make way for molten metal. The hole should be shallow as it only needs molten

metal to pass through it.

Molten Metal

You can use alloy slugs for molten metal. Put the alloy slugs in a small enclosed vessel.

Heat the vessel from below using a stove or a torch. Heat the vessel until you get the metal

in the form of liquid.

Put the molten metal in the mold

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Pour the molten metal into the mold carefully. Most importantly, use safety gloves to

protect yourself during this step. The metal should not overflow into the seams. Tap the

mold very lightly on a flat surface so that the molten metal covers all the teeth. Let it rest

for 30 to 40 minutes until it becomes hard.

Separate the Mold

Separate the mold very slowly and lay the molds on a flat surface with the key imprint on

the top. Take the key out of the mold. You can pry it loose with a credit card.

Remove excess bits

After separating it from the mold, the key will still be in a rough shape. Use a mini file to

remove the excess bits.

Final Touches

Take the original key and compare both of them. It will help you remove the excess metal

easily. You can also drill a keychain hole in it. Try it out on the lock. Hopefully, it will

work.

Conclusion

Please do not attempt to do this if you don’t have the proper tools and safety equipment.

This process can take a lot of time. You might not get the desired results the first time. Try

to find out what you are doing wrong as it is a complicated process. You can always

contact Lockout Service in Oak Park if you can’t do it yourself.