If you ever need a key...

[Matchless]

If you ever need a key... sent this chap telecommann a couple of photos of a LR key yesterday lunchtime (bought a NOS ignition/steering lock with only one key) and spares arrived this morning.

from a mate of mine, might be worth taking a couple of pictures of all your keys, before you loose them!

 

[Kram]

But he now knows your adress and has his own keys ( get a mate go order to their adress where your car wont be).

 

[Barking Mat]

But he now knows your adress and has his own keys ( get a mate go order to their adress where your car wont be).

Very good point.

Impressive he can copy keys from photos, more to the point.

 

[Migmac]

Very good point.

Impressive he can copy keys from photos, more to the point.

I guess each high and low bit of the key is equal to a number, type that sequence of numbers into the machine and it’ll cut an exact copy.

 

[Barking Mat]

I was thinking he must identify the style of key, to get scale.
Then must have some computer program and a CNC key cutter.

I had some keys cut last week and they're a bit too wide, they work, but...

Then my boss said, cut a hole in a slate, and push them in and out, I've no idea what he's on about...

 

[optima21]

and this guy can rebarrel old car locks to match a key if you dont have a matching set

https://www.swampysoldskoollockshop.com/

he did two locks for my herald so now all the locks are the same.

 

[northwest]

I guess each high and low bit of the key is equal to a number, type that sequence of numbers into the machine and it’ll cut an exact copy.

This is exactly how many keys work, good friend is a locksmith. Fascinating business.

 

[Barking Mat]

and this guy can rebarrel old car locks to match a key if you dont have a matching set

https://www.swampysoldskoollockshop.com/

he did two locks for my herald so now all the locks are the same.

That's worth knowing.

 

[m_c]

I guess each high and low bit of the key is equal to a number, type that sequence of numbers into the machine and it’ll cut an exact copy.

This.
I can read Ford keys. Old Tibby keys are easy provided they're not worn to a bit round metal. Current keys are a bit more difficult, especially since they now use 10 tumblers.
Locks are simply a row of tumblers, so once you know where those tumblers are positioned on the blade, and how the tumblers are sized, you can work out the number.

 

[Kram]

Also keys wear on the points but are cut referencing the V sides, so when you get a new cut it will be as the original, wont copy the wear.

I need a new bike key, local shops wont cut my blank, so Ill do myself when I get round to it.

 

[roofman]

But he now knows your adress and has his own keys ( get a mate go order to their adress where your car wont be).

your bank knows your account details..how far do you go with personal security is the question?...good idea on another address all the same

 

[armalites]

It wouldn't take many cars to go missing before someone realised the common link.

 

[Wany]

It could be worse. The BBC morning news were in a prison and had a picture of one of the PO's keys as it's a prison and all that. Massive shirt-storm and they had to get the prison "re-keyed" immediately at a cost of about £100K. Apparently there's one company that does it and they have a number of sets ready for if a PO loses their keys etc.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I need a new bike key, local shops wont cut my blank, so Ill do myself when I get round to it.

I bought a Toyota key blank on ebay because they are very rare...went to get it cut and had 20 minutes of ear ache about how he wasn't running a charity and had to make a living.

My logic was this...parking costs £2...if I come and you don't have the key and then I have to come back that's £4 extra for the £3.50 key cutting service!

Wasn't having it....in the end I said if he had the key in I would pay £3.50 for mine to be cut (and he could keep his)...if he didn't have it he would cut it for free!

Got myself a free key...but he still had the hump. How someone can be so angry when they don't even stock the key I want and I've explained a dozen times why I did what I did is beyond me. I never went back....I bet its now a coffee shop!

 

[Moose McAlpine]

I guess each high and low bit of the key is equal to a number, type that sequence of numbers into the machine and it’ll cut an exact copy.

Exactly. It will either have pins, wafers or discs depending on the lock. You know the number of them and they will all be standard cuts or heights so the keying can be reverse engineered.

I have a set of car lock picks from when i worked for the AA. They're a 2-in-1 type so you can pick the lock and once it's open decode the key to make a new one.



So i could decode the lock and have a key cut without needing a key to work from or removing the lock. (Would only unlock the car, not start it, as immo still active.)

 

[m_c]

Exactly. It will either have pins, wafers or discs depending on the lock. You know the number of them and they will all be standard cuts or heights so the keying can be reverse engineered.

I have a set of car lock picks from when i worked for the AA. They're a 2-in-1 type so you can pick the lock and once it's open decode the key to make a new one.

View attachment 259241 View attachment 259242

So i could decode the lock and have a key cut without needing a key to work from or removing the lock. (Would only unlock the car, not start it, as immo still active.)

We've not had the AA in brushing up on their lock picking skills for a while. They used to go around the yard testing their skills on whatever vehicles we had in. The one they struggled the most with was the current transits, it's just a shame ford never reinforced the barrels to stop thieves just wrenching the whole lot around and unlocking the door.

 

[Moose McAlpine]

We've not had the AA in brushing up on their lock picking skills for a while. They used to go around the yard testing their skills on whatever vehicles we had in. The one they struggled the most with was the current transits, it's just a shame ford never reinforced the barrels to stop thieves just wrenching the whole lot around and unlocking the door.

Those HU101s are a good lock and trip a lot of people up. I like them, they need a fine touch and finesse to open them, easy to over set the wafers.

My old 19-plate Custom had a shallow lock face and stainless bezel to stop the barrel being twisted. I believe it was Ford's update. Not sure if they reinforced the mounting though.

 

[m_c]

Those HU101s are a good lock and trip a lot of people up. I like them, they need a fine touch and finesse to open them, easy to over set the wafers.

My old 19-plate Custom had a shallow lock face and stainless bezel to stop the barrel being twisted. I believe it was Ford's update. Not sure if they reinforced the mounting though.

That was all aftermarket stuff.
Given the effort Ford put into the door lock security on the older Transit, I'm still surprised they made the new ones as flimsy as they did.

 

[Moose McAlpine]

That was all aftermarket stuff.
Given the effort Ford put into the door lock security on the older Transit, I'm still surprised they made the new ones as flimsy as they did.

I think ours were factory fit, they were the nice big bezels like the Hykee locks. The AA would never spend "uneccessary" money on acessories or security.

 

[Kram]

I bought a Toyota key blank on ebay because they are very rare...went to get it cut and had 20 minutes of ear ache about how he wasn't running a charity and had to make a living.

My logic was this...parking costs £2...if I come and you don't have the key and then I have to come back that's £4 extra for the £3.50 key cutting service!

Wasn't having it....in the end I said if he had the key in I would pay £3.50 for mine to be cut (and he could keep his)...if he didn't have it he would cut it for free!

Got myself a free key...but he still had the hump. How someone can be so angry when they don't even stock the key I want and I've explained a dozen times why I did what I did is beyond me. I never went back....I bet its now a coffee shop!

Timpsons outright refused. Company policy they must supply all blanks. So I said ok. He looked at the blank for a moment , "oh I dont have that, I'll need to order it in". Ok then. He got a big book out, spent 10 minutes looking through, couldnt find it. Insists I let him photo my key, so some git at head office can choose a blank that, will probably be wrong. Nope he can photo my blank, he refused.
Yet I had a blank in my hand... Price didnt come into it, I would have paid..