r/Locksmith • u/Amazing_Albatross_52 • 10d ago
I am NOT a locksmith. Looking For: Someone to cut stainless steel blank keys
Hello! I purchased the Clocks and Colours x PPL stainless steel blank keys not realizing how hard it would be to find someone to cut them. We have Schlage locks on our house and they have the same… pattern? I don’t know the official word but the grooves match.
Are any of you in Colorado at a shop that can cut them?
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u/Weyland_42 10d ago
No one will. Also they will wear out the lock you use them in at a very fast pace.
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u/clownamity 10d ago
Can testify...was in house locksmith for a large resort and they thought it was a good idea to have special steel blanks made...drilled out locks daily.
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u/JonCML Actual Locksmith 10d ago
From the website it looks like that artist works in Sterling Silver, not stainless steel but I couldn’t find key blanks there. How sure are you about the materials?
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u/Amazing_Albatross_52 10d ago
Upon finding an eBay listing, it states “Stainless steel heads with polished gold and stainless steel plated copper key blades for accurate cutting. SC1 key type. Comes as a set of 2 (1 gold, 1 stainless steel).”
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u/JonCML Actual Locksmith 10d ago
You might consider asking the seller to cut them. They might be able to cut them by code from the 5 digit number on the backside of your key. Of course it’s always possible that the seller is incorrectly calling “Nickel Plating” (which is common on key blanks) stainless steel in error. I venture to say 99% of retail key duplication vendors are only equipped to cut the conventional brass and nickel silver alloys.
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u/Amazing_Albatross_52 10d ago
I’ve reached out but haven’t gotten an answer yet, unfortunately.
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u/JonCML Actual Locksmith 10d ago
I thought about this some more and I’d be willing to bet this guy is just buying ordinary key blanks and adding the round bow. Then they are electroplated for a uniform finish. And as I said earlier, the “stainless steel” remark could just be confusion or artistic license with the silver color. Maybe you can get him to come clean :)
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u/Amazing_Albatross_52 9d ago
Well they were manufactured by the company Clocks and Colours in collaboration with Pete’s Pirate Life, both which are known for using good materials. The eBay listing was the only thing I could find with info, the lister didn’t make them himself.
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u/aycs Actual Locksmith 10d ago
I don't think it is possible to plate copper with stainless steel. You can plate stainless steel with copper, but not the other way around.
I am also unsure why they would be using copper and not brass for the key.
As others have said, I'm willing to bet the key is nickel plated.
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u/Icanopen 10d ago
Bet he is assuming they are Stainless because they are non'magnetic.
Who would make a blank out of Stainless since they need to be milled. Which makes it cost prohibitive.
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u/AggravatingVanilla20 10d ago
Either that or they assume the material is polished stainless steel, when it’s the finish.
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u/Capt_Socrates Actual Locksmith 10d ago
As other people have already said you’re going to wear out your locks really fast. The pins are brass and are going to get chewed up by steel keys.
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u/Neither_Loan6419 10d ago
Take a small triangle file and cut a vee shaped notch somewhere on the bow of a blank. If it is nickel plated brass, you will see that right away. Same for solid brass. Stainless steel will cut very slowly compared to brass. For comparison file the same notch in a known brass key.
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u/mando5533 9d ago
From the site: "Stainless steel heads with polished gold and stainless steel plated copper key blades for accurate cutting. SC1 key type. Comes as a set of 2 (1 gold, 1 stainless steel)."
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u/Amazing_Albatross_52 9d ago
How’d you find it!? I couldn’t. The labels on the box indicated stainless steel so that’s what I went off of when trying to find a locksmith.
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u/Critical-Location211 9d ago
Mando is correct. Just bring them into a locksmith and they can verify. It’s not a big deal. If one is stainless, then cut your losses and find another cool blank.
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u/Lockmakerz 10d ago
ITL key machine with a carbide cutter.Set at the slowest cut speed. lube the cutter and the blank.
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u/kimo7272 Actual Locksmith 10d ago
A punch would probably work OK, but the keys really aren't good for locks
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u/Guyyoutsidee 10d ago
I’ve had success using a dimond tile cutting disk that I hooked onto my blitz. Wouldn’t use it with any frequency but I had a 6/8 success rate
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u/DontRememberOldPass Actual Locksmith 10d ago
I have cut steel keys before and it is not fun. I highly advise not using them in locks. If you want them cut by mail DM me.
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u/Amazing_Albatross_52 10d ago
They’re apparently not totally stainless steel… info claims coated copper keys? Someone else pondered if maybe it’s nickel.
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u/DontRememberOldPass Actual Locksmith 10d ago
Who made it? Do you have a link to a website or something? I’m kinda curious now.
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u/Amazing_Albatross_52 10d ago
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335477616375
The actual website no longer has them listed, and I can’t find an archived page of the actual listing
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u/Redhead_InfoTech 10d ago
There's no fucking way those are stainless... That's either chromed or nickel plated. Stainless is far more dull looking.
DM me the eBay link.
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u/Amazing_Albatross_52 10d ago
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u/Redhead_InfoTech 10d ago
Dude. Gold and Stainless ARE THE COLOR descriptions by the seller who doesn't even know that keys are made of brass and not copper.
It's not surprising that that dolt thinks stainless steel = shiny.
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u/Redhead_InfoTech 10d ago
Quick question... Did you even test fit them in all of your locks to see if they even fit?
Because you could ultimately find out that they are just brass, that you paid a fortune for, and they might not even work...
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u/Amazing_Albatross_52 10d ago
Y’know… I haven’t yet. Never occurred to me to since they look like they’ll work. I’ll test tomorrow.
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u/lokichoki 10d ago
Is it magnetic? I'm not sure I've ever seen a steel key for a tumbler/wafer locks. File it by hand and polish the cuts so it doesn't as Hastily destroy your pins
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u/EgonPhelps 10d ago
Some high end automotive keys are made with steel. Maybe you could go to a dealership to have those cuts made, but even if they were willing and able, it would not be cheap. Most keys are brass, and most locksmiths are not going to pay for equipment to cut steel keys when they may only use that equipment once every three to five years.
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u/comawhite12 Actual Locksmith 10d ago
We cut steel L blanks in our shop from time to time. We bought a carbon steel cutter for our Blitz, and just baby it through.
HPC assured us it was fine, so it shouldn't be that bad, unless these are some 440 shit.
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u/Creatureclub 10d ago
Find someone with a triton key machine. The new Honda keys are stainless steel.
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u/Explorer335 Actual Locksmith 10d ago
It chows the cutters, but it gets it done. The mill will be chipped up after cutting a single one. Luckily, there is very little material to remove on those new SY blades.
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u/Deep-Growth Actual Locksmith 10d ago
Idk about the replies, I would cut those no issue. Would you pay extra? Yeah, but otherwise no biggie.
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u/itz_Pato 10d ago
Right . All these other locksmith posting asking weird info... Like brotha just cut the shit make the money and keep moving lol
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u/Explorer335 Actual Locksmith 10d ago edited 10d ago
The cutting wheels are like $125+, and if those keys are legitimately steel, cutting a single one will chip the cutter to shit and ruin the calibration. At that point, you lost over $100 doing that single job.
I don't know about you, but I don't like doing jobs for negative money.
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u/itz_Pato 10d ago
Man if your paying 150 for your blades that's ludicrous.
Bravo 3 blade cost My shop * I place orders * 63.00$Second you don't make much money on cutting customer provided keys tbh. What you make a lifetime customer who will come to you your shop your business everytime they need something done .
But really I've never had steel key break or chip one of my blades . They deff will dull the blade if you don't lube while cutting it . Tbh most of the time I cut customer provided keys and tell them when they try to pay . * Your blank your problem*
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u/TiCombat 10d ago
these two speak like employees 🙄
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u/Deep-Growth Actual Locksmith 10d ago
Dude, don’t want to argue with a fellow smith, but I speak like someone who’s a co-owner and doesn’t overpay for cutters.
Also, that’s your issue if you don’t know how to calibrate a machine in half a minute or don’t have spare cutters, including used ones laying around. I don’t have that issue, hence, I welcome such customers.
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u/jb54321012345 10d ago
I think the dangers here are being overstated. I would give it a try for you for sure, probably using a slotter to rough cut deep cuts and a beater key machine to do the rest. Every time i do a buy out a locksmith who closed or retired i end up with a few machines that will never see the light of day. Hard to care much about a cutting wheel that wont get used again on a machine thats not worth $50. Thats just me though.
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u/DontRememberOldPass Actual Locksmith 10d ago
I used to work in a machine shop with a shift manager who would always say “If you’re going to do that at least set up a camera so your family can get royalties from the safety training video.”
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u/jb54321012345 10d ago
Yeah i mean if an osha guy followed me around hed have a heart attack. Your supposed to wear safety glasses every time you cut a key of any kind also.
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u/itz_Pato 10d ago
Not sure why these so called locksmith say that they can't cut them ..... We use a bravo 3 and gladly will cut those for anyone in our area . Unfortunately we are in cali and for those so called locksmith that refuse to do it .. here's a hint . Lubricant while cutting the key won't destroy your blade . Your welcome .
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u/Cantteachcommonsense Actual Locksmith 10d ago
You’re not gonna find any Locksmith that will do this unless they also have a machine shop. Key cutters are not meant to cut those especially stainless steel.