[116] DIY How To Hand File A Key

An Easy To Follow How To On Making Your Own Key

This is a basic instructional video going over the theory of how to hand-file a key with some hands-on demonstration.

Within this video you will be provided with the background information on how to file your key even if you have little to no knowledge and or experience with locks.

This is a skill that takes time to develop and I am still working on perfecting it myself. It is not as difficult as one might think. The important thing to remember is a pretty key is not important, all we need is a functional one.

You can buy some cheap files on line, you can use a 1/2” wooden dowel for a plug follower, and regular tweezers to grab the pins. You can buy keyblanks at many hardware stores, and I recommend you buy extra, there can be a learning curve.

If you need to end up shimming your lock open and you do not have a core shim, you can get one from the security tag of many DVD cases. Also, if you do not have a pinning tray, a piece of corrugated cardboard works very well.

This video is broken down into the following parts:

00:07 Introduction and Example of The Supplies You May Need

02:33 How To Get The Lock Open

03:09 30 Second Overview On How To Shim A Lock Open

03:50 Taking The Lock Apart

05:57 Explanation Of How A Key Works

06:22 How To Decode Your Keypins To Code Cut A Key

08:01 Determining The Spacing-- Critical Step

09:38 Starting Your Initial Cuts

10:07 Starting The Filing Process

15:11 Verifying Your Key

16:37 Re-Installing The Plug

17:23 Quick Recap

Here Are A Few Links To Some Items You May Need Found On Amazon!

DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains Amazon Affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, my channel will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Thank you for checking out this video! If you have any questions or suggestions please leave them in in the comments below.

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#HelpfulLockPicker #LockPicking #LockSport

[DenBrass]

Very nice setup HelpfulLockPicker ... i love your biting key lol ... when im finish one key i pass the 600 sand paper for great finishing ... cheers :)

[robertclark]

Nice tutorial. You sound very relaxed on this video ... good job!

[fastcharlie]

Nice video and it was great that you shared how to shim it open. That is a useful skill I accidentally picked up recently that is wish I had known about a lot sooner. I use garage sale files and don’t worry about filing one way. I also try to use cheap little jewelry diamond grit files from the craft store. The round ones are awesome and wish I could find a triangle version. 👍

[nicoarasamuel]

Great video. It would be nice if I see a dimple key impressioning... Not only the foil impression but also an actual dimple key made by hand

[HelpfulLockPicker]

Thank you to briarberrycove for sending me this Kwikset to play with. I decided it needed a key and it was fun making a video on the process :)

[shellyn]

This is pretty cool! You have an awesome skill!

[JDgiggles]

Thank you for this, I have been trying to properly file a key for school. (Locksmith) and I just have been confused.

[lostandfound]

I would like to see you impression the lock without without breaking it open. Also I find using a squareish file to mark the spacing is a good start but round files work best for me. The absolute best file I know of for keys is a Pippin file(tear drop). If never impressed before I suggest a simple waffer filing cabinet(cam lock) lock and you'll be on your way.

[hakzolot]

Hi another great video, can you do one on depth keys thanks for sharing 🔒⛏️😁

[hakzolot]

Hello HelpFulLockpicker do you know if the Lishi Key Cutter is any good for this? Thanks for sharing

[fazanhamrock]

This time I will use Woodglut plans for this.

[usernamemykel]

A digital caliper looks like a plumber's wrench. What you have is a digital micrometer, which looks like the letter "C".

[aarontooth]

I tried this method, and it has a pretty serious problem. What I've found is that different locks have slightly different pin positions, where the depths will be slightly different. In a properly cut key, it doesn't matter, because the land is totally flat (and the ridges between each land will tend to hold the key in the correct position, no matter what's going on with the shoulder).

But in your key, the slightly different depth is going to be enough to get the depth off. You'd think maybe it shouldn't be much, but in my experience, it's a lot.

And there's other issues too. Your lands aren't wide enough, so the pin doesn't actually sit properly, and it's actually too deep in the middle. If a different lock has a different pin style, it won't work; and that's going to bite you here if you try to upgrade to more precise key pins. You can fix this by using the same manufacturer's pins in every lock, but that won't solve the previous problem.

Even in the same lock, there might be enough slop to have the same problem. When you pull out the key just a little, with the shoulder no longer touching, you might be pretty far off, and the key can jam. Most likely you won't get reliable operation.

So I basically think this is not a method anyone should use. Unfortunately I don't have an improvement, but either way, this isn't the right way to do this. The thing I'm going to try next is to only use a square file, never the triangle; and mark the outside of each land (using a 777 key), instead of the middle, so I can see how wide it has to be.

By the way, I also tried the Dremel, but it is way too difficult to control precisely though to get those smooth flat cuts, at least with the bits I have on hand.

I was hoping an actual locksmith would jump in here with the right method, but I don't see anyone doing that yet.

[usborn]

Don't know where you get one cut for a few dollars but the guy I went to wanted $18.00.