On Wed, Apr 9, 2025 at 6:17 PM Paul Koning via cctalk <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > On Apr 8, 2025, at 10:26 PM, The Doctor via cctalk <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > > > On Monday, April 7th, 2025 at 13:05, Fred Cisin via cctalk > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> although time consuming, and requiring som moderate machining skill, that > >> looks like it shouldn't be an extreme problem to make a blank. > >> I assume that Tony has, or has access to, a precision milling machine. > > > > It might not even need an automill. At the very least for the purposes of > > prototyping, > > it should be possible to carve some of the wards by hand with a Dremel. > > Or a file. I've made keys from blanks with just a triangular or square > needle file. Yes, it might take more than one try, but it's not hard, just a > bit tedious.
To cut the biting -- the notches for the pins -- is not at all hard with a file. I've done it several times. As you say, you mght need a couple of attempts which is why I'd want more than one blank. But if you don't have the right blank and are starting from a strip of metal, then to cut the grooves along the sides of the blank to clear the wards (for want of a better term) in the keyway you really do need a mlll. -tony > > paul >
