Locksmith

Duplicating Keys

Keys have become an essential component of modern day living. Many of our things are lock protected with specific keys to open them. It’s normal for people to carry a set of keys which they need to perform their daily activities. Losing any of your key can prove to be quite a nuisance. That’s why it’s better to have a duplicate key, in case you lose one. There are many ways to replace your keys. But all of them, can prove to be very time consuming and costly. Getting duplicate keys is the most reliable and less troublesome method. There are many locksmith services out there who claim to provide you the best service. But only a few possess the trained locksmiths who are good at duplicating keys.
There are many methods of duplicating a key. Making a duplicate key by hand is one of the ancient and most common methods. It can also be than at home but you need to have the right tools and some patience. Locksmiths use many ways to duplicate a key by hand. One method is by clamping the original and the blank keys together in a vice etc. in such a way that the pattern of original can be used as a pattern for duplication. Then, by carefully filing at all sides you can achieve a fairly accurate duplicate. Another method is the metal filing method. The original key is carefully traced on a metal file and then the duplicate key is cut using the required measurements. These methods can be very time consuming and lethargic and doesn’t always yield accurate results. With the development in technology, there are many methods which are time efficient and accurate.
Another advanced method is photographic key duplication. This method makes accurate duplicate key using just the photograph of the original. A software has been designed which takes accurate measurements from the picture, even if it is taken at an angle. Then, using those it produces highly accurate duplicate keys. This method has been tested using pictures from cell phone cameras and telephoto lens from a large distance and it still produced reasonably accurate results. Merge method is another accurate method which merges the two keys together and removes the surfaces that are overlapping, resulting in the accurate copy of the key. A highly complex code is used for this method. In the recent years, a dual cutting machine has been developed which has highly simplified the process of duplicating key. It has allowed the cutting of both the cylinder and the mortise in a single machine, which was previously done by separate ones.
It depends upon which locksmith service you chose. Some services lack technology and their locksmiths will manually trace your keys before duplicating them. While there are locksmiths who will digitally scan your key and will manufacture an accurate copy, perfectly aligned to factory adjustments! Thus, be careful while choosing a locksmith service; thoroughly check the qualification of their staff and the technical advancement of the service.

Locksmith Los Angeles