Key machine brushes

[the lockpickkid]

Hey guys, I just been playing today with my duplicators. I have a softie style brush on one, like nylon bristles, and I have a wire brush on another. For all of you guys out there that make keys, what do you prefer? I am leaning myself on the softie, I had never used a wire brush much until I bought one recently. I think the wire does ok, but seems to take too much off of a key, and leaves it a dull color, where the nylon seems to shine a key up and takes the burres off. Just a random thought I had.... Thanks!

[KokomoLock]

I prefer the softie brush, that is what I use on all my machines. The stiffer wire brush lasts longer, but I think the softie style gets the flash off better than the stiff wire brush.

[thelockoutguys]

softie for me...but wire brushes have been working alright since the dinosaurs

[the lockpickkid]

yeah, when the wire wears out, I am getting a softie for that machine as well, it's just different, It works, but I am not sure if I like it.

[eeze]

hello every one.
the answers really depends on your key blanks, if your using bronze key blanks then go soft, but if your using steal key blanks like me then you need a hard brush to do the job.

[loki]

I use the softe brushes. They produce a better finish on the key.

I think the softe brush may be a bit safer compared to the wire brush, as the wire type tends to shed it's strands easyly.

In any case, shop glasses are recommended when cutting/deburring keys.

[KokomoLock]

hello every one.
the answers really depends on your key blanks, if your using bronze key blanks then go soft, but if your using steal key blanks like me then you need a hard brush to do the job.

Just wondering where you are getting bronze key blanks from?? Also, you are cutting steel keys?? I stopped cutting them a long time ago because they will seriously kill a cutter wheel that was made to cut brass. Do they have new cutter wheels out made to cut steel blanks?? Thanks.

[the lockpickkid]

To my knowledge they don't have a steel specific cuttter. I may be wrong though, but I can see how they would dull a cutter versus just cutting brass. At the price of just the simple cutters like what I got and the high dollar cutters, I would stay away from anything that dulls them, they are not cheap at all. I do have a flat steel key cutter but I have never used it.

[uklockpicker]

I have to differant dont i !... wire brush for me as most of my blanks are steel not brass I tend to not use it tho and just get my manual wire brush to polish up keys

[KokomoLock]

I have to differant dont i !... wire brush for me as most of my blanks are steel not brass I tend to not use it tho and just get my manual wire brush to polish up keys

What Steel blanks are you using?? The only ones I see for sale are tubular key blanks and old Master Warded Key blanks??

[uklockpicker]

Ive hundreds of steel blanks and brass , i dont advertise them for sale

Ive noticed tubular blanks in the US are very very cheap compaired to here in the uk .

[eeze]

hello again, i use exclusively Silca blanks and of them the rep in Cyprus only imports steel blanks now due to the cost of bronze, as for the cutting wheels and milling knives only titanium, but there's a very good HSS cutting wheal from Germany that the Silca rep over here imports himself that are very good, on my milling machine i use 4 twist titanium milling knives and on my double head a double sided 80 teeth titanium cutting wheal for pin tumbler with a 120 teeth titanium cutting wheal for mortise,
on my other machine i use the German double sided 150 teeth HSS. i find that when cutting steel its best to have as many teeth as possible because it reduces the load on the motor.

[the lockpickkid]

That reminds me, somehow I have aquired a whole box of Master warded keys, the steel ones, anybody ever need some, hit me up, I will never use them I bet.

Wouldn't steel key blanks actually make better keys that would offer more resistance against breakage? Or would they have the opposite effect on a locks pins and stuff, wearing them out faster etc. etc.??

[eeze]

hello again, your right the steel blanks are very hard wearing much better than bronze , i also have considered pin damage that's why i round of the peaks with a file not a lot but enough so that when i run my fingers over the peaks there's no sharp edge to scratch.

[the lockpickkid]

One main reason that most all of our keys in the U.S. are brass of some sort is probably because they are cheaper to make, not better. So do you guys over there actually have bronze keys, or are they brass?