The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : They find solution to the missing key at work

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Sunday, Aug 03, 2008
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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

They find solution to the missing key at work

Kannal Achuthan

Experienced key-makers can cut new keys even when duplicate is not available

— Photo: M. Vedhan

KEY FACTOR: A duplicate key-maker near the Head Post Office on Anna Salai.

Chennai: Keys keep getting misplaced or lost. And when they can’t be traced even after an exhaustive search in pockets, bags and around the house, it is time to go to the makers of duplicate keys. Two-wheeler keys are the most frequently duplicated, said S. Kumar, a key-maker near the Aminjikarai market off Poonamallee High Road.

He has bunches of old keys and sets of key blanks that can be cut into the required shape. There are separate sets of key blanks that can be cut to fit the locks of mopeds, scooters, motorbikes, drawers and cupboards.

A typical key has two parts: one is the ‘blade’ which slides into the keyhole of the lock and the other is the ‘bow’ which holds to turn the key in the lock. Kumar and his friend Shanmugam, also a duplicate key-maker, said that finding the right key blank is very important. Their tool set comprises several files that are use to cut and shape the keys. They charge Rs. 20 to Rs. 60 based on the time and skill required to duplicate the key. Each one makes about Rs. 2,500 a month. Shanmugam said that experienced key-makers can cut new keys even when a duplicate is not available.

Sometimes, the key in the socket of a two-wheeler becomes loose and falls out without the rider noticing.

“It takes time if there is no duplicate key to use a model… But by experimenting with various cuts, we can make a new one,” he said.

How do they know if they are making duplicates for a criminal or someone who has stolen a vehicle? Kumar said that key-makers cannot find out if a person is really the owner but if they grow suspicious, they say the key cannot be made.

The roadside key-makers ply their trade near puncture repair shops, mechanic workshops and automobile spare parts shops. Sometimes, the police ask them to move away from pavements. “As we only have a box of tools and keys, it is not difficult to move out and come back later,” said Kumar.

Competing with machines

The competition for roadside key-makers who manually make the keys comes from key-making machines, which use a sensor and a cutter. A key is placed on the sensor and the blank is placed on the cutter. The machine then cuts the key blank into shape in less than a minute.

Ashok Kumar has set up a key-making machine in his motor parts shop on General Patters Road. The machine costs about Rs. 40,000. “It is quite easy to operate. Once you have the settings right, it is like photocopying the key,” he said.

The key blanks are purchased wholesale. They come from Aligarh, famous for the manufacture of keys and locks.

Ashok Kumar said that car ignition keys with microchips inside them cannot be duplicated. “You would have to go to the car company to get a new one,” he said.

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