I've seen a guy do it.  In the bike biz in the south
many dealers in small towns are also locksmiths.  I
watched one of my dealers make a new key once by
inserting the blank in the door lock and twisting,
then filing according to what his experienced eyeball
told him.  "Everywhere the tumblers hit and leaves a
mark, you file away," is what he told me. It took him
about 30 minutes and it worked.

Stephen

--- Brendan Slevin <brendan@BELLATAZZA.COM> wrote:

> Is it possible to cut your own keys with a vise and
> an assortment of files?
> Seems easy enough, but I am sure there is a trick to
> it keeping everyone
> from trying.
>
>
> Brendan
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List
> [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
> Bill Glenn
> Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 12:00 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: key blanks for vanagon in Vancouver BC
>
> The "key" to having keys made that always work, is:
> 1. Make copies only
> from the original key, whenever possible.  2.  Have
> the copies made at a
> lock shop by the experienced key cutter, not by the
> clerks in a hardware
> store, lumber yard, or the key kiosk in the mall
> (unless a locksmith) 3.
> If you don't have the original, have a new key cut
> to factory-original code
> by a locksmith, and after the locksmith makes copies
> from this
> new "original", put it away at home for future use
> in making copies (and as
> your for-sure, always-there, back-up key).  4.
> Lastly, be driving the van
> when you have the key made so proper function can be
> checked before you
> drive off, just to be sure.
>
> In the case of the Vanagon, for which key blanks are
> not always stocked,
> even by locksmiths, save yourself some run-around
> time by calling around to
> first determine who has the blanks, and whether they
> are the all-metal
> blanks or the rubber-headed blanks, depending on
> your preference.  When I
> needed additional keys two weeks ago, the VW dealer
> could only supply the
> key blanks by special order, at $12.95 each, which I
> declined.  The
> locksmith who had the blanks (all-metal) charged $3
> per key, including
> cutting (from my original).
>
> Bill
>

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