investment casting question

I need to make a "key" to fit an odd security type "lock". It's not a
real lock in the sense there are no tumblers, but it was suggested to
me that investment casting would be necessary. I've been reading up on
that but could really use pointers to resources that would teach me how
to do this at home, or create at least a wax model that I could send
off someplace and have the "key" made cheaply. Perhaps I might as well
look for the holy grail though, I dunno, you guys tell me .

Essentially I need to make this tool:
http://i18.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/3b/11/ae_1.JPG

It doesn't need to be super strong, just strong enough to take about
the same amount of pressure as one would apply when turning a key. Any
suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Funny looking thing.. You need to cast the top piece to attach to a handle?
If it's fairly small you could cast it like jewelry. If you have a metal
one already, you could make a rubber mold and shoot as many waxes as you
want. If you have one in some material like hard plastic you could use that
like a wax model. If you want to carve one it doesn't look too awful tricky
if you can find a wax blank the right size to start with, kind of hard to
tell the dimensions by the pic.

If you're the experimental type there's a book by Tim McCreight called
"Practical Casting" it has some home made casting ideas, from sling casting,
potato casting, sand casting, I think he even has a section in there about
using a shop vac for a low budget low-tech vacuum casting.

Once you get started, you might get hooked, just be careful!


"robr" wrote in message
...
I need to make a "key" to fit an odd security type "lock". It's not a
real lock in the sense there are no tumblers, but it was suggested to
me that investment casting would be necessary. I've been reading up on
that but could really use pointers to resources that would teach me how
to do this at home, or create at least a wax model that I could send
off someplace and have the "key" made cheaply. Perhaps I might as well
look for the holy grail though, I dunno, you guys tell me .

Essentially I need to make this tool:
http://i18.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/3b/11/ae_1.JPG

It doesn't need to be super strong, just strong enough to take about
the same amount of pressure as one would apply when turning a key. Any
suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

When robr put fingers to keys it was 10/26/06 10:49 PM...

...
Essentially I need to make this tool:
http://i18.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/3b/11/ae_1.JPG

It doesn't need to be super strong, just strong enough to take about
the same amount of pressure as one would apply when turning a key. Any
suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

If you have the device it's supposed to fit, you could fabricate the
'key'. Much less 'tech' involved.

Flatten some wire and bend it to the 'flower' shape, testing in the
device as you go.
Cut a short piece of wire-that-fits for the center stud.
Solder them onto a base plate with bent-up sides for gripping (maybe
make a 'ring' out of it)

Silver solder would be best, but depending on how much you need to use
it and how much force it takes, you might get away with plumber's solder.

- CW

Buy one at "Tool King".

--

Don Thompson

There is nothing more frightening than active ignorance.
~Goethe

It is a worthy thing to fight for one's freedom;
it is another sight finer to fight for another man's.
~Mark Twain


"robr" wrote in message
...
I need to make a "key" to fit an odd security type "lock". It's not a
real lock in the sense there are no tumblers, but it was suggested to
me that investment casting would be necessary. I've been reading up on
that but could really use pointers to resources that would teach me how
to do this at home, or create at least a wax model that I could send
off someplace and have the "key" made cheaply. Perhaps I might as well
look for the holy grail though, I dunno, you guys tell me .

Essentially I need to make this tool:
http://i18.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/3b/11/ae_1.JPG

It doesn't need to be super strong, just strong enough to take about
the same amount of pressure as one would apply when turning a key. Any
suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!