I had two primary
motivations for becoming a
locksmith. The first was to
have good quality keys that
worked well in smoothly
operating locks and the
second was to eliminate most
of the keys on the huge key
ring that was filling my
pocket.
The typical person carries
the keys to their front
doorknob and dead bolt, the
key to their back door and its
deadbolt, a gate key, the key
to where they work, another
key for the padlock on their
self storage unit and another
one for the padlock on their
lawn shed in the backyard.
Then there are a couple of car
keys and a mailbox key, and
finally a key for a bicycle or
motorcycle chain lock. That
could be ten or twelve
different keys hanging around
your keychain!
The car keys I can’t do
much about because they’re
all different brands and use
totally different key blanks
and locks. The mailbox key is
kind of on its own too.
Everything else however, isn’t
such a problem. Here’s how
to get rid of keys.
Today I’m going to talk
about padlocks. I’ve got
some beautifully made ABUS
padlocks. These padlocks
allow you to use your house
key rather than have to carry
another key around or
memorize another padlock
combination.
They’re available in 1 ¾”
wide, solid brass with 5/16”
hardened steel shackles with
lengths from 1 to 6 inches. I
use these on the back shed
and side gate at my mother-in-
law’s home.
For even higher security,
they also make a 2” wide,
chrome plated solid brass lock
with a 3/8” hardened steel
shackle.
Finally, they have a super
tough, 2 ¼” lock with a 7/16”
shackle. This is the one I use
to lock the overhead door on
the back of my truck. It uses
the same key as my home.
Next time I’ll write about
how you can eliminate keys if
you have both Schlage and
Kwikset locks.
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(photos used with permission)
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