Keys to unknown locks

[vito]

Even though I went through this process about 10 years ago, I have found that I have more than a few keys for some lock, somewhere, that I cannot readily identify. Several of these are house front door type keys and some are odd shaped small or large keys. As I said, I went through this about 10 years ago and threw away a bunch of keys that I could not identify. Not once in these last 10 years I have discovered that I threw away a key that was needed or even possibly needed, but now I am again stymied in wondering what these keys are for. Two of them, I fear, were for a car top box that I sold in good faith to someone through Craigslist (I have no idea who it was since I insisted on cash when they came to pick it up) and hope I did not just fail to give them the keys to this item. Some of the others I am completely baffled as to what they are for. Maybe its just me and age, but now its driving me a bit batty trying to figure out what they are for before I toss them in the trash. Has this ever happened to you?

 

[Poco Oso]

I found a key, with some other unknowns, that I tracked down to my sister's place, in Colorado, forty years ago. I still have no idea what the others were for. I guess I probably don't need them anymore. :mrgreen:

 

[Dave P.]

I have a shoebox on a shelf in my basement that is about 2/3rds. full
of many years worth of mystery keys.
Most, if not all, of which I have no clue about what they may fit.
I suppose someday I try to open something and find I've lost the
key....drag out the box and see if any fit.
Taken to the next level, think about computer passwords......
Dave

 

[coach]

I have a bunch of keys with no idea where they came from. They don’t take up much room so I have them in a box in the garage. Every now and then they come in handy. Also had a bunch of combo locks with no combinations. I found a YouTube that shows you how they can be hacked. Then I wrote the combinations on the locks with a sharpie. No more kids at home that need gym locker locks though.

 

[Jeepnik]

I have a rather large box almost full with unknown keys. Life is too short to try an figure out what they go to. I'll leave it to the boys and let them sort it out. Think of it a revenge from the grave for all the times they neglected to put tools back where they got them from.

 

[Dave P.]

I have a rather large box almost full with unknown keys. Life is too short to try an figure out what they go to. I'll leave it to the boys and let them sort it out. Think of it a revenge from the grave for all the times they neglected to put tools back where they got them from.

Put some labels on the keys for a few non-existent tool chests or security boxes.
If you want to drive em nuts that should help.
Dave

 

[Kevin]

I have a drawer with 10 or 15 keys. Some are little and some are for houses. Who knows which house though, not mine.

One the other side, I found an open padlock about 5 years ago. I took it on my bike ride and on a whim, locked it on a fence along the bike path about 5 miles from my house. Since then, I’ve managed to get 14 padlocks on that fence. Kind of like those fence in Paris. Only one other person attached a lock to “my” fence. I guess no one else gets the humor.

 

[bobski]

I have 5 cigar boxes of keys.
amazingly, im still able to mate them up on occasion, as I go thru all my dads footlockers, door locks, cabinet locks, gun safe locks, you name it.
I even have skeleton keys im mating up to my older house doors in va, that uses corbin locks. every room , closet, and cabinet in the kitchen, has a locked door. last count is 55 doors, 80 cabinets, 25 closets. no 2 are the same.
a good past time.

 

[wolfsong]

I have memorized my set of 23 work keys, but I'll be damned if I can remember which key opens what lock/door/ cabinet or starts which tractor/quad/boat/car/truck at home. My Draw-Tite receiver hitch is permanently part of my truck now. I have to change the ball to haul different trailers...but I can go in and out of just about any door or gate in the prison...

Go figure.

 

[contender]

I think all of us get keys that we no longer use,, or know what they fit in all manners of designs.

I have taken to occasionally finding that odd key that fits whatever,, and then labeling that key with a tag & a fob,, to make sure I don't forget it again.

Slowly but surely,, I'll get most of my odd keys mated up!
But I also have some combo locks that I use a lot,, so I have written down the combos in a safe place,, just in case I forget one of them. My son also knows how & where to find this stuff,, just in case.

 

[redhawker]

I've probably got 30+ keys to locks I can't ID. I just know the day I throw them out I'll find the a lock
or two they go to.

 

[gramps]

My son is a locksmith. I have a few keys I don’t know what they fit. All of my padlocks but one have its key stuck in in it. Mostly I throw away keys. My son can make me a new key. Life is fun ain’t it?
gramps

 

[kramden]

I'm always afraid to throw the mystery keys away. I do eventually and seldom if ever find that I wish that i hadn't.

 

[bobski]

its not just keys. seems every man has the illness called....acummulitis.

 

[NikA]

I attempt to keep excess keys to a minimum by destroying them when I know they are no longer needed. Cut them up with shears and put the pieces in the yellow metal box. One day I hope to get a furnace for casting brass.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Some of the others I am completely baffled as to what they are for. Maybe its just me and age, but now its driving me a bit batty trying to figure out what they are for before I toss them in the trash. Has this ever happened to you?

Hi,

Yes, and it was only about a week ago! I was "avoiding real work" and couldn't find a key in the big pile that I need every 10 years or so. I got a package of those little tags with the string on them and went to work matching key to key then key to lock. When I got finished, I had a one quart size Ziploc type bag stuffed to the gills. Two "orphans" were left in the "luggage key" department (all those funny looking little keys that fit who knows what), and several orphans were left in the "this fit the front door of my brother's house before he remodeled and changed that door lock" pile.

I did a pretty good job of burning up an entire afternoon at this little task!

Rick C

 

[bogus bill]

Maybe those orphans went to pistol display cases. Reminds me of a cartoon. Two hunters are loading up to go hunting. One is looking at a cork gun perplexed and saying, But, but junior took this to the church picnic!

 

[wiz1997]

Between the wife and I, we have quite a collection of keys from various jobs, cars, tool boxes, pad locks and houses.
Some I remember what they go to, most I have no idea.
My oldest set of unknown keys belonged to my Grandfather, skeleton type keys, he was a night watchman at a local bakery.
He told me some 50 years ago to never throw a key away.
Don't remember the why part.

 

[caryc]

A key doesn't take up much real estate. I have a small coin bank with a whole bunch of keys in it. Better to have a mysterious key in there than to find something that needs a key and you don't have it.

 

[bobski]

we have a man in town who is (challenged). he was all his life. I went to school with him.
he has huge key rings on both sides of his belt wherever he goes. whenever we see him, we give him more.
we asked him about it.
seems his dream was to be a night watchman. his dad told him that in his day, whoever had the most keys, meant they were the most important people in the factory.
it stuck and he still does it to this day.
some of his spring loaded holders are so heavy, the wires pulls out 2 feet and drag!
we do consider him important when we greet him. we give him the respect he craves. hes a nice guy, who is cared for very well by family.

 

[Poco Oso]

Well done bobski.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

I find keys all the time on hikes, walks, going-to-the-stores. And I have found some to locks that I no longer have.

BUT (Mike's big butt), I have an old oil can that I throw all otherwise unusable items made of brass into: keys,locks, wrecked cartridge cases, "faucets that don't flow no mo", fittings from hoses ditto, and all kinds of odd bits and pieces that I find and bring home (keep my eyes out for stuff that is GREEN and not a plant--it may be some discarded copper or brass!).

That stuff all goes to a salvage yard at the end of January each year and gets turned into gun gack or a down payment on my hunting and fishing licenses.

And I just love salvage yards (what we used to call "junk yards")! Museums of Americana! Dream trips down memory lane! Hard cash at the end of the tour!

 

[Acorn]

A store I used to work at had a 3 lb. coffee can full of key’s customers accidentally left there.
How many people carry a spare set of keys with them?
Apparently many.

 

[Selena]

I have my orphan keys plus those I inherited from my uncle. (OK, I found them in the house after he died.) One of the latter I am told is for an automobile called a Kaiser that the old man won in a card game and blew the engine driving it home. He kept it out of sentiment. The others have come from here and there and each have their story. But as carc pointed out, they don't take up much space and don't charge any rent so what's the harm? Besides, If anybody ever needs to unlock the panel of an IBM sys 3 computer I've got you covered. Just don't explain to me what it is.