Why doesn't my copied key work?

You had a spare made, tried it at the front door, and it does nothing. Maybe it will not go in. Maybe it goes in and will not turn. Maybe it turns only if you jiggle it just right. A copy that fails is common, and in most cases the lock is fine. The copy is the problem.

This guide covers home and business door locks only. Roger does not handle car keys or vehicles of any kind.

First: do not force it

A new key that is cut slightly wrong can bind on the pins. If you crank on it, it can snap off inside the cylinder, and a broken key in the lock is a bigger job than a bad copy. If it does not turn with normal hand pressure, take it out and use your original key.

Why copies fail

• The copy was made from a worn key. A key cutter traces your key. If your original has years of wear on the cuts, the copy inherits that wear, and sometimes the tracing adds a little more. The original still works because the lock has worn along with it. The copy is just far enough off to fail.
• The cut is slightly off. Key machines drift out of calibration, and a key that sits a hair crooked in the clamp gets cut a hair crooked. A small error on one cut is enough to stop the lock turning.
• Burrs on the new key. Fresh cuts leave tiny metal slivers on the edges. If the counter skipped the deburring step, those slivers catch on the pins. Run a fingertip along the cuts. If it feels sharp or rough, that is a likely cause.
• The wrong blank. Many keyways look alike. A blank that is close but not the same can go in partway, go in tight, or go in and not line up with the pins.
• The shoulder is off. The shoulder is the small step near the head that stops the key at the right depth. If it was cut or placed wrong, every cut lands in the wrong spot even though the shape looks right.
• It is a restricted key. Some keys use a patented keyway that ordinary blanks do not fit. A counter may have used the nearest match, which will not work. Those keys can only be cut by an authorized locksmith with the owner's approval.

How to tell a bad copy from a worn lock

• Your original works every time and the copy does not. The copy is the problem.
• Hold the two keys together, back to back, and look at the cuts against a light. Any peak or valley that does not line up points to the cut that is off.
• Check the copy in a second lock keyed the same, if you have one. If it fails in both, it is the key.
• If the original also sticks, needs jiggling, or only works on the second try, the lock and the original are both worn. That is a sign to fix the lock, not to keep making copies.

What is safe to try

• Deburr the copy. Rub the cut edges lightly with fine sandpaper or a nail file, then wipe it clean. Do not reshape the cuts, only smooth the edges.
• Insert it fully and turn gently. Pull it out a tiny amount while turning. If that works, the shoulder or a cut is slightly off, and the copy will keep giving trouble.
• Put a puff of dry graphite or PTFE lock lubricant in the cylinder. Avoid oily sprays. They attract grit.
• Take it back to the place that cut it with your original. Most will recut it. Ask them to cut from the original again and to deburr it.
• If a second copy fails the same way, stop copying the worn key. A copy of a copy loses a little more each time.

When a locksmith is the better fix

A locksmith can cut a key to the lock's original specification instead of tracing a worn key. They do this by reading the code stamped on some keys, by decoding the lock, or by measuring the pins. The result works like a new key, not like a copy of an old one.

If the lock itself is worn, or you have several mismatched keys floating around, a locksmith can rekey the cylinder and cut fresh keys for it. A rekey is also the right call if you are not sure who else has a copy. For restricted keys, an authorized locksmith is the only one who can legitimately cut more.

What moves the price is how many keys and locks are involved, whether the key is a standard or restricted type, whether the locksmith cuts by code or has to decode the lock, whether a rekey is needed, and the time of day. You see a qualitative range up front, and the locksmith confirms the price in person after seeing the lock.

Booking through Roger

Describe the problem: which door, what the copy does (will not go in, goes in but will not turn, or works only sometimes), whether your original still works, and how many locks you need keys for. A photo of the key next to the lock helps. Roger books one vetted local locksmith and confirms the appointment, so you know which company is coming. Home and business only.

You can describe the problem on rogerrepair.com and get one locksmith booked.