Keys cut on the spot
Keys duplicated and created at a counter that has cut them since 1917
House keys, car keys, designer, high-security, skeleton and antique chest keys: copied on the spot, or created when there is no key to copy.
Chapter 01
When the key is worn, odd, old or gone
Copies of copies lose accuracy. Each generation drifts a little further from the original cut depths until the new key drags in the lock, sticks halfway or only works if you lift the door. Keys with an unusual blank, a worn bow or a stamp nobody can read are the ones that tend to get handed back across a kiosk counter.
Wilensky's duplicates antique keys, car keys, designer keys, high-security keys and skeleton keys, and can create almost any kind of key. A new house key, a new car key and an antique chest key all come across the same counter.
When there is no key left to copy, a key gets created instead. That is a different job from a copy, because it starts from the lock and not from a worn original.
Floor-to-ceiling wall of hanging keys, each on its own manila tag
Cut, not just copied: blanks, depths and the wall behind the counter
A good duplicate starts with the right blank. Blanks differ by keyway profile, length, shoulder and bow, and a blank that is close but wrong will cut cleanly and still refuse to turn. The green Genuine ILCO Key Blanks board in the shop is hung with blanks and tags, and the long wall of keys beside it is what three generations of the family have been working from since 1917.
Cutting follows the original's depths and spacing. A clean duplicate is deburred so it doesn't shave brass inside your cylinder, and tried in the lock before it leaves the counter. A smooth, true cut matters more than a fast one, because a burr left on the blade ends up inside the lock.
Blanks come in different colors, and customers with a ring full of similar keys like that. One Google reviewer cut keys here on the spot and called the choice of colors a godsend when you have multiple keys.
Chapter 03
Spares, rings and when to bring a key back
Keep a spare key in a safe place, and make it before you need it. Cut the spare from the original rather than from a copy, so the spare doesn't inherit any drift that has already crept into the key you use every day.
Every key on a ring does hard work. If one starts to go in rough, stick, or leave brass dust on your fingers, bring it back and have it looked at while it still turns the lock. A key that is only slightly off will wear a cylinder faster than one that is true.
Come by 1113 E Passyunk Ave in South Philadelphia, open Monday to Friday 9 AM to 6 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM, or call (215) 468-4819 to ask about a key before you make the trip.
“Okay, these people are absolutely amazing! I was trying to duplicate my key and went to five different places, but none of them were able to do it. They did it very easily. Nice and professional. Thanks!” Cumhur Gorgun, Google review.
Tagged and hung: the keys that come across the counter
Seven tags from the shop's own key duplication list. Five name the kind of key and two name the way it gets made.
Kinds of key
Copied or created
Copied from a key you hand over, or created when there is none to hand.