Everyone’s been there—you return to your car or home after a long day, reach into your pocket, only to realize there’s no key. These moments are undoubtedly stressful and can trigger worries of expensive lock replacements. A qualified locksmith, however, can actually make keys with just a lock as the guide.

Usually, extra keys are duplicated from existing keys. This is impossible, of course, when there are no keys from which a copy can be made. While the locking mechanism could be replaced, thereby removing the need for duplicate keys because of an entirely new set, an experienced and skilled locksmith can make a new key by making an impression.

Instead of using the groove in a key as the guide for the duplicate, making an impression involves first starting with a blank. A blank is a key that hasn’t yet been cut down to fit a specific lock mechanism. The locksmith will insert the key blank into the lock and move it around. This movement makes small marks on the blank that show where the pins are located in the lock. Using these marks, the locksmith will slowly begin to file the key blank down, repeating the process as many times as necessary. With each pass, the blank will begin to take the shape of a functioning key.

Depending on how many impressions the locksmith has made, making a new key can take as little as five or 10 minutes. As such, you don’t need to panic the next time you lose your key. With the assistance of an experienced locksmith, you can have a new one made in no time.

Able Security Locksmiths provides expert locksmith service in Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties in New Jersey. From commercial door hardware to lock and key replacement, you’ll never find yourself locked out in the cold with the company’s skilled team on your side. To request service, call (973) 584-3033, and visit their website for more information on what they do.