Key Duplication in Commerce, CA: House, Office and Mailbox Keys Cut Accurately

Why do some duplicate keys stick, bind or fail?

A key copy looks like the simplest job a locksmith does, and in a narrow sense it is. But a key is a measured part. A copy is only as good as the key it is traced from, the blank it is cut on, and the machine and the hands doing the cutting. A duplicate that sticks, turns only with a jiggle, or works for a month and then quits has nearly always gone wrong in one of those three places.

The most common cause is copying a copy. Every generation drifts a little from the original cut, and the errors stack. The next most common is the wrong blank: a key that looks right but has a slightly different keyway, shoulder or thickness. Soft or worn keys add a third problem, because a tired original produces a tired copy.

Locks on 1940s and 1950s houses have often been replaced, repaired or worn over the decades. The key in your hand may not match the cylinder as well as it once did. That is worth knowing before you cut five more from it.

How do we duplicate a key, step by step?

Whether you walk into our Westwood storefront or we work from a mobile van, the process is the same. We slow down at the points where bad copies usually begin.

1. Identify the key. We read the brand, the keyway and any markings, and decide whether it is a standard key, a restricted key or a high-security key.
2. Inspect the original. We look for wear, bends, cracks and rounded edges. If the key is badly worn, we tell you and may suggest cutting from the lock or by code instead of tracing the tired key.
3. Match the blank. The keyway, length, shoulder and metal have to suit the lock, not just resemble it.
4. Cut the key. The original and the blank are clamped square in the machine, and the cut follows the original's depths and spacing.
5. Clean the cut. We remove the fine burrs that drag across the pins and make a new key feel rough.
6. Test the copy. Where the lock is available, we run the new key in it several times and compare how it feels with the original, deadbolt included.
7. Hand it over with advice. We tell you which key is the original and which is the copy, and we suggest keeping a clean original set that is never used for further copying.

Which keys can we copy, and which need extra steps?

Not every key is a walk-up job. Here is how the common types break down.

• House keys and spare house keys: standard keys are the straightforward case and are usually cut while you wait.
• Duplicate deadbolt keys: the deadbolt often has a different keyway from the knob or handle set, so bring every key on the door and we will match each one.
• Apartment key copies: if your building uses restricted keys or a master key system, check with your property manager first. Some keys cannot be copied without their authorization.
• Office and commercial key duplication: desk, cabinet, suite and back-door keys are usually routine. Keys in a master key system are treated more carefully (more on that below).
• Mailbox key duplication: private mailbox keys can generally be copied. Postal-service-controlled locks cannot, so contact your post office. If a mailbox key is lost and no copy is possible, a lock change is the usual fix, and we cover that on our mailbox lock replacement page.
• High-security and restricted key duplication: patented keyways, sidebar keys and dimple keys are controlled on purpose. We need the proper authorization or registered credentials before cutting them. Read about the locks themselves on our high security locks page.
• Car keys: these are a different job because of chips and programming. We confirm by VIN and in person what your key needs, and we say plainly when a key can only be made through the dealer. Start at our car key replacement page.

What affects the cost of key duplication in Commerce?

We do not publish numbers here because the same words, 'make me a copy', cover very different keys. What moves the cost is specific and explainable:

We tell you what applies to your key and what it will cost before we start cutting.

• Key type: a plain brass house key is a different job from a high-security key with a patented profile.
• Blank availability: common blanks are easy to stock, while specialty blanks may need to be sourced.
• Authorization: restricted keys take paperwork and verification, which takes time.
• Condition of the original: a worn key may need to be cut by code or from the lock instead of traced.
• Quantity: several copies from one setup are usually more economical per key than returning repeatedly.
• Where the work happens: a walk-in at the storefront is usually the more economical route, since a mobile visit means bringing the work to you.
• Time of day: our phone is answered around the clock, but after-hours mobile calls are handled differently from daytime storefront work.

What does key duplication look like around Rosewood Park, Bandini and Bristow Park?

Commerce is a city of compact residential pockets set among industrial districts. In the 90040 ZIP code, the older single-family homes near Rosewood Park, Bandini and Bristow Park were mostly built in the 1940s and 1950s. Newer townhome infill such as Rosewood Village adds a different mix of doors. For key duplication, that matters in a few practical ways.

Older homes often have a knob lock and a separate deadbolt, sometimes installed years apart, so the two keys may not match. We copy both and mark them so nobody has to guess later. In a townhome like those in Rosewood Village, bring every key for the unit, since the entry door and deadbolt may not share a keyway.

Summer is the other local factor. Commerce sits in an inland basin with hot, dry summers, and heat can swell wood doors on older tract homes. If a key turns smoothly in winter and fights you in July, the door may be binding on the latch or strike rather than the key being worn. Tell us when it happens, because cutting a new key will not cure a swollen door.

The scenario we think about most in these neighborhoods is the household with one working key and no spare. A spare cut now is far easier than a house lockout later.

What about warehouses, storefronts and industrial tenants?

Most of Commerce's floor area is warehouses and distribution buildings along Washington Boulevard, Telegraph Road and the I-5 corridor. Industrial hardware wear here is driven mainly by heavy daily use, and keys are no different. Keys on a shared ring that pass between shifts wear faster and get copied more often, sometimes by whoever is closest.

For commercial key duplication, the real question is control. Who is allowed to have a copy? Where did the last copies go? If the answer is unclear, we can talk through options, including a master key system that gives each person access to what they need and nothing more. Keys in a master system are restricted, so we ask for authorization before cutting them.

Retailers near Citadel Outlets have a simpler version of the same need: stockroom, back-door, office and cash-drawer keys, with a few spares kept in a safe place. Our commercial locksmith page covers the wider range of business lock work. For the keys themselves, we cut accurately and tell you plainly if a key is one we should not copy without permission.

Can we duplicate keys at your location in Commerce?

Often, yes. Our storefront is at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, about 19 miles from Commerce, and we also run mobile service vans. Our mobile locksmith service can handle many standard key cuts at your door. Some keys, especially restricted or high-security ones, may need our storefront equipment or additional verification, and we say so on the phone rather than after you have waited.

Call (213) 577-1366 at any hour, describe the key and the lock, and we will tell you what can be done on site, what should come to the shop, and what we cannot copy without authorization.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for key duplication?

We have been in business since 1987. That is a long time to have cut keys, and a long time to have seen what goes wrong when they are cut carelessly. We are a storefront with mobile vans, one company, with no dispatch middleman passing your call to a stranger. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work.

One more point: California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license. Ask any locksmith you are considering for their license number, whoever they are, before you hand over a key to your home or business. A key is access, and you should know who is holding it.

When is a copy not the right answer?

A duplicate key solves a spare-key problem. It does not solve a who-has-keys problem. If you have moved into a new place, ended a roommate arrangement, lost a key, or had a tenant leave without returning theirs, extra copies leave more keys in circulation. In those cases, rekeying your locks makes old keys useless and gives you new ones from the same hardware.

If we think rekeying is the better route, we will say so, even though it means a different job than the one you called about.

More locksmith help in Commerce

• Change Locks in Commerce
• Deadbolt Installation in Commerce
• Gate Lock Repair in Commerce
• High Security Locks in Commerce
• Lock Installation in Commerce
• Lock Rekey in Commerce
• All services in Commerce

Key Duplication near Commerce

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