Unlocking the tricks of the trade

High-tech locks, advanced sensor codes — locksmiths in the city talk about sustaining the business of key making, and using social media to expand their clientele.

Unlocking the tricks of the trade

Vaishali Vijaykumar , Sayantika Bhowal

Updated on:

31 Jul 2018, 11:36 pm

4 min read

CHENNAI:A rickety stool and distressed wooden table displays key-cutting machines, chisels, hammers. His workstation is filled with locks and keys of all sizes and shapes. His service is one of the few that wields power and gives him easy access to your home, and vehicles. Meet the locksmiths of Chennai.

SUBASH - owner of CHENNAI CAR Key Makers, followed his father’s footsteps and started his shop at Vadapalani, 30 years ago. Abdul has learned to make remote locks over the years. “I mostly receive orders to make remote bike keys. First, the sensor codes are matched and then the codes are copied on to a blank key using copy technology machine,” he says, and Subash adds, “The machine is made in Taiwan and China, and the blank keys are imported from Aligarh and New Delhi.”

Most of the orders that Subash gets is from car keys

Subash Chandra B, proprietor of Shivalingam Key Maker Experts, took over the family business in 2005. “My brother Muthu trained me. Most of my customers contact me online. Apps like Just Dial, which has better search engine optimization tool than the others helped me set up shops across Chennai,” he says adding that they have shops in many areas including Kodambakkam and Ambattur. They also offer door-to-door services across Tamil Nadu only to make remote car keys.

Unlike the previous decade, Abdul and Subash say that these days most of their orders are to make car or bike keys. Making duplicate keys has become a thing of the past, they insist. “If someone forgets their keys, we go to the spot and open the lock for them for a minimum charge of `500,” says Subash. The charges depend on the distance travelled and the type of the lock they need to open. “Most houses these days have the round-door latch lock. Most often than not it gets stuck when the balls around the lock are not aligned, I try to open them manually with a hair pin,” says Subash.

They also make immobilizer car keys which can cost up to `5,000. But making a duplicate remote bike and car key is only possible when the sensor codes are released by the company, usually a year after the vehicle’s launch.

Both the key makers verify the identity of their customers before accepting their orders. “We don’t make a duplicate key out of crayon or soap impression,” says Subash. Abdul goes a step further to enquire about the owner of a car in the Neighborhood before handing over the duplicate key. Their marketing strategies are quite different. While Abdul uses social media, Subash believes in using strategic advertising methods to help his business expand.

On the contrary, MUTHU who has been in the business since 1989 continues to use a mix of both hand carving and machines. “I’ve studied till class 9 and this is the only job I know. Except for the purchase of a few machines, I haven’t updated myself with technology. There are days when I go home with empty pockets and some days, luck shines. Key-making machines are a huge investment of about `20,000 for roadside shopkeepers like me,” says MUTHU who has a shop on EGMORE for 30 years.

He has key cutting and key duplicating machines. A machine can accommodate two keys at a time and the process takes two minutes to complete. The key that has to be duplicated has to be placed in one chamber and a sample key, usually sourced from Aligarh, on the other. With a tap of the button, the key is replicated. Meanwhile, when done manually it takes about 15 minutes.

The challenging part is getting the lines etched on the key appropriately, and when done with bare hands it’s time-consuming. “We can duplicate house keys and bike keys. The latest Godrej keys with hole cover patterns are challenging. This is because of the number of holes that varies and the impression of that pattern is hard to duplicate. In case a key is lost then the only way is to dismantle the lock is to take a fresh impression and create one and this costs more,” he explains. In case a door has to be broke open then I charge 200-300. To make a duplicate key it will cost `60 provided they have the sample.

Most of the keys go waste during the process of duplication and rust over the time. That’s a disadvantage of doing the work manually because they cannot be recycled and this is a loss of raw material. This is where the machine stands out as it can get the job done perfectly. Like traditional key makers, SUBASH concern is the dwindling number in this profession with the next generation taking up a different career.

Cost for keys

A duplicate remote key for models like Maruti SX4, Swift or Baleno can cost from 15,000 to 20,000. “Duplicate remote keys of Jaguar, Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW, Mercedes Benz can cost more than `1 lakh,” says Subash.

For details

LINGAM Key Makers: 9677197721

CHENNAI Car Key Maker Experts: 98844 77329