[!] The blog has moved [!]

The blog has moved to http://carlitoscontraptions.com/.

You will be redirected to the new URL in 5 s. Sorry for the inconvenience.

March 05, 2007

Compact Keychain

This is a nice keychain I've been using for more than a year now. Since it broke, I had to rebuild it so I took this chance to share it with the rest or the world.

Materials
  • 3 washers (number of keys + 1)
  • Some keys (I use only two keys)
  • A pop rivet (requires a river gun)
Construction
  1. Fasten the keys together using the rivet and put washers between them.
  2. Admire your creation.
That's it. It works well with my two keys, and it is very compact and quiet.

16 comments:

Justin said...

Hey that is a cool idea! I would do it but if my keys aren't a little bulky I would loose em. Hell, I still cant find em half the time.

Drudo said...

This would be great until the need to remove or add a key. Great idea though.

Anonymous said...

My apartment complex does this for their spare sets of keys, only they also attach a large piece of plastic with what looks like an iButton, presumably for tracking.

Am I correct in thinking this is a pop rivet?

Anonymous said...

Yeah.. cool idea, !BUT! You just posted clear (copyable) photos of your keys onto the internet right next to a resume that has your address on it... that was a very poor idea. Keys are easy to copy. I'd change your locks...

Anonymous said...

i always black out the cuts in the keys when i post key pics...

Anonymous said...

This is a great idea. It does leave you in a pinch when you have to separate the keys at an auto repair shop so they can tinker with your car but during which time you need the keys to get into your house. One work-around, while admittedly not as cool looking is to use Chicago Screws instead. http://lifehacker.com/345223/replace-bulky-document-binders-with-chicago-screws

Starlyth said...

The concept is great! I might suggest using a screw/post setup instead of the rivet setup. Go to McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com), and type in "screw post" in the search field. There are even tamper-resistant versions.

Carlos said...

Wow, thank you for the feedback guys.

1. Don't worry, those are not my current keys. So even if you do a set of keys from my pictures, you still wont be able to get into my house with them (my Bogota rake would be required for that ;) ).

2. I know a screw would allow much more flexibility, but I did not have any that worked OK with what I wanted to achieve so I went with pop rivet.

Matthew Poer said...

Really neat idea - unfortunately some keys are a little bulkier on top. Otherwise I'd be making a trip to the hardware store now.

Unknown said...

Would this require a rivet gun?

Anonymous said...

Cool idea, but as mentioned wouldn't work with car keys that have moulded plastic on the end or entry fobs. Any ideas on alternative fasteners, since screw posts were suggested?

Anonymous said...

Do you have any suggestions for how the hell to pare down to just two keys??

Anonymous said...

I am a janitor and carry 245 keys at all times. I think I am going to need a bigger rivet...

Dexter said...

this is soooooo cool!!!

man I jumped when I saw the picture XD seriously...

Greatings from Peru

Renzo

Carlos said...

I'm very glad you like it Dexter.

DM said...

Great idea, but not really suitable for me as I have far too many keys to rivet!
Thanks for publishing this though, it's something I may do for my wife.