Prison break copy key....?

Question

In prison break they get a bar of soap, push the key into it, get the key out, burn a toothbrush or sumthing like that so the plastic melts into the mold, would this work? Just curious?

Answer 1

Not an expert in this but in order for this plastic key to work it would need to also be the exact width of the original. The mold can be perfect length wise but if the width is off it will either be too thick to go in or not thick enough and possibly even break. Let's just leave the Mcguivers to Hollywood. Good question though.

Answer 2

Well, it might be possible to make a mold of the key with TWO bars of soap pushed together, which when pulled apart would have an impression of the key from both sides. You have a problem with what you propose to cast though. Most soaps melt as relatively low temperatures and dripping hot plastic into the detail in the mold will probably melt out all of the ridge detail you would need for a key. I agree, write to Mythbusters... If I were faced with this problem, I would use something like plastic cement or glue to make the casting instead of hot plastic from a toothbrush. The plastic cement will not stick to the soap and if thinned enough, will fill all the cracks and crevices completely. Then I would have a plastic key replica made from the hardened glue, not usable as an actual key as such, but to use as a size and shape model so I could file a real key from some scrap metal by hand to MATCH my plastic replica, which WOULD possibly work, provided I could get the tolerances right. Provided the plastic glue did not expand or contract as it dried and maintained the exact same shape as the mold as it hardened, of course...

Answer 3

It unlikely. But maybe you could send this question into Mythbusters they seem to like busting this kind of stuff.