Canadian Key Cutting Machine Restoration - Uncovering the Secrets of a Rare Machine!

In this restoration video, I restored a key copy/cutting machine produced in Canada.
More about the restoration/transformation process:
I bought this key cutting machine from a website in Poland and paid around $60 for it. I found it very interesting, and it was worth the effort because we see something like this very rarely.
The restoration/transformation process:
It was uneventful but thorough and took about 28 days. Many parts were damaged due to use and time.
One key grip was missing, and the plug was cracked, so I decided not to risk starting the machine till the problems were addressed.
The disassembly alone took over 12 hours. The most challenging part was making a new key grip and matching the original.
I also wanted to keep a vintage industrial feel, and I succeeded.
If you have any questions about the techniques applied or products used, feel free to drop me a line in the comments section. I reply to everyone!
I enjoyed working on it and am thrilled with how it turned out; it was gratifying to see how it worked and to have the opportunity to own something so interesting.
More about the key cutting machine:
The Dominion Lock Co. from Montreal, Quebec, manufactured the machine's body and components in Canada. Dominion Lock was formed by Sam, Alfred, and Ruth Zion in the 1920's. It closed its doors in February 1985. The electrical motor was made by General Electric in Peterborough, Ontario.
If you have worked with such a machine before or have more information about this keys copy machine, please let me know! I'll be thrilled to learn more about it!
Cheers! Johnny.
Support my work:
/ @rustyshadesrestoration
#restoration #howto #keycutting #machine

[@kentuckywildcatgobigblue7190]

No talking. No annoying crap music. Just the sounds of tools, machines, and scraping. Love it ❤

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Hi folks! I found this key-cutting machine online, and my heart whispered to buy it and offer it a fresh start! I hope you agree with this decision and enjoy the video! I worked many, many hours on it! Thank you for your support and for your time! Johnny! 😍

[@rosellabill]

Thanks for the Canadian content portion of the program. We in Canada used to make almost all of our own machenery and we stopped doing this now. We buy from Japan and China. Again Thanks for this

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

@@rosellabill Thank you for watching my videos! In Europe it is the same, we import almost everything...

[@gaylereid8264]

OY!!! You misspelled your own name !!! Such are the brainwaves of perfectionists 😸🤣💋🫶🏻😂

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

@gaylereid8264 , thanks for letting me know! I didn't see that till now 😅

[@gaylereid8264]

@@rustyshadesrestoration HaHaHa❣️ I am impressed w/ the swiftness of finding my correction, I mean comment. They don’t call me eagle eye for naught 😻

[@jt9498]

No annoying "music", no unnecessary talking, just the sound of tools. Love it!

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you JT!

[@ajc5869]

I love canadian manufacturing, the world needs more of it.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Agree! 🥰

[@MissLady-pq4hc]

I made keys on a machine very similar to this,back in the early eighties. Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Cool! I'm so happy that I could bring it back to life. It is satisfying to duplicate keys 😀

[@boredwithusernames]

I was actually a locksmith for around 20 years and this brings back some memories for me. Thanks for the share, it's nice to see this classic machine being restored to its former glory ;)

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

I'm happy I could bring back those beautiful memories with my video! 🙂

[@collinsmith2872]

my dad was a locksmith when i was growing up. i used to cut spare keys for friends, without asking of course . his was big , green and heavy like that one , same brand , different model i think.

[@Cat_Lover365]

Another great restoration and a great way to make additional income! I use to work for a retail store and was trained to use the engraver in jewelry and the key cutter in sporting goods. Some times I would spend the day going back and forth to those two departments because I was the only one on the shift that knew how to use both machines.😊 Glad you listened to your heart and made it useful again. ❤

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Wow! That's so amazing! Thanks for sharing this! 👍 🙂

[@samanthadean1083]

Not often that you see a Canadian brand!!! Fantastic job!!! ❤️❤️❤️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

That's right ✅️

[@czcz]

You are the finest restorer I watch on KZbin, and this is evident from the cleanliness, mastery at work and the great effort you make. Thank you from the heart

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Wow, thank you! 😊

[@washtap]

Had one in my parents general store. I could pretty much run it blindfolded. Very nice job. Brings back memories.

[@georgebrown8312]

Fantastic job you did restoring the key cutting machine. I bet it took a whole lot of hard work to clean all the parts and adjust the cutting depth properly. It looks much better and it works like a charm too. Excellent work.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

I'm so happy to know that you enjoyed the video. Thank you for your feedback and for watching my work! Cheers

[@vegetariansuniteworldwide8091]

You are an artist! I admire anyone who has skills like these in this video!!

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! 🙂

[@normmcrae1140]

I had no idea that Canada was exporting machines like this to Europe! It is obviously for the European market, as in Canada we use 110-120 volts at 60 hz, and the data plate shows 220V 50Hz. Nice to see it restored! I remember seeing many just like it here in Canada - with 110V motors, obviously! They used to be in EVERY hardware store!

[@RestorationVideo]

You did a great job restoring the key cutter. Thanks for sharing, it's nice to see this classic machine restored to its former glory ;) it took a lot of work to clean all the parts and adjust the depth of cut properly physical. It looks beautiful

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@georgebrown8312]

Beautiful restoration job you did restoring the key cutting machine. It looks much better and it works like a charm too. I bet you adjusted the guide part that the key slides on for accuracy. Excellent work.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you so much!

[@lucyr8711]

Wow what an incredibly complex machine. We think that old things were simple, but this is on par with the engineering in a mobile phone

[@tomswindler64]

Very nice,nice to see an older piece brought back to life.great video as always.just keep doing what your doing.👍👍👍😎😎😎

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you so much, Tom! 🙂

[@meninoandrade9833]

It was nice to watch this video restoring every parts of the machine that is must needed when u restor any machine every one must watch this vedio. Good and perfect restoration

[@kerryancell3849]

I love watching I find it enjoyable and relaxing seeing all the different things u bring back life amazing 😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

I'm so glad to know that! 🙂 Thank you for watching!

[@MrsIsmena]

Masterpiece 😮👌

[@خالدالبيومي-ظ1ز]

So many parts in one little machine; great work indeed! Thank you 🙏🏼

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! 🙂

[@swampy1584]

In the mid 70s my father used to use a machine very similar to this for key cutting in our shop. He bought it 2nd hand and he had to do pretty much the same as you did with this. Great video

[@wilcleno1866]

A lot of fine tuning and adjusting to get the cutting depth set properly, lots of wasted key blanks lol. Very nice work on and old classic key cutter.

[@loveshorses7]

Just wow, so many parts. I love watching your videos. I love antiques.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Glad you like them!

[@terryrogers1025]

This project/ restoration was not for the faint of heart in regards to the number of parts, cleaning, reassembly, and adjusting every thing back to running order, you got yourself another subscriber with a like sir, enjoyed the video. Excellent finish.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you!

[@VsKavinsandron]

Fine work 👌 Love from India ❤

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you 😊

[@vadooliveira]

Virou uma jóia... parabéns!

[@rudybriskar5267]

In pretty good shape overall but definitely needed some tlc. Great job!

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! 🙂

[@rudybriskar5267]

@@rustyshadesrestoration you're welcome :)

[@jamesfield5346]

Restoration is perfect... but what actually amazes me is the fact you can work with all those little pieces/parts while wearing those gloves on, lol

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you, James. It is nice to hear from you! Cheers

[@MichelMorinMontreal]

Hello ! What an exceptional restoration of a legendary machine! (Now, I'm going into "chauvinist mode" and I assume!) You should know that some members of my family have worked at Dominion Lock in Montréal virtually all their lives, and now I understand why they were proud of it: this little marvel was perfect, as everything else they build! What's more, when I was very young I used to stop off every day at the local ironmonger's on my way home from school; it was run by family friends, the Lanctôts... The ‘key machine’ fascinated me! I always wondered how it worked, but I couldn't go near it as it was the responsibility of adults... 50 years later, I finally know how and why it made keys so well! Thank you so much! (By the way, there are still three of these machines - only slightly younger - making keys in my neighbourhood!)

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Oh wow! Thats a interesting coincidence. Thanks for sharing! :D

[@DavidCadena-h1l]

At least you didn't bury it in mud and claim it was found that way. Really tired of restorers doing that, with guns, knives and tools. What idiot deliberately damages tools to make them worse? I skip those sites.

[@basedlordprime]

That's hardly any restorations lmao

[@deangdmppajj4692]

But ya got to love the rusty plastic 😅

[@fgjhham89]

Yeah, not only is is dishonest, I feel really bad for the tools! Lol. Just really wasteful...

[@DavidCadena-h1l]

@fgjhham89 Next thing we'll see is someone claiming they found a 57Chevy BelAir Coup in Swampwater USA.

[@artemavdalyan2276]

The only channel that I found what I was looking for

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

🙂

[@jacquespoirier9071]

globally, it is a good job. Such a piece of machinery asks for tuning after assembly, same as a lathe or a milling machine, probably not shown in that video. very good video

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! Yes, that's correct!

[@szymonszymanski6389]

Wspaniała renowacja ☺️

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Dziękuję! Pozdrawiam

[@tunafish3216]

I’ve got a machine just like that except a little newer. I got rid of that dangerous wire wheel and replaced the motor with a 115 volt 60 cycle and bought a new cutting wheel and it works great.

[@stephanieparker1250]

I especially loved seeing the motor compartment! Cool restore, nice work!

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sisters1941]

WOW! I'm sure glad you knew what you were doing.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Always! 😀

[@131dyana]

Wonderful job.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you very much!

[@TDIMAXDIESEL]

Very nice restoration ! The only difference on this machine versus a Canadian version is the electric motor, 230V instead of 115V and the European plug. 😊🇨🇦

[@razorboyXVII]

Very nice!

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! 🙂

[@Celiamarcal2]

Magnifico . Gostei de ver seu vídeo. Parabéns,

[@CrustyRestorations]

Perfect attention to detail, great work👍😀

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! 🙂

[@luizalbertorodrigues4560]

Beautiful machine

[@andrzejporeda7281]

Przepięknie jest ta maszyna odrestaurowana Pozdrawiam mile i serdecznie. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Dziękuję bardzo! Pozdrawiam

[@jimstrummer5688]

Loved this. Brilliant work. Thank you. 💯

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@costrio]

Nice work. I enjoyed the video.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

I'm happy to know that! Thank you! 🙂

[@Jen39x]

Very much enjoyed this

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@stephanieparker1250]

Ok the casting was pretty sweet 🤗

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thanks 😁

[@andrewgrace4410]

Beautiful restoration and color 😊

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you very much!

[@bulentiseri8468]

Love this ❤❤❤

[@Trotiriderish]

bravo superbe travail very best

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Merci beaucoup! 🙂

[@alessandroalberto6431]

Bravo !!! 👍🏻

[@oldmanhuppiedos]

Yet another great job.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

I appreciate that

[@MASI_forging]

Fantastic work as always 😍😍

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

🫠

[@vinceianni4026]

Hello mister beautifully restored good job well done

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! 🙂

[@stevenseverance3692]

That must have taken You quite a bit of time to do. But alas I can see it was all worth it. You definitely 😁 deserve an Oscar for that Job 👌👍💯😁! Sincerely 🤠 Mr Severance, "The Cake 😋 🍰🎂 🥳🎉 🎊 Man".

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Hahaha, Oscar? 😀 Thank you for your kind words! 🫠

[@khalilrabah2237]

Jolie travail 👍👍👍

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Merci beaucoup! 🙂

[@khalilrabah2237]

Derien 🙂

[@mskayla7747]

Nicely done. 👍

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! 👍

[@T_B]

Omg.....how long did this actually take??? You made it look fantastic!!

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

The restoration process and the video production took me precisely 28 days.

[@francois237]

Certainement plus beau maintenant qu'à sa sortie d'usine ;)

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Merci beaucoup!

[@hotfacts786]

WoW very nice linda video ❤❤❤

[@riikkaheikkinen6268]

Well done 👍🙌

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you, Marja! 🙂

[@noobsaibot25]

What year is that , I'm guessing somewhere between the 50's and possibly early 80's

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

The company was founded in the 20s and closed its doors in 1985. I think the same as you..

[@andrejohnson6731]

Great restoration, my friend. This looks like its from the early to mid 60s, just a guess.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you so much! I think the same, but I can't be 100% sure. I couldn't find a similar one on the web..

[@joannaeliopoulos7554]

How do you remember where all the screws and things go back in to? You got to have a good memory 😵‍💫

[@michalwarszawski]

Super sprawa!

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Dziękuję!

[@jailsondasilva223]

Máquina duplicadora das chaves 🔑🗝😉restaurada

[@dr.appleberrys2098]

Ah yes, good ol’ fashioned lead paint. They sure loved their lead paint in the 20th century. Nothing like a highly toxic metal crushed into powder and mixed into paint.

[@liamahsmeehaf7662]

It my first time seeing 2 wire's connected with a beefy screwed contour plus another plastic cover, the one in the mortar disassembly. Nowadays you will see either a press-on or a srew-on piece of connector

[@Skinflaps_Meatslapper]

I didn't know John Deere made key cutters, that's cool

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Hahahha 😅

[@Skinflaps_Meatslapper]

@@rustyshadesrestoration can't complain about the colors though, classic 👌

[@jamesfield5346]

Also, thank you for moving past your media blasting quickly. Seems as though some restorers think it's the highlight of the restoration... lol

[@asakayosapro]

To be fair, it’s a process that not a lot of people can afford to have, not so much the blasting media and cabinet, but the air volume required… The ones that went through a lot to overcome those hurdles naturally get biased towards highlighting it more in a ‘I can finally do this sort of thing!’ kind of way…

[@jamesfield5346]

@asakayosapro I never thought of that. Thank you. That makes total sense.

[@asakayosapro]

@@jamesfield5346 as with all novelites, the initial excitement does cool down over time for new ways of doing things, whether it be turning metal, milling metal, sandblasting, ultrasonic cleaning, powder coating, brazing, welding and other things that usually either have a high price tag or require a lot of specialized equipment and skill to perform. This of course varies from tradesman to tradesman, as well as how much of their hard earned money they invest into these equipment _as well as the necessary supporting infrastructure, supplies, ancillary equipment, et cetera.._ It’s doable to buy a big 8’ old iron lathe, or perhaps a Bridgeport, but you get that bad boy home and …wait, this thing runs on three phase power? Whaddya mean single phase 240 won’t cut it? What do you mean i need a dividing head to mill helical gears? Hang on, DROs are that expensive? And on and on and on… and that’s not even mentioning consumables and tooling. This goes for manual and CNC machines, though if one can afford an industrial-grade CNC, either they know what they are doing, or their pockets are deep enough to overcome the growing pains of running one - and learning how to without breaking it (hopefully), whether it be on a hobby level or for a business startup. Same goes with most other processes that involve specialized equipment, and this isn’t limited to the regular skilled trades. There’s also the electronics repair and it’s subset, data recovery. Just the specialized hardware card alone for the latter is going for $7k off eBay, and that’s without the skill set and knowledge that the providers of such a service have on how to make good use of it enough to justify charging the prices they have for the services they provide - and this is despite the efforts of the usual greedcorps to make life difficult for people who want their electronics fixed, instead of chucking the thing over a single dead chip that isn’t even 1% of the cost of the entire device, and buying a new one. Such reasons, among other things, are why Louis Rossmann and many others really dislike Apple, John Deere and all others that do the same anti-customer practices. But enough of that tangent; in the end, people like to show off what they invest in to make things, to make things work with, and to make things work better with. Though, I do agree that putting too much central focus on a single process just for the sake of vanity has little, if no merit, that’s just a content creator’s preference, or perhaps, just them being happy with their new ‘big toys for the big boys’.

[@jamesfield5346]

@asakayosapro thank you so much for that breakdown. My closed mindedness observation was totally off base and just my preference point of view. Also, I didn't think all the way through of their excitement of being able to and having the means to do their passions. I also highlight my "new big boy toys" to others. Probably more than they really care to see. I will, now try to think of their experiences rather than my personal enjoyment of the videos. Thanks again.

[@jeromekaidor7254]

Looks like it needs adjusting. The notches of the copied key were a bit offset horizontally. Or maybe that was a trick of the camera. Generally one adjusts that by shimming the cutting wheel.

[@sidwallace6053]

That’s a work of art,restoration on another level and I think your gloves were more of a hindrance then a help,looks like they kept getting caught up in some of the dismantling,bit too big me thinks

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I just changed the gloves brand this time, but not the size and somehow, they're a bit bigger 🤷‍♂️

[@mmkenny1694]

where i live they still use these very key cutters at the lock smiths shop. so happens I'm also not far from where this machine's motor was manufactured.

[@grzegorzfilipczyk4937]

Super !!

[@lynnettep1371]

How on earth do you remember how everythng goes back together?!

[@rudybriskar5267]

Great job molding the thumb screw! Just curious as to why you didn't powder coat instead of spray painting though.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! I chose to spray paint this time because I could see the colours matching in my head: Hunter's green with Silver Hammerite. The Silver isn't available in my powder-coating stock or in my country, so that's why. 😃

[@rudybriskar5267]

@@rustyshadesrestoration Awesome! It definitely turned out great!

[@KingIrbisandComrades]

красиво!:) но. меняйте подшибники всегда на новые! и диск что режет заготовку имеет биение. это недопустимо. надо было Вам либо вал новый выточить либо диск. а так. лайк и репост!

[@eduardosantabaya5348]

Duplicadora de llaves, algo muy común todavía acá en Argentina

[@ClaireChavannes]

It seemed to be in very good condition ^^

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

It was broken enough to don't work...

[@kerryancell3849]

I have got to I love your tattoo it's cool I love Mario bros 😊😊😊😊 I'm in uk x

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thanks a lot! 🙂

[@JoJoTavern]

I want it!!!

[@patstrailertopics5975]

Did you replace the bearings in the motor? Very nice detailed work, got very wrappedupin your video to the point where i was worried about runs in the spray paint!

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! Yes, but only one; the other one was in perfect shape. The paint job turned out fantastic. I'm super happy with these spray cans.

[@waxore1142]

That's in great shape as is. Just needs a cleaning. They make a mess when you use them anyway.

[@p.wynnmarkstall1737]

Feeling a little like I just sat through Fellowship of the Ring … just for the dismantling bit

[@opticaltrace4382]

An earth connection would have been nice to see 😮

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

There is the green wire 🙂

[@magnumpunch]

Is the key actually working? That cutting wheel looks quite uncentered

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

After wire brushing, yes, it worked.

[@paulinobenito6905]

Después de mucho trabajo misión cumplida 👍

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Indeed! 😃

[@squiremc]

You didn't use the wire wheel to remove the swarf. That key will damage the lock it is inserted into with the shavings of metal in place. Don't ask me how I know...

[@kayleysaunders4589]

What’s “swarf”???

[@squiremc]

@@kayleysaunders4589 Swarf are the ragged, tiny pieces of metal on the edge of a workpiece that has undergone stock removal by abrasion or cutting. Consider it frayed metal.

[@Jensiswelt]

Tolle Arbeit wie gerade gekauft sehr gut 👍 👍 👍 Aber mal eine Frage, warum hört man immer Zug Hörner im Hintergund ,war da eine Veranstaltung 😂

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you. I live close to a railway station 🙂

[@dzymslizzy3641]

How do you ever keep track of what goes where when reassembling??!! Do you have to refer back to your video?

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Hi there! When I have big projects like this, with a lot of parts, I take pictures. That's more than enough for me, but not for everything usually I do it for small little things to make sure I don't miss them.

[@huseinismaeel5015]

it's look like real restoration this machine seems to be 50 or 60 years old and it will be used for another 50 or 60 years after thisrepair

[@benoluja2269]

Ahhhh Que chingón

[@volkmarkostka6763]

Great restoration. Is that a rotating file?

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

Thank you! More like a blade than a file...

[@АндрейСтёпин-ъ5ъ]

Главное: Соблюзти зазоры ! Обработать фтулки наждачкой ! Уменьшить диаветр штырей ! И нельзя менять фрезу !!!!!! Ну а такими дубликатами можно и сэйф открыть !!

[@klintharder2155]

Looks like that machine may have been made in Canada, but exported to Europe or Asia. The 230v with two round pins on the power plug are standards in Europe, Russia and Asia. Canadian power plugs have two flat blades and a standard 120v.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

That's right! 👍

[@overboss3152]

great i restore some key machines and the probleme is not clean and paint , is remounting all part and most important setting machine to cut key sharpness that is the longuess operation ! good job !

[@АлександрП-е5п]

Все замечательно, но не понимаю, как можно окрашивать метал без предварительной грунтовки?

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

There is no need always to use primer, mainly if you use hammer paint, one of the most durable paints on the market.

[@robertthompson4965]

Very nice video. I have one of these machines I've been using for about 45 years. One worn tooth on cutter. I've never had to adjust it. It took a fall and pin for making it automatic broke. Might fix that some day. It has some worn covering. But other than that, works perfectly. The nice thing about these machines is that they will cut even the old Curtis steel cylinder keys like a warm knife through butter.

[@jerryshanks1279]

I have yet to figure out why they strip the pai t off with stripper then sand blast. The sand blasting will take the paint off in one step without the mess of ghe stripper.

[@rustyshadesrestoration]

I can help with that mystery. 😀 There are four common scenarios: 1. The paint contains dangerous chemicals such as lead (my case) - that need to be stripped chemically and dispatched correctly. Sandblasting will help only to contaminate everything with lead. 2. The object cannot fit the blasting cabinet; 3. The paint is too solid, or many layers were applied (sandblasting can take too long, and a lot of media and energy will be used ), so a little paint stripper will help. 4. Just for diversity Maybe there are more reasons, but for now, this is what I can't tell. Best, Johnny