Hi Paul,

I know exactly what you mean. Sadly I'm not a member of the 'dark society', so I don't have a stash. I suspect most keys get lost when machines change hands, particularly via dealers, and the small tools are stored separately and go astray. They do also break, wear out, or get shared between multiple chucks.

I usually make my own keys, after all they are just a piece of steel bar thick enough to take the T bar, turned down in stages at the end and then milled for the flats. Straddle milling with a 5C square or hex block (depending on need) held in the vice  is the quickest and easiest. If you want it hardened then make sure it is well tempered afterwards; you're after toughness, not brittleness, but I usually don't bother. I have seen some really horrid home made keys: bits of square rod welded to a grotty handle. Please don't do that.

Some chucks use sizes that match socket drives. These work quite well in the short term, until I get around to making the real thing. I even have an old set of my father's that has a 9/32" square that fits a 4 jaw Burnerd. I've never seen another socket set like it though so you'll probably find the right key more quickly!

Nick

I suspect they're with the same devious miscreant hoarder who has all the machine-vice handles - dodgey charactrer to be sure.....

I reckon Bob must be a Yorkshireman - hear all, see all, say nowt! But agree with all of those and it seems one of the great mysteries of the universe. I have had some awful bodged up keys in my time which usually finish up in the scrap bin - same with vice handles that have had seven bells knocked out of them with hammers. As Nick says, making a new one is not rocket science but the point is, it should not have to be done if people took care of things. I stll have my chuck keys bought new with chucks 40 years ago and I am not obsessive compulsive by any means! Perhaps someone could invent the universal adjustable chuck key and make themselves a fortune!

Peter,
You do know how to insult a person, and kick him when he’s down.
I only said ‘tellum nowt’
Bill

But Peter missed off the second line of the quote:

"See all, hear all, say nowt,
Eat all sup all, pay nowt"

Anon.

And I hope he wasn't including the square key I gave him for the awkward lock nuts on the Super 7 cross-slide
amongst those that "went in the bin"

Peter
It's a better insult than a compliment!!!

They say "you can tell a Yorkshireman, but you cant tell him much". But never say why you cant tell him much - tis because he dont understand much!!!

Bill

Paul Churchill wrote:

I can tell you where they all go...

They are with the teaspoons <...>

HaHaHaHaHa

I used to work for a firm with two buildings separated by the carpark and got a bollocking for having the workshop stamp all "our" tea spoons "Bldg 2" as they went walkies so often. Nobody from our side ever complained.......

I am quite sure the keys are with all the Colchester Chipmaster change wheels.
I haven't been able to find any gears for my metric Chipmaster at all!
Not that I really need them, but I tend to collect. ;-)

Also very rare are accessories for the Weiler Primus - it looks like no one bought any.
Cheers
Erik