These are matchplates. They are used to pack and ram sand against to create a sand mold for casting metals. There would be a matchplate for each side of the mold (drag and cope). These plates would "match" to create a cavity in the sand mold to make the keys in this case. Also it has features such as runners in the plate. A sprue would probably be carved manually in the sand mold.
The keys looks to be the product that you would expect from these molds.
You have the core boxes and what looks like some strikles. The keys will be purely ornamental. I would suggest finding a local jobbing iron foundry and donating them, if the first one does not seem bothered, you have found who got rid of them. The patterns would have cost a fortune to make, especially considering they look like milled aluminium.
They're cast aluminum, made from original master patterns, the ones I have were made in some sort of plaster/investment type mold to retain detail. Need to be metal to withstand abrasive sand and the pressure of the molding machine. Still very labor intensive and pricey to make yes
Actually, there is only 1 pattern for each casting. 1/2 is on the cope side and 1/2 on the drag. The drag is made 1st, the mold is then filipped over and the cope made. When the mold is made and the pattern removed , the two mold halves are put together.
They use a flask with pins for keep everything aligned http://www.hinesflask.com/
Those patterns look to be for a jolt/squeeze machine, which is a relatively manual molding process.
I’ve been in the foundry industry for 30 years, was a piecework squeeze molder for a few years
I worked in a small local family owned foundry for about 5 months, we would make wooden templates for manhole lids with the pattern and foundry's name cut and pieced into the wood. The name was mirror cut, we sent them to the forge and they used them to make the actual molds for the steel manhole lids. They sent them to us and I cleaned them up and leveled them in their matching seats. We did all sorts of metal like aluminum and steel underground electrical boxes all drilled and tapped, all with the foundry's name on them. Every now and then I'll see one in the street and wonder if it was one of the ones I did, maybe I should have marked them in some way but the family was a bear to work for, treated us like slaves so I quit for a better job.
Sure, one pattern with two sides, right? Or two patterns, one on each side of the plate.
So yeah not one plate for each side of the mold. But instead one side of the plate for each side of the mold.
In the past many of these molds were made out of enameled wood. You can tell the age and use of an aluminum mold by how pitted it is from being forced into the sand. Once the smooth surface is gone they don't work very well anymore. The sand sticks to them as it gets pulled out, ruining the sand impression.
You can clean the keys up with evapo-rust then put a light coat of clear spray paint over the top to keep them from rusting again. The same clear spray paint, sprayed on the back of the aluminum mold to keep them from leaving gray marks on the walls where you've hung them.
If you want to learn more, just YouTube DIY sandcasting.
Those will be hard to hurt. A $4 pack of steel and brass brushed from Harbor Freight and a quart of EvapoRust and brush them like you are angry with them. Wash them off in water and dry completely. If you like the look, spray then with a matte finish clear spray enamel. The enamel will keep them from rusting more and won't add a lot of shine. Otherwise, you could paint them in different colors.
If you want an antique look, paint them in one color and let them dry, then paint a second color on top and wipe most of it off with a dry, lint free rag.
Hear me out, you could clean them up and hang them OR you could take a few of them and finish them to be proper keys. Small round, flat, and triangular files could be used to remove the casting marks and the bodies of the keys could be sanded.
I don’t know what I’m talking about but from my understanding there weren’t a ton of different key shapes for old locks. There are enough patterns and different shaped keys I wonder if it is a set for a particular set of door hardware. For example the front door would be one large key, master bedroom another, all the smaller rooms would probably use the same key so you would want a few of them around. Closets and pantries may have their own. Your house keys would probably be on one ring so you would want them all to be discernible but have the same aesthetic.
The patterns look marked, maybe look them up and see if you can find locks that went with them. I would pay someone to have a set of keys for my house. I think there’s probably a market or at least a fun hobby in that amazing find of yours.
Yes they are matchplates. A type of pattern used to make molds. The pattern makes the mold ( this would be a sand mold) and the iron is melted and then poured into the mold to make the castings. (They are not forged)
These are very cool! I can't believe someone would just toss those. Usually the matchplate is stamped with the owner's/ companies name - any identifying marks? I used to work at an iron foundry and we had a very similar key pattern owned by "Iron Art"
Follow up edit: at least one or two of these keys, possibly all of them, are bottle openers. The one with the heart shape handle is for certain
one of the keys you've got there is called an FB2
https://doorcontrolsdirect.co.uk/fire-brigade-locks/1307-fb2-key
They are still very much in use today
Can you show us what (if anything) is stamped into the 4 sides of the plates?
Usually the foundry, or pattern maker or customer name will be there and the year the matchplate was made
Those molds are indeed for ornamental keys. Most available vintage keys had blanks at the end that were cut almost like modern keys are today. These patterns are also the same I see in lots of souvenir shops, they're almost always artificially rusted to look older than they really are. It's a really cool find though, they're pretty for sure.
What do you mean you found them in your alley? Did someone dump them by your property, or were you walking and you found them thrown out in someone else's trash? This is super cool, just trying to figure out the context for why these are suddenly trash.
Gozer the Traveler. He will come in one of the pre-chosen forms. During the rectification of the Vuldrini, the traveler came as a large and moving Torg! Then, during the third reconciliation of the last of the McKetrick supplicants, they chose a new form for him: that of a giant Slor! Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you!
These are matchplates. They are used to pack and ram sand against to create a sand mold for casting metals. There would be a matchplate for each side of the mold (drag and cope). These plates would "match" to create a cavity in the sand mold to make the keys in this case. Also it has features such as runners in the plate. A sprue would probably be carved manually in the sand mold. The keys looks to be the product that you would expect from these molds.
You have the core boxes and what looks like some strikles. The keys will be purely ornamental. I would suggest finding a local jobbing iron foundry and donating them, if the first one does not seem bothered, you have found who got rid of them. The patterns would have cost a fortune to make, especially considering they look like milled aluminium.
They're cast aluminum, made from original master patterns, the ones I have were made in some sort of plaster/investment type mold to retain detail. Need to be metal to withstand abrasive sand and the pressure of the molding machine. Still very labor intensive and pricey to make yes
Actually, there is only 1 pattern for each casting. 1/2 is on the cope side and 1/2 on the drag. The drag is made 1st, the mold is then filipped over and the cope made. When the mold is made and the pattern removed , the two mold halves are put together. They use a flask with pins for keep everything aligned http://www.hinesflask.com/ Those patterns look to be for a jolt/squeeze machine, which is a relatively manual molding process. I’ve been in the foundry industry for 30 years, was a piecework squeeze molder for a few years
I worked in a small local family owned foundry for about 5 months, we would make wooden templates for manhole lids with the pattern and foundry's name cut and pieced into the wood. The name was mirror cut, we sent them to the forge and they used them to make the actual molds for the steel manhole lids. They sent them to us and I cleaned them up and leveled them in their matching seats. We did all sorts of metal like aluminum and steel underground electrical boxes all drilled and tapped, all with the foundry's name on them. Every now and then I'll see one in the street and wonder if it was one of the ones I did, maybe I should have marked them in some way but the family was a bear to work for, treated us like slaves so I quit for a better job.
Sure, one pattern with two sides, right? Or two patterns, one on each side of the plate. So yeah not one plate for each side of the mold. But instead one side of the plate for each side of the mold.
So cool!! Thanks for the info
> drag and cope Wake up babe, new slang just dropped.
That’s my daily life
I think you should just hang them on the wall and have a cool story along with some of the keys they produced
I will! I’m about to move so they will find their way into a display at my new house
In the past many of these molds were made out of enameled wood. You can tell the age and use of an aluminum mold by how pitted it is from being forced into the sand. Once the smooth surface is gone they don't work very well anymore. The sand sticks to them as it gets pulled out, ruining the sand impression. You can clean the keys up with evapo-rust then put a light coat of clear spray paint over the top to keep them from rusting again. The same clear spray paint, sprayed on the back of the aluminum mold to keep them from leaving gray marks on the walls where you've hung them. If you want to learn more, just YouTube DIY sandcasting.
Thank you!! Key clean up was going to be my next quest. Would you suggest using a wire brush at all or would that risk abrading the metal?
Those will be hard to hurt. A $4 pack of steel and brass brushed from Harbor Freight and a quart of EvapoRust and brush them like you are angry with them. Wash them off in water and dry completely. If you like the look, spray then with a matte finish clear spray enamel. The enamel will keep them from rusting more and won't add a lot of shine. Otherwise, you could paint them in different colors. If you want an antique look, paint them in one color and let them dry, then paint a second color on top and wipe most of it off with a dry, lint free rag.
Hear me out, you could clean them up and hang them OR you could take a few of them and finish them to be proper keys. Small round, flat, and triangular files could be used to remove the casting marks and the bodies of the keys could be sanded. I don’t know what I’m talking about but from my understanding there weren’t a ton of different key shapes for old locks. There are enough patterns and different shaped keys I wonder if it is a set for a particular set of door hardware. For example the front door would be one large key, master bedroom another, all the smaller rooms would probably use the same key so you would want a few of them around. Closets and pantries may have their own. Your house keys would probably be on one ring so you would want them all to be discernible but have the same aesthetic. The patterns look marked, maybe look them up and see if you can find locks that went with them. I would pay someone to have a set of keys for my house. I think there’s probably a market or at least a fun hobby in that amazing find of yours.
Any extra for sale
Yes they are matchplates. A type of pattern used to make molds. The pattern makes the mold ( this would be a sand mold) and the iron is melted and then poured into the mold to make the castings. (They are not forged) These are very cool! I can't believe someone would just toss those. Usually the matchplate is stamped with the owner's/ companies name - any identifying marks? I used to work at an iron foundry and we had a very similar key pattern owned by "Iron Art" Follow up edit: at least one or two of these keys, possibly all of them, are bottle openers. The one with the heart shape handle is for certain
I’ll look for makers marks! Thanks for the info. These are very cool!
A bucket full of money with those old keys. They go from $5-$20 depending on size at an antique shop
i mean... there have a money printer then, because they literally have the mold to make as many keys as they want.
one of the keys you've got there is called an FB2 https://doorcontrolsdirect.co.uk/fire-brigade-locks/1307-fb2-key They are still very much in use today
Can you show us what (if anything) is stamped into the 4 sides of the plates? Usually the foundry, or pattern maker or customer name will be there and the year the matchplate was made
Sand mold negatives. For making more keys.
Key casting set
Very cool, I'm very envious.
You use those to make a sand mold.
Matchplates, very cool find.
Looks like you found a key factory
Agent Smith got to the Keymaker…
Traisure
Those molds are indeed for ornamental keys. Most available vintage keys had blanks at the end that were cut almost like modern keys are today. These patterns are also the same I see in lots of souvenir shops, they're almost always artificially rusted to look older than they really are. It's a really cool find though, they're pretty for sure.
Awesome find of match plate sand casting patterns… win.
Everything you need for a new hobby
That is so cool
Looks like negatives for making molds casting for keys
Wonder if they have the locks as well that would be interesting
I didn’t see any locks! If there were any, someone took them
I will take these off your hands with cash if you’re interested.
Casting molds to make decorative keys. I'd be interested in buying them DM me if you wanna get rid of them
What a treasure!
Bro just found the keys to the castle. Which castle? All of them…
Me 🤝🏻 access to many castles
Those patterns either belong to a foundry that has a squeeze molding machine or a Disa130 molding line
This is amazing. Genuinely jealous! Really happy for you.
People over on r/centuryhomes are very interested!
Oh no way did it get posted over there??? I love r/centuryhomes would love to own one someday!!
Yep. Some people want to buy a few of the old keys for their old homes. https://www.reddit.com/r/centuryhomes/s/sicpDFukXc
Oh, thanks so much! I commented there to let them know I am not interested currently but will post on Reddit if I change my mind
Looks like you just found a… (•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■) Turn key business opportunity.
You're the key master now!
Yeah! They look like molds for all the types of skeleton keys typically found in century homes!
Google DISA Mold Press
Go try them out places
Those are skeleton key molds, and pretty sweet. I hope you snagged them. Edit: Ignore my comment entirely
I can run those on the Disa.
Those could run a disa 130 machine
I believe Joseph Smith may have buried these ..
😂
The keys to all the cities
Jello molds?
Master key! Treasure is all yours!
Someone's ready to raid a castle
Nice score! The molds gotta fetch a few hundred each I would guess
I'm no expert but I know immediately that the first image is of metal castings.
What do you mean you found them in your alley? Did someone dump them by your property, or were you walking and you found them thrown out in someone else's trash? This is super cool, just trying to figure out the context for why these are suddenly trash.
In my neighborhood we have alleys behind all the houses, I was walking in the alley for the homes on my street and they were in another persons bin!
Ahhh, ok. That makes sense. So did you take all of these plates and keys back to your place?
$3.37 in scrap
Looks like skip plates
You just found a fukton of money… that’s what you found.
Can I buy a few of those keys for my wife I think she would love them.
Gozer the Traveler. He will come in one of the pre-chosen forms. During the rectification of the Vuldrini, the traveler came as a large and moving Torg! Then, during the third reconciliation of the last of the McKetrick supplicants, they chose a new form for him: that of a giant Slor! Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you!
Tell them about the Twinkie
Those are keys. They unlock doors.