Making a Key from MDF
Health and Safety - Goggles, gloves and dust masks should be worn when sanding down the MDF. The dust can be very irritable against skin and when in eyes. If does get in eyes, simply wash out with water or at the nearest eye cleaning kit. Overalls or long sleeves should also be worn when sanding down. When using the bandsaw, handsaw and electric sander, it is important to be well trained and wearing protective gear such as eye protection and even noise protecting headphones. Spray painting should only be done in a well ventilated room while wearing a mask and goggles.
- Piece of MDF
- Sandpaper
- Drill
- Handsaw
- Bandsaw
- Electric sander
- Small files
- Primer spray
- Black spray paint
Using MDF is a very cheap alternative to metal and it is also easier to work with. A lot of props are made from this material to save time and money. I began by getting my reference image off of the internet and sketching that in pencil onto the piece of MDF. I then took this to the bandsaw and slowly started to cut out my shape. As the key was quite small, there were some fiddly areas but by going slowly and in small sections, I could work around them. Once I had the main shape cut, I then took it to the electric sander to round off the corners and edges.
For the inner section that would have a ring looped through I used two different techniques. Firstly I drilled a whole in the centre of what needed to be cut away. Then I tried using a hand saw where the blade could be slipped out and then inserted through the centre and cut out my shape. This however was rather tricky as the shape was quite fiddly and the blade kept catching. So I then went back and drilled more holes and used a little rounded bit on the electric sander. This worked really well and gave me those rounded edges of the heart. Finally, I used a little file which was in a triangular shape to sharpen up the point of the heart. I used this same effect for the little heart in the lock section. To smooth off all the harsh lines, I took a piece of 180 sandpaper and gently sanded down the edges. For the painting, I started by priming the wood. This will stop the paint from being absorbed into the MDF and altering the colour. I used a primer spray which is a very fast and efficient way to prime as it dries very quickly and wont leave brush strokes. Once this dried, I then used a black spray paint to cover the whole surface. I found that the best way to get an even layer was to hang the key from a little hook of wire. This meant I could cover every angle without having to touch it risking finger marks.
