DIY Skeleton Key With Unexpected Cloche

After my last Instructable where I made a cloche display of my tiny anvil, I thought about how to incorporate more cloches without waiting for a thrift store find or spending lots of money (IMO) for a real deal cloche.

I also really love skeleton keys and made a display for my childhood collection. However, with my love of DIY, and my recent procurement of a new welder, I thought, "Maybe I can make my own Skeleton Key to display?!"

Here's how.

Welder

Scrap metal

Scrap wood

Wine glass

Drill with various bits

Hole saw bits

Various Files, large and small

Vice and/or clamps

Metal cutting saw

Angle Grinder

Dremel

Adhesive

Marking tools

Measuring tools

Here is a short a put on YouTube for my skeleton key build.

Here is the wine glass turned cloche YouTube short of mine, as well.

For my key, I gathered a piece of 1/8-inch metal cutoff (pic 1) from my industrial lamp build, a large nail (pic 2), and some sheet metal (pic 8).

I did an interweb search for 'French Skeleton Key' as my inspo. I always liked the heads of the keys that were ornate so why not make this initial build as difficult as possible, right?!

The key itself was already rectangular and the only modification I did was to use a round file on the edge that will mate with the shank (pics 3 & 5). The slot was started with a vertical cut from my angle grinder, followed by a hacksaw and file work. Lots & Lots of filing (pics 11-14). You can do whatever design you want for the slot but more intricate designs take more work. If this is the beginning stages of a functional key (hmm...), keep in mind where the associated lock travel path will be.

For the shank, I cut the nail head off and cut to length using my angle grinder. It was very rusty, so using some sandpaper, I smoothed it out (pic 9). I cut a notch for the head to slide into, as well (pic 6).

The sheet metal was measured & sketched out using a sharpie and some spare washers to get all the round shapes. I marked where the cuts would be. Using a punch and a drill, I removed the rounds parts and the outer edges were molded with the angle grinder, hacksaw, files, and sand paper.

Using my welder's MIG function, I set the voltage to ~50% and amperage to 047 using 0.8mm flux core wire.

I tacked the key to the shank followed by the head to the shank.

Be careful to ensure the key and head are aligned. I almost make that mistake and it could have be discouraging.

I cleaned up the welds and smoothed the key as a whole. I didn't go too wild getting this thing smooth, in fact, I wanted to leave it scuffed to age it with some India ink to give it a weathered appearance.

During one of my trips to the thrift store, I often pass by the plethora of glassware. While passing an absurdly large margarita glass, I thought, "If that were a wine glass that...would make...a cool cloche!!"

Not seeing one, I grabbed a "regular sized" Cabernet wine glass (pic 1) for 2 dollars and got out my Dremel (pic 2).

Using a grinding wheel, I cut the stem of the glass off and it snapped off rather clean (pic 3). I cleaned up the sharp edges and thought about how to make the handle (pic 4-6).

My first thought was to use a torch to "bubble up" the excess glass. I didn't leave enough and also my equipment and skill set would not make that happen very easily, I am assuming.

Next idea was to make a wooden knob with a corresponding hole that would fit the tip of the glass. I cut a dowel to an appropriate length (pic 7) and drilled a 5/16-inch hole in the center of the dowel. I then stuck it on a spare rod to chuck it into my drill press . In hindsight, a lathe would be better but a drill can accomplish the same thing as seen in pic 8.

A couple of minutes later and my knob is complete and I glued it into position with some E6000 adhesive. The roughness of the sanding after I cut it will help the adhesive "bite" into the glass (pic 9).

Another idea I had to make a "handle" was to obtain a diamond cutting bit to make a tiny hole where the stem is. That way a looped rope could be added to act as the handle.

For the base, I wanted something rather rustic. I took a "cookie" from some scrap firewood I had outdoors (pic 1) and found a corresponding hole saw bit to drill a recess (pics 2). Mine used a 64mm or 2.5-inch bit (pic 3). I didn't go full engineer to find the center but rather just eyeballed it where I thought was close enough (pic 4), or should I say, "cloche" enough......nothing?! Ok moving on.

I noticed that this bit made for a tight fit and what I did to combat this was to re-drill but quite loosely. This way the bit would "chatter" a little bit to widen the recess and that worked out well for this build (pic 5).

A classic ME move is to burn the surface in Yakisugi style and that is precisely what I did. A stain or finishing oil could also be an option to make the wood pop.

Lastly, I took a piece of scrap metal and jammed it in the wood to give the key something to lean on. I also noticed my base splitting so I made a copper bowtie to keep it from fully splitting in half. You can see them both in pics 7 & 8.

Now it is time to display this project and behold its glory!

I love this build because it allows me to have an easy method to construct tiny cloche when the need arises (thrift store glassware is by no means rare). Granted they are small but I like the options unless I do find a comically large wine glass but I am afraid it will be etched with a cliché like 'It's 5 o'clock somewhere' on it...

Furthermore, I love skeleton keys so making my own is SO gratifying. I often find myself sneaking to the cloche to hold it and pretend to open an imaginary box or door. I may have to have a corresponding lock for this fellow in the not too distant future.

See you on the next one.