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Flatty
New Member
United Kingdom
5 Posts |
 Posted - 02/21/2005 : 19:36:52
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Hi
I'm new here but something is worrying me
A few months ago my wife and I were on a shopping trip, I parked the car,
locked the door, and went to buy what we wanted, 15 minutes later I tried
to unlock the car door but could not do so because the car keys had bent
so much they would not go into the lock.
The keys in the 15 minute period were never out of my pants pocket and I
did not bump into or hit the keys with anything.
I have a habit of fumbling with the keys when they are in my pocket
My wife was so shocked by the strange event that she burst into tears and
I was very perturbed myself
The same thing happened to me around ten years ago with car keys ance once
with house door keys.
Can you tell me whats going on and have you heard of this happening before
Please note that I am of sound mind and once was a sceptic, I just want to
know whats going on, and be able to explain to my wife who now thinks I'm
a bit weird!
I can send photo of the key if you wish
Flatty
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2005 : 19:50:09 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Flatty
I have a habit of fumbling with the keys when they are in my pocket
Stress causes people to do strange things. Some people grind their teeth. Others wring their hands or fiddle with their ties. They are often quite shocked when their behavior is pointed out to them. Bending a key isn't all that hard if you apply the correct pressure. I would suggest that you are unconsciously bending the keys* in your pockets while your mind is occupied with other matters.
* Do I even need to add "with your hands?"
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 02/21/2005 19:54:06 |
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Flatty
New Member
United Kingdom
5 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2005 : 19:59:23 [Permalink]
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Hi Jay
Thank you for your interesting response.
Your theory is of course feasable but I have tried bending the keys purposely...I have not done it yet with my fingers, the keys are short and fluted which gives them great rigidity which the require for their purpose
Also the the key was turned on its axis during this event
Reagrds
Flatty |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2005 : 20:14:32 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Flatty
Hi Jay
Thank you for your interesting response.
Your theory is of course feasable but I have tried bending the keys purposely...I have not done it yet with my fingers, the keys are short and fluted which gives them great rigidity which the require for their purpose
Also the the key was turned on its axis during this event
Reagrds
Flatty
Yes, well since you state this is a habit of yours, I would guess that the key bending is due to the repeated stress over a long period of time rather than from a single application. Are you familiar with the concept of metal fatigue? It's the "weakened condition induced in metal parts of machines, vehicles, or structures by repeated stresses or loadings, ultimately resulting in fracture under a stress much weaker than that necessary to cause fracture in a single application." (taken from Encyclopedia Britannica)
Also, a jumble of several keys provides greater opportunity for individual keys to wedge in between one another or to cock at odd angles, thus providing dozens of small fulcrums and points of leverage. Removing a single key and attempting to bend it with your bare hands doesn't represent the conditions present in your pocket.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 02/21/2005 20:37:30 |
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Flatty
New Member
United Kingdom
5 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2005 : 20:35:17 [Permalink]
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Hi Jay
Thanks again for your response, being a Design Engineer I know about metal fatigue, the key is still as strong as ever at the bending point and has not fractured, also bending and twisting on its axis would be a most difficult tak to carry out with finger pressure.
There is no visible sign of distress to the metals structure which really confuses me
Thanks
Flaty |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2005 : 20:39:39 [Permalink]
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Well, Flatty, what then in your professional engineering opinion could cause keys to bend in such a manner? You obviously have been thinking about this problem much longer than I have and have some hypothesis in mind. Just come out with it already, as I can see that anything I propose will be met with further objections.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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furshur
SFN Regular
USA
1536 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2005 : 20:50:51 [Permalink]
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I am not sure what could have happened but I don't know of any method whereby keys can spontaneously deform on there own. I have to say that I simply do not believe that the keys were bent with out you or somebody else bending them. Of course a picture won't help because anyone can take a picture of bent keys. Good luck figuring out how they were bent and welcome to SFN.
You didn't bump into Geller did you? That guy has made a living out of bending keys.
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If I knew then what I know now then I would know more now than I know. |
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Flatty
New Member
United Kingdom
5 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2005 : 05:54:15 [Permalink]
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Hi
Thanks for your response
The opinions expressed were typical of the ones I have have previously, I still have found no satisfactory explaination, I will keep hunting, thanks for your time
Uri Geller is a magician Furshur, I was trying to find a serious answer, thanks for your response
Regards
Flaty |
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tomk80
SFN Regular
Netherlands
1278 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2005 : 05:54:29 [Permalink]
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| To add to the things already written here. You said the keys were in your pocket, which probably means they also get warmer, and thus easier to bend. |
Tom
`Contrariwise,' continued Tweedledee, `if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.'
-Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Caroll- |
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Gorgo
SFN Die Hard
USA
5310 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2005 : 06:20:39 [Permalink]
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I know a tiny little lady, in her 70's, that thinks she bends spoons with her mind. She showed us all how to do it, using her hands. Some of the people had trouble doing what she did, but I was careful to watch he closely, and I did everything that she did, and bent the keys every way that she did just the same way with my hands. I know that I did it with my hands, but some of those people probably think I did it with my mind, because you just couldn't do what I did with my hands, and that little old lady sure couldn't do it (according to them).
If you're not messing with us, or someone is not messing with you, then you did it with physical pressure of some kind, or intense enough heat and pressure combined and have convinced yourself otherwise.
I know keys are stronger than spoons, but there just is no other way. |
I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright-
Jerry Garcia
Robert Hunter
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2005 : 06:32:03 [Permalink]
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| I would wager, Flatty, that you're accidentally bending the keys as you take them out of locks, and don't realize it until you go to put them back in. This would also explain the twisting. Be gentle. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2005 : 06:41:54 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
I would wager, Flatty, that you're accidentally bending the keys as you take them out of locks, and don't realize it until you go to put them back in. This would also explain the twisting. Be gentle.
Great minds think alike.....
I've wrecked a couple of keys in just this way. I suspect most of have done the same.
On edit, there might be a way to test this, though: carry the keys in some other pocket.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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| Edited by - filthy on 02/22/2005 06:45:39 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2005 : 07:22:44 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by filthy
On edit, there might be a way to test this, though: carry the keys in some other pocket.
I used to carry my car key in my back pocket, which meant it spent a lot of time being sat on. After four years, it snapped off in the trunk lock, with no undue force on my account. Luckily, there was just enough key sticking out for me to get good purchase and yank the tip outta there. When I went to get a replacement key made at the dealership, the guy actually asked me if I kept the key in my back pocket. I'm a front-pocket guy now. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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Wendy
SFN Regular
USA
614 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2005 : 07:39:54 [Permalink]
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Welcome to SFN, Flatty.
quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
I would wager, Flatty, that you're accidentally bending the keys as you take them out of locks, and don't realize it until you go to put them back in. This would also explain the twisting. Be gentle.
I broke my house key this way once. The lock was difficult to turn and no amount of lubrication helped. Over time the stress on the key caused it to snap off in the lock.
My guess would be your keys are bending as the result of some or all of these suggestions combined.
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Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do on a rainy afternoon.
-- Susan Ertz
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2005 : 08:57:56 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
quote:
Originally posted by filthy
On edit, there might be a way to test this, though: carry the keys in some other pocket.
I used to carry my car key in my back pocket, which meant it spent a lot of time being sat on. After four years, it snapped off in the trunk lock, with no undue force on my account. Luckily, there was just enough key sticking out for me to get good purchase and yank the tip outta there. When I went to get a replacement key made at the dealership, the guy actually asked me if I kept the key in my back pocket. I'm a front-pocket guy now.
I always knew you were a hardass! 
There's a lot of ways to screw up a key, but that's a new one to me. Many keys are made of an alloy of brass and will often snap after bending only slightly.
I think that Geller makes a big deal out of keys because they are rather difficult to bend due to their size. It's hard to get some torque on them because there's little leverage. Of course, his riff is all slight of hand and codswallop.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2005 : 16:02:31 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
I would wager, Flatty, that you're accidentally bending the keys as you take them out of locks, and don't realize it until you go to put them back in. This would also explain the twisting. Be gentle.
I'll go with this. Sounds like the most logical explanation presented thus far.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 02/22/2005 16:03:02 |
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