Bladekey Bolt: Revolutionizing Key Rings
by BladeKey LLC
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Revolutionizing Key Rings
The best inventions are often the ones that solve everyday problems to make our lives simpler and easier. That’s exactly what you get with the BladeKey Bolt, which aims to tackle the problems associated with traditional keyrings. If you’ve ever been irritated by keys digging into your leg through your pocket, jangling around and making a racket, or being hard to untangle 
when they get mixed up… then you’ll probably want to take a look at the Bladekey Bolt.
What is The BladeKey Bolt?
Essentially the BladeKey Bolt is a keyring alternative – a way of carrying keys that keeps movement constrained to one axis while covering the blades at the end. This works by simply putting the removable ‘bolt’ through each key. This holds them inside a minimal protective sleeve crafted from anodized aluminium and raw aluminium. It also comes in a variety of sizes to fit a different numbers of keys, although washers can be used to fill empty spaces. There is also an ‘extended’ version for longer keys and a loop at the end of each to allow you to easily attach a car key.
The Story So Far
The creator of the BladeKey Bolt first got started on the project after purchasing a Makerbot Cupcake CNC in 2009. After printing upgrade parts for it, he started to get used to the process of designing and creating objects and wanted to turn this new talent to something useful. He wanted to solve a problem that could be uniquely solved by a 3D printer, and not just little trinkets that would end up in the trash someday.
Having been bothered by keys rattling and poking in the past, this seemed like a good place to start. As a hobby, he sold the 3D printed version on Shapeways. However, with requests for a metal version and a Makers’ Mark Manhattan in hand, Bladekey Bolt’s evolution to mass metal production began.
The hope is to have them available at local hardware stores in the future. So far BladeKey has been a big hit! The project has vastly surpassed a conservative $6,000 goal, currently having raised $31,795 with 8 days to go. BladeKey has also already been selling well on Shapeways, and in the spirit of community you can download the files for 3D printing from Thingiverse. Or why not help out and get involved in the Kickstarter campaign!
Published 4/2/2013
