# What to do with a giant bag full of keys and doorknobs
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 8, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607 "2008-09-08T14:08:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/1 "2008-09-08T14:08:02Z")
I bought it at a garage sale, a couple of my doorknobs needed replacing and the entire bag was $2. But now I own half a dozen doorknobs and dead bolts I don’t need and a grocery bag full of (it looks like) every key the previous owner ever had.
I’m thinking about taking some of the keys and making an art project with them. If I can’t find anything to do with the superfluous knobs I might sell them for scrap.
Give me some ideas!
---
### Author:  [@Erasmus\_Darwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erasmus_Darwin)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/2 "2008-09-08T14:23:04Z")
If you’re looking to expand out into the mugging industry, then you’ll need something sturdier than a grocery bag to hold the doorknobs. Traditional wisdom suggests going with a sack of some sort.
---
### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/3 "2008-09-08T14:38:30Z")
Are they neat old-fashioned doorknobs and keys, or mostly modern ones?
For the doorknobs, you could attach them to a strip of wood and make a coat rack, with knobs instead of hooks.
---
### Author:  [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/4 "2008-09-08T14:45:11Z")
I know a doper who is planning on rekeying the doors to his house. If you want I can tell him about you and maybe you two can work something out.
---
### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/5 "2008-09-08T14:48:05Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Are they neat old-fashioned doorknobs and keys, or mostly modern ones?
>
> For the doorknobs, you could attach them to a strip of wood and make a coat rack, with knobs instead of hooks.
This is exactly what I did with old knobs in a variety of colors; put them on old, weathered wood and topped it with a thin shelf. It turned out both functional and beautiful.
---
### Author:  [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/6 "2008-09-08T14:51:49Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Are they neat old-fashioned doorknobs and keys, or mostly modern ones?
>
> For the doorknobs, you could attach them to a strip of wood and make a coat rack, with knobs instead of hooks.
You beat me to it. That’s what I was going to suggest.
---
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/7 "2008-09-08T14:53:10Z")
Cool-looking antique doorknobs are worth money to rehabbers. If you want alternate uses for them, there are many. I’ve even seen them in a bowl on the coffee table. Use them as pulls on larger pieces of furniture. I saw them as end-caps on a curtain rod and as a tie-back anchor on drapes. You could top the back of a boring ladder-back chair, if the proportions are correct.
My husband took all the doorknobs out of the old farmhouses he rented prior to moving into this house. I should look around for them. He’s a pack rat.
---
### Author:  [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/8 "2008-09-08T15:10:01Z")
I’ll have to dig through the bag again, I know some were brand new deadbolts still in the box, some tarnished older (though not especially unique) knobs.
I had thought of putting them on a curtain rod, but wasn’t quite sure how I’d go about that. The coat rack idea is pretty cool, I could probably do that. Ooooh, and I’ve got the perfect spot next to my door. Hmm, back to the store again? The craft store sells unfinished plaques for quite cheap, I could paint or stain it as I wish and mount them on that.
Any ideas for the keys? There’s several hundred of them, I was going to incorporate some into a painting, but I don’t know about the others.
ETA: If someone does want the deadbolts, let me know. I can’t think of anything cool to do with those and at least one of them was still in the box.
---
### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/9 "2008-09-08T15:24:33Z")
For the keys, you could make a windchime of them, or string them on fishing line to make a bead curtain:
| | |
| | |
| KEY |
| | |
| | |
KEY | KEY
| | |
| | |
| KEY |
| | |
| | |
KEY | KEY
| | |
| | |
| KEY |
etc.
On preview: sorry, don’t know how to code it to make it clearer; I’m trying to show three strings, there would be more space between the columns.
---
### Author:  [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/10 "2008-09-08T15:47:27Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> For the keys, you could make a windchime of them, …
I was also going to suggest windchimes with the keys. I have a whole bunch of keys from when we remodeled the place I work and they had to replace a bunch of locks, everyone turned in the old keys to me so I was planning on making some windchimes with them. Maybe add some colorful beads to the chime to make it look more interesting.
---
### Author:  [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/11 "2008-09-08T17:44:09Z")
You could melt them down and probably make a good buck off the copper.
---
### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/12 "2008-09-08T18:06:28Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#):
>
> Cool-looking antique doorknobs are worth money to rehabbers.
I hear there’s a guy named Ed who might be interested.
---
### Author:  [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/13 "2008-09-08T19:08:54Z")
did you sign up for the white elephant exchange?
---
### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/14 "2008-09-08T19:12:45Z")
A bag full of doorknobs and not one single suggestion towards acts of gratuitous physical violence?
:shakes head: What has happened to this place. ☹
😛
---
### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/15 "2008-09-08T19:14:11Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#):
>
> A bag full of doorknobs and not one single suggestion towards acts of gratuitous physical violence?
>
> :shakes head: What has happened to this place. ☹
>
> 😛
Everyone’s over in the nekkid pix thread. 😉
---
### Author:  [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/16 "2008-09-08T19:14:12Z")
You could keep all the doorknobs in a sack. Then, whenever you do something foolish, you can point to the sack and say, “At least I’m not as dumb as _that_!”
I keep a bag of hammers around for the same purpose.
---
### Author:  [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/17 "2008-09-08T19:34:16Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#):
>
> A bag full of doorknobs and not one single suggestion towards acts of gratuitous physical violence?
>
> :shakes head: What has happened to this place. ☹
>
> 😛
Pssst. See Post #2.
---
### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/18 "2008-09-08T19:39:40Z")
:):):):)🙂 Faith Restored!!!
---
### Author:  [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/19 "2008-09-08T19:56:36Z")
Throw a big party.
Give all the door knobs to the females.
Give all the keys to the males.
---
### Author:  [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607/20 "2008-09-08T21:00:15Z")
Stick 'em on Craigslist. If no takers, try Freecycle.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-giant-bag-full-of-keys-and-doorknobs/462607.md?page=2)