Wax Pad

This is a small block of wax usually kept in a rigid container to keep it in one piece—the equivalent of a large snuff-box will do nicely. The thief uses the wax to record an impression of a key he wants to have duplicated later. Obviously, the thief can only do this if he has access to a key, at least for a short time, and if he doesn't wish to take a chance on borrowing the key for a while. From the wax impression, the thief can have a locksmith make a duplicate of the original key, or attempt to make one himself using a Keymaking Set, if he has one.

With very soft wax, which may need heat-softening on the spot, the thief may even be able to make a wax impression of such items as heavy seals, which may be capable of being duplicated later—but an expert will be needed for this kind of duplication/forgery!