Escape Prison Using Toothpaste and Talc? 

Myth busting time! Can you escape prison only using toothpaste, talk and a few other items? 🤔

After getting drunk - long story - I accidentally pulled the light fitting off of the ceiling in my hotel room. In the morning, when partially sober, I 'glued' it all back up (including all the decorative plasterwork) with a mixture of toothpaste and very strong hair gel (1983). No one noticed, and it stayed up for years. So yeah, it's possible 🔒 🗝

a styrofoam cup will make a hard plastic with heating and tapping it down and repeating. you can make a good spear tip with newspaper and soap. working 22 years at san quentin i’ve seen some amazing items inmates have made.

Very interesting!! Some plastics can melt to a liquid, others cannot. The safest plastic to melt is PP and PE because they are low in cyclic compounds and they are essentially refined wax. PVC and PA are low in fumes but the contents are harmful to melt.

i watched a show called breakout and there was one episode where the prisoners distracted the guard with an argument while the other one walked up beside them with a bit of Styrofoam cup and he got an impression of a key that way but they had access to a metal workshop and one of them was a key maker and he made the key out of brass, then there was two other episodes that also made keys for locks but one was made from wood and there was a film made based on that story called escape from pretoria

If I was a uk prisoner I wouldn't want to leave, most of them are fed better than me, have better accommodation than me, and don't worry about whether I'm going to be able to afford electricity and gas this month.

Bic pens melt extremely well. The opaque black and blue ones. Once they catch on fire they drip. I fixed a broken pair of glasses at work doing this. Might be worth trying if you can get the plastic to settle in the mold evenly and slowly. As for the toothbrush my guess is that they likely heated the length of plastic being used until soft and pressed the hardened mold around it.

Mrs. Locknoob comes home : “WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO??!!!!” Locknoob : runs for the hills.

Prison keys are much much larger than residential/commercial keys and prisoners have been known to actually carve keys out of wood/plastics from sight not even from casting. Keys are never in a prisoners hands, at least without a forceful taking, at which points the locks would most likely be changed as a safety measure. Prison locks have been designed in part to prevent these types of keys, including direct cast keys by 1 having much tighter tolerances than residential locks as well as ball bearings on wear surfaces and tighter more forceful operating requirements, specifically to brake cast keys. Electronic locking has also come in to favor by reducing the need for keys in general. Also for not is prisons o not have master keys and keys are specifically restricted by section/block so that it typically takes between 3-5 keys to get anywhere and no one officer or block would have every key; keys can be held in the armory or control area and only go out with officers at shift change and then get returned by the previous shift such that not even the officers could get out of the block. There are numerous security procedures in place specifically to prevent wide spread access or escape. We learned a lot from Attica where a single center door failure cause a wide spread security failure; prisons haven’t been build in decades where they don’t have multi-step security, and those old prisons have been modified. Just about every prison or jail used an “air lock” or “air gap” type of security where there is never an open path to the outside where 2 doors are needed to get out and which can never be opened at the same time. Escapes usually don’t use keys they use outdated or underutilized infrastructural weaknesses and the notion that they only need to be at 100% during the escape but the security has to be 100%, 100% of the time, something that truly isn’t possible in real life.

„I sort of want to eat it, but no…” (mushing up that homemade toothpaste putty). For a second there I thought you had inhaled an intoxicating amount of plastic fumes Sir Noob. Really great video. A very entertaining endeavour.

A lot of people in prison use toothpaste to put up their posters. It leaves your walls messy but it does work. It dries in solid and sometimes it crumbles.

I believe it could be done with the right kind of plastic. You'd likely need to set it alight, then drip it into a one-sided mold with the bitting while pressing it to a denser form as you drip while it's hot. If needed you can scrape grooves into the unmolded side after it's cooled to fit into the warding. If needed, something else could tension the cylinder. But no need really- in US prisons you can get almost anything you want smuggled in except for weapons which might be used to harm or kill guards. I'm sure you could get enough casting metal for a key or two- if you have the asking price.

The prisoners Tim Jenkin, Alex Moumbari and Stephen Lee escaped from Pretoria Prison in 1979 after making ten keys from wood. Their escape is described in the film Escape from Pretoria starring Daniel Radcliff. Anyone interested in locks and keys should watch that film.

Almost! Almost! You almost had it. I guess the only real issue is finding something that will melt well enough. You had me glued and mouth watering... almost!

If anything, at least the original key will be very shiny afterwards, seeing that toothpaste contains a fine abrasive.

Laughing. Laughing! The humor of the man. Toothpaste is also a great spackle, as you all know, for those who need to leave a rent arrangement quickly. This is the funniest RU-vid I have ever enjoyed. Thank you.

There are a lot of kinds of toothbrush handles. Maybe prisons use something more thermal, and less resin. Fun test anyway.

Try putting plastic directly into the fire of cigarette lighter or candle. And keep it over the form so that in case of melting drops would fall into the form. Like 20 years ago we were melting plastic like that to clue other things togeter.

Thanks for sharing ...a better plastic, That is closer to what was used in an older style of toothbrush would be what's used for a disposable (bic) ballpoint pen.

Not sure if that is a thing in the real world, and I did not read anybody talking about it in the comments, but that is totally a reference to the game "The Escapists"! Nice one for having tried it :)

I like that you tried this experiment! Also remember that a person locked up has plenty of time to come up with ways to do things. Some are really creative!!

That plastic is HDPE/LDPE. It wont become runny until its on fire. You could set fire to it and let it drip in the mould. A safer, less dangerous and noticeable way, would be to make a stronger mould - one that you can use to forge the semi-soft plastic. Make the mould from flour, sugar, salt. You have to cook it slightly, but that's doable with a candle. Thing is, once you've taken an impression of the key, you're going to have to wait days - maybe a couple weeks, for the mould to set properly. However, it'll be a strong mould that you could use numerous times.

Soot impression of the key on a rigid piece of plastic that is narrow enough to fit in the keyway, then cut it out and use... can probably be refined with an improvised impressioning technique

I suspect the mold has to harden because plastic can't be poured. Plastic uses injection molding. The plastic will need to be softened then squeezed between the hardened plates of the mold. I have seen prisoners use plastic utensils to make things.

LMAO! Great job Ash, looked like fun. Thanks for sharing and have a fantastic week.

Answering questions I never thought to ask.

Ash,I love your approach to this! Funny, entertaining,and educational= Ultimate awesome. Thanks again for ever expanding my scope of things possible in Locksporting. Most of all,I love you keep it FUN! Anyone could demonstrate key impressing,But Not Everyone could've done it as Interesting and creatively. Well done 😎👍

in prison you would melt chess pieces. that's how tattoo ink is made

Great video! This might be good to know if someone was being held somewhere against their will.

That looked like fun. I like your 3DP moulding clamshell. Is it on Thingy at all? When you melt HDPE for moulding, you need to use a double boiler. That way it will melt rather than burn. Maybe something like an aluminium foil container that's floating in a saucepan or bowl with a stinger (razor blade attached to the severed end of a mains wire & plug for cooking food illicitly in prison) for boiling the water. It will never get truly liquid though, only squishy. Probably not the best material with which to cast. Good for making catapults, though. A couple of other thoughts might be to let the putty dry out for a day or two & see if it hardens enough to improve the cast, and I was wondering if anything could be done with superglue & baking soda? Both ingredients could be acquired in bin through swaps or smuggling. That stuff dries pretty rock solid quickly, but I'm unsure as to how well it would fill the void in the mould.

They could easily just copy the bitting by grinding or sanding the shape as well I'd guess

But the mess gave them away...ha, ha, ha...all those white fingerprints all over the place....

That’s awesome. Am curious if plastic has to do with the type of tooth brush ya use. I mean I think with really high heat ya can melt it to dripping. I’ve done something similar using plastic. Especially if they can get vinyl or plastic rope. After it gets reheated and sets it becomes especially hard. But brittle too. Maybe a one time or two use. Atleast removing it.

Fairer shake than I would have given it. Fun video

A taste test is needed

Where do you get the proper clam shell from, would be interested to know. Thanks.

Seems like it would be easier to scrounge a small amount of aluminum or copper than to solve the many problems of plastic. I would think a radio would provide ample copper just in the wiring.

Let it dry, let it dry, let it harden up.

NooB haha you got me again, now I´m looking up key cast mould, I haven´´t even finished your video, just ordered a wafer lock tool, funny how lock sport keeps taking me to a next level.. But I really curse them Assa Ruko green line padlocks, my naughty box lock, it´s so close to pop open but it don´t. :) Thanks for another great video. Thumb up

really cool experiment!

The “freshest” way to break out of prison!

I remember reading an article about a prisoner who used a 3d printer to print a key using a similar technique. Do you think that's possible?

Very entertaining as usual. Cheers dude……..I’m in prison.

Maybe you could try plastic party spoons or pot noodle pots. ...or the type of metal that toothpaste tubes used to be made from

Nicely done, I love it, thanks.

Really cool. Well done!

Just a clue. Injection molding relies more on pressure than on preheating the pellets, but they do both.

I thought this was just an escapists thing 💀

Thanks a bunch, Mexico here I come

The sweet smell of success, well done. What a fun thing to play with. 👍

I have come across a mold using corn starch with silicone sealant, mix them together and it's a really good molding putty

plastic cutlery is something they have and that is easy to melt

You should try the plastic from candy bar wrappers, it's easier to melt into liquid.

i havent seen anyone making keys this way but in the show break out i have seen them making a paste this way and with soap to cover cut marks from hacksaws on the wall

Boil the toothbrush - use a cheap, hard plastic one - not a nice one like you used.

I have heard that waxed dental floss can be used to cut the metal bars in prisons

Ok. I'm in prison typing on a smuggled phone. Could you plz repeat slowly ?

If I were a prisoner, inclined to make an escape, once I had a key I would just use the key.

I think if a prisoner could get their hands on a key long enough to make an impression in putty. They could probably make a tracing on paper and cut a key out of a soda bottle. I’m sure soda bottle plastic is thick enough to hold up key pins to the shear line. Then you would just need a turning tool.

Awrsome video. Thank you really interesting watching. What type of metal melts at low temp. What met did you use? What is that folding mold you have.

Biggest issue I can see here is that most locks in prisons this side of the pond anyway use the chubb custodial range which are heavy lever locks

I bet you could use the mold as a guide to file the toothbrush handle into a key using a small rock or butter knife. If it were close enough it could be a huge headstart to rake it with a bit of a jiggle. Could also just cast the top of the blade and improvise a tension tool.

add wet to dry, not dry to wet (as in preparing dough or batter for baking)!

Escape from Pretoria, they carved keys from wood. Prisoner only need motivation, time is all they have.

super cool

Just curious, what metal did you use? - brilliant vid as always!

If you grind the tooth brush into powder it would melt much easier!

vidéo extraordinaire. un grand merci

this video reminds me of a Prison Break episode, in which Gus Fiorello (John Abruzzi's cellmate), makes the copy of a key using a similar technique.

That was really interesting Brilliant 👍

they use jolly ranchers now to do things like that lol

You would let it harden up and you need a more crappy toothbrush something from the dollar store. And you would melt the toothbrush over numerous days. And you can get a hold of a key by stealing it let's face it prisoners are going to be desperate crafty and not high on moral standards.

Use candle wax. Melt it down.

You wont be able to pour the plastic but you could pack soft plastic in there and close the clamshell to mold it. You may have to trim the burrs after but i bet it would work as long as the toothpase dont deform too much during the process.

That's a no on the milk tops mate. Tooth brush or jail house comb probably best bet. Good try but remember these guys got nothing but time to figure out a way that works.

good fun !! great vid ! cheers

heat directly from further away - it will drip. How you get the two sides to match up from there I'm not sure. (heatable clamshell?)

As a 20 year plus veteran of HM Prison service I can honestly say I’ve never seen a key copied, saying that I did meet a prisoner who could copy a key from memory and allegedly carve a key from a prison tooth brush. To escape a British prison you’d have to get a class 1 & 2 keys. Cell key would only allow you to open a cell door from the inside. Modern jails are very difficult to escape from, the cell window bars would take 24h to cut through using a angle grinder.

Ex prison officer here. This is bs. Uk prison keys are a cross between a thick wafer and shrouded lever type. They’re designed to snap off in the lock in case of emergency. Every officer gets assigned a set of keys. When they’re handed in at the end of shift they’re kind of scanned to see if there’s any type of residue on them. If keys are cloned they have to change every single lock in the entire prison and you’d be in big trouble. Needless to say key security is taken very seriously.

So, maybe someone here will know the answer... Back in the 1980s I read a book that I *THINK* was a Sherlock Holmes book but may not have been. The protagonist was challenged to escape from an old British prison cell. His only requirements were tooth powder, dental floss(or some form of string), and something else that I've since forgotten. He used some of his food and string to lure a rat to him, he somehow tied a note to the rat that ran outside somehow informing his person outside when/where to pick him up and then he used the string/tooth powder as an abrasive to cut the bars of the window of his cell. I think he had a week or a month to do it. Anyone ever read this? I'd love to know the name of it.

I escaped center perks using one of these

You said not to do this at home mate, but what if my homes a cell and does this make you an accomplice.

Haha great video 👌👌 love content like this 😊

jailcells dont have locks

Just burning with the whistling sound drops of polyethylene will harden enough. Drop left, drop right... No need for for anything but plastic.

If you used Gallium as your low melting point metal and then melt the key in an aluminium lock ???? It would be funny to see but not very possible in prison I guess ?

this was a proper good and entertaining video Ash mate you did make me chuckle 😂👍😊👊🇬🇧😎

No key ownership takes place. You'd have to sight read the key and sculpt the model out . Paper ruler, paper key gage, heck even a paper lishi code leaf, printed 1:1 in invisible ink. Think about it

Maybe the nylon bristles would have melted and been easier to use in the production process, just a thought ;-)

Prisons often give inmates plastic items that are designed to crumble if ground. As to metal, coins come to mind, but they would have to get a lot hotter.

Lefty and Big John asked me to pass on their thanks.

plastic straws melt/drip

Shameless advertising for aquafresh and tictacs there mate lol :D

bro escapists fr

The could have used the bristles, or used a solvent to dissolve the plastic and cast that (depending upon polymer). Or ground it to dust and kind of sintered it, or used a binder to hold the shape.. Necessity is the mother of frustration.

😅👏👏👏 great exploration of this!!! 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈🐾🇬🇧🍻

Use Thermoplastic

*ESCAPING THE PRISON*

love your content :D

Bro u have to set fire to the plastic , then it starts to drip ,it does work ,the type off plastic probably was chemically dffrnt in the 90,s but I dare say there’s other plastics you cld try ,