20240204 Tools for the Restroom

It's not my job

Making sure the toilet rolls are always replenished is very important. Not only does it create a good impression to Visitors but also, a life-saver. So, this utmost important job falls on the Cleaning Lady who does her rounds a few times of the day. However, in some cases, said roll will finish before her arrival. Having figure out how these things worked since my last two Jobs, it was a no-brainer to do the deed myself.

The only obstacle to the whole Samaritan rescue is the damn plastic cover. They require some stupidly special keys so that Normal Joes could not tamper with them while they're bored in the cubicle. Usually, it does not matter what keys look like as they are only required to turn the lock 90ยบ to release the latch.

The Makeshift Solution

Luckily for me, I do have a makeshift key in the form of a small metal tag, which more or less, was able to turn the lock. The Cleaning Lady was impressed but I was unable to give it to her since it came with a car. Since I have shown her how to open it, I am sure she knows what to do next. The only question I had was, how did she managed before I even came onboard?

I am still very sure she knows what to do next. Very, very, sure.

OK, so, in the end, nothing happened. Except for a few mysterious events where the cover was opened. Maybe she has figured out how to open it and before she could continue her work, she had to be in another area. Or, maybe not because the rolls are half full. Which makes me guess that someone was pulling the tissue too hard that the latch vibrated and worked itself loose. Yeah, right.

 
Becoming the Keymaster...

I think she also hates me since I am the one with the key. Plus, every now and then, I would be taking the rolls into the restroom and refill them myself. Her initial solution was to tape the cover closed which, I kinda admire. But I began to do some imaginary costing which means that her solution could be very expensive over time, say, in a year's time.

Not only that, during one of the heavy thunderstorms a week ago which turned our lanes into river, the tape failed when rain water splashed into it. With the opened cover and a soaked roll, I guess I can only be patient for so long.

Conspiracy

I also fell back to the bad habit of mine which was overthinking. Maybe she taped the keyhole because she got pissed that I was meddling in her job. Some people even my Boss saw me taking the rolls into the washroom. Or maybe, she thinks someone (maybe not me) was playing with the keyhole as well.


Maybe she knows I've been replenishing the rolls and that's why the keyhole was taped up.

Not the Keymaster but the Locksmith

In this case, the actual key is just a 8mm x 8mm square which can be easily replicated. What I did was to search for a the same sized square tube in my modeling tools and then use an inch off it. Knowing how plastics fared when being carried around especially as a keychain ornament, I reinforced the interior with a tube and strengthened the ends with some JB Welds.


These 1 inch 8mm x 8mm square tubes has a small round tube reinforcing the drilled out holes (for the keychain ring) and then filled with some JB Weld. To make sure the metal epoxy settles on that end, I first sealed it with cellophane tape and then 'pulled' them downwards using some neodymium magnets and left them for 24 hours just to be sure.


Finally, they are ready; one for me and one for the Cleaning Lady

It fits!
Two days later, the cellophane tapes were ripped up which means she does use the 'new' key!