Key Mould

Key Moulds are crafted items which allow you to make a plastic copy of normal colored Keys carried by specific Guards.

Obtaining
Key Moulds can only be made by crafting and are never found in inmates' desks or sold by inmates.

In order to make a Key Mould, first make a Wad of Putty. Then knock out the desired guard, open his inventory, and remove the key. Craft the key together with the wad of putty to make a key Mould of the color key. Then open the guard's inventory up again and replace the original key. Then make Molten Plastic, craft it together with the Key Mould to make a Plastic Key.

On certain versions (Console TE2, Mobile TE1) having a Wad of Putty in your inventory allows you to make a Key Mold without taking the original key. This is done by pressing a hotkey when the key is hovered over.

Tips
The order of which guard has which key is determined by the character naming screen whenever you start a new prison. From left to right, the first guard will have the Cell Key, the 2nd guard will have the Utility Key, followed by the Entrance Key, then the Staff Key and then the 5th guard will have the Work Key. Those guards will always have those specific keys in order. The other guards will carry no keys. It helps to remember the names of the guards or change their names to label them with what key they have (for example, name the 4th guard "REDKEY' or "GUARD4" etc.) to help you quickly identify the right guard for a key.

If you need more time to craft a key Mould, for example if you don't have a wad of putty with you when a guard is down and you need to go get it, you can keep the officer down longer by using a Length of Rope or Duct Tape to tie him up, which gives you much more time to keep the original key in your inventory to either use on doors or have more time to make a key Mould. It also helps to knock out the guard farther away from the Infirmary, which will give the medics a longer distance to travel.

Be careful not to be caught with a Key Mould. It is contraband and will set scanners off. Just like any other contraband, it will be taken away if you are knocked out with it in your inventory or if it is in your desk when you are called for a Shakedown. Be sure to quickly hide it in a secure location - in The Escapists 2, the Hidden Compartment inside your desk is ideal for this.

Also note that you cannot use a plastic key to make a new Mould, or a Comb Shiv or a Toothbrush Shiv to make molten plastic. However, if you need to use a key a lot, or want a spare as an emergency backup in case you are doing high-risk activities that risk you losing the key, you can make multiple key Moulds with the same original key to make multiple keys later on. But making many keys requires a lot of materials, so it is best to prepare amply ahead of time.

Be sure to bring a Contraband Pouch if the guard you want to hunt down tends to stay behind scanners. The base materials of Wad of Putty and Molten Plastic are not contraband, so you can walk through a scanner without worrying (it will still take the durability from your pouch, however.) Remember that attacking a guard raises your heat as well.