It Happened

If the keys are rusting then it's only because they're in a humid environment. They're not made of a high grade stainless steel, and whatever protective coating they have will be broken in the key cutting process.

I have the same lock and keys on my Looker2 and also find the key can go a little rusty but actually it isn't a problem. Any rust will rub off, and then a quick smear with an oil will be enough to protect it. What oil? I find *Eskimo oil to work well!

*rub your finger on the side of your nose, that's Eskimo oil.

 

Wow - that's quite an affliction you got there. Life could be easier.

I can promise you that if a customer came to me asking for a new lock and key because this one had rusted, I'd think they were a taking things a bit too far....
There is something about responsibility in life, and you could to take greater ownership of this cleanliness mania. It's your own life it affects after-all. Non ferrous metals will corrode if not adequately protected from moisture, that's just how it is. Wash the surface oil off and they'll often rust within hours just from the moisture in the air. You wouldnt believe how small a layer of oil will protect that key - just a few microns of a layer is all it takes. Wash it though, and that layer of skin fat is gone. just give it some baby oil or something, rub it off with a tissue, then that key is as protected as it can be.
Tell you what though - you could make your own key out of something non-metal! Try scanning it and getting a plastic one 3d printed. You could wash that all you liked. Sterilise it even.

*Side story about protecting metals.
I work in the cycle industry. One small maker I know is a very good engineer. He writes a very fulsome warranty instruction, in which he makes the point that he cares greatly about the metal his bike frames are made from. He insists that before you build your bike, you pour engine oil through the frame tubes to fully protect them from the inside. Not only, that, but he explains that the paint on the outside is protecting the metal, and that the big long sticker on-top of that is protecting the paint, and should you ride without that sticker on, then your warranty is void because he wants you, the new owner of his bike frame, to own some responsibility for protecting his metal frame from rust.

 

I just thought that someone with an aversion to germs might not want to use Eskimo oil!

 

I'm not sure it's actually called that, just that I know Eskimos polish small stone sculptures using the oil from their faces. It's actually quite a nice way of cleaning your face, uses no soap so it isn't drying, and feels soooo smoooth. It helps to use a smooth pebble rather than a bit of rock of course.
Anyway - @Cottus, I'm not saying that you're wrong to be miffed, I was miffed the first time my keys went rusty, but I had suspended them in a bottle of water and frozen it for a week while Wonderful was away. I had dipped them in wax prior to freezing so it was a disappointing surprise. After that I just wouldn't be surprised (or too alarmed) to see them rust in the middle of the Sahara.



We can go back to your thread now.
My apologies for the lengthy sidetrack.

 

This thread has taught me to take preemptive action regarding my not yet rusty keys.