bitcoin private key storage

[AakZaki]

Never send your seed to anyone, so you can't use engraving services.

At a bare minimum just write the seed on a piece of paper, and put it inside a ziploc bag.

Keep a couple of those, with a passphrase that is not written there. That way you can even keep a copy at a friends/family house and they won't be able to access your funds.

If you want to have some kind of metal backup, there are kits you can buy that allow you to DIY, and some come with all the common words pre-engraved, and you just move them around.

metal or paper reserves may be used. it all depends on how you save it so that it is not lost and can be accessed by you at any time. and certainly the backup is not damaged. having a few backups in a few places might help. or keep it somewhere safest and only you or someone you trust can know. Other people need to know and that is very important. because we don't know when we will die and who can find private key store and open bitcoin wallet. a kind of bitcoin asset inheritance.

[savetheFORUM]

metal or paper reserves may be used. it all depends on how you save it so that it is not lost and can be accessed by you at any time. and certainly the backup is not damaged. having a few backups in a few places might help. or keep it somewhere safest and only you or someone you trust can know. Other people need to know and that is very important. because we don't know when we will die and who can find private key store and open bitcoin wallet. a kind of bitcoin asset inheritance.

It's useless when you use a metal or paper and if you will misplaced it later on. Most of us only use simple tools to save our keys or phrase but we are good at hiding them. Creating a backup using the tools that you can find easily in your household is also much easier. You can create different copies and store them in different places like a pro.

It's a must to educate the people if ever you entrust your seeds to them if ever they don't have an idea with btc yet, so that they can take extra care with the seeds and they can also use it if ever there's something bad that will happen to us. That's better than losing your coins completely.

[pawanjain]

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. I was able to buy some metal sheets made of stainless steel from the local market.
I then used a sharp nail and wrote the seed phrase on the steel plates. I hope that it is secure enough and doesn't get deformed.
For additional security I have put all the steel plates inside a metal case. I think this might be enough to store it for a long period.

[DU18]

I have read that many people choose to store their bitcoin private keys on steel plates by engraving the seed phrase on the plates.
I thought of doing the same and so I searched for vendors around me and contacted one of them.
After discussing with the vendor I got to know that we can engrave the keys on steel as well as aluminium plates.
He also said that aluminium plates are cheaper than steel but on the other hand steel is stronger than aluminium.
And so I have the below two questions to ask you guys before I proceed with securing my keys.

1. Should I go with aluminium or steel plates ?

2. Wouldn't it be a risk if I give my keys to the vendor to engrave it on the plates ? What if he steals my coins?
Also, If I don't give the words to the vendor how will he engrave it ?

One solution that I can think of is to find 3-4 similar vendors and give a few words to each of them to engrave on the plate

If you carve it in metal and wood won't it just make it difficult for you to store it?
I think it's better for us to write it down on a piece of paper that we can keep in a safe place or we can always carry it in in wallet we pants pocket, rather than having to engrave it on metal or on aluminum anyway, I think paper is also a safe place as long as we can take care of it the confidentiality of the phrase.

[Fatunad]

I have read that many people choose to store their bitcoin private keys on steel plates by engraving the seed phrase on the plates.
I thought of doing the same and so I searched for vendors around me and contacted one of them.
After discussing with the vendor I got to know that we can engrave the keys on steel as well as aluminium plates.
He also said that aluminium plates are cheaper than steel but on the other hand steel is stronger than aluminium.
And so I have the below two questions to ask you guys before I proceed with securing my keys.

1. Should I go with aluminium or steel plates ?

2. Wouldn't it be a risk if I give my keys to the vendor to engrave it on the plates ? What if he steals my coins?
Also, If I don't give the words to the vendor how will he engrave it ?

One solution that I can think of is to find 3-4 similar vendors and give a few words to each of them to engrave on the plate

If you carve it in metal and wood won't it just make it difficult for you to store it?
I think it's better for us to write it down on a piece of paper that we can keep in a safe place or we can always carry it in in wallet we pants pocket, rather than having to engrave it on metal or on aluminum anyway, I think paper is also a safe place as long as we can take care of it the confidentiality of the phrase.

Does Ink fade overtime? Yes it does but it would able to reach out our entire lifetime though but the risk on losing that paper is there since it is prone on getting wet, being burned or totally lost
not like when you are engraving it into a metal plate or something like that on which it is really that resistant into most accidents or disasters.One problem you would only have is on how
you do keep those plates away on other peoples attention or awareness.

[Lucius]

Does Ink fade overtime? Yes it does but it would able to reach out our entire lifetime though but the risk on losing that paper is there since it is prone on getting wet, being burned or totally lost

It is not only important how to back up your seed, nor how to save it - it is very important that you have more than one copy and if it is possible that these copies are in different locations. In this way, you reduce the risk of losing everything you have in the event of an accident by losing one (only) copy.

not like when you are engraving it into a metal plate or something like that on which it is really that resistant into most accidents or disasters.One problem you would only have is on how
you do keep those plates away on other peoples attention or awareness.

Imagination should be used and metal plates should be hidden where no one will look for them, and as an additional measure of protection, each seed should be protected with an extra word (passphrase) which of course should be hidden in a different place. In case someone finds a seed backup, the generated addresses will be completely different without a passphrase.

[NoorulHuda]

I think the backup phrase is more secure than the private key.
If phrase is written on a paper than it is more secure.

[AakZaki]

It's useless when you use a metal or paper and if you will misplaced it later on. Most of us only use simple tools to save our keys or phrase but we are good at hiding them. Creating a backup using the tools that you can find easily in your household is also much easier. You can create different copies and store them in different places like a pro.

It's a must to educate the people if ever you entrust your seeds to them if ever they don't have an idea with btc yet, so that they can take extra care with the seeds and they can also use it if ever there's something bad that will happen to us. That's better than losing your coins completely.

as I said before, more like inheritance in the form of a private key wallet with bitcoin assets. the person chosen must be the person who is most trusted, because it will be their responsibility later and of course become the owner of inheritance rights. I agree with the necessity of educating heirs to know how to use private keys and understand bitcoin. some people even now lose their bitcoin assets when they die and can't be opened by anyone because no one knows but him. and the bitcoins in that wallet will be buried forever.

[ShowOff]

as I said before, more like inheritance in the form of a private key wallet with bitcoin assets. the person chosen must be the person who is most trusted, because it will be their responsibility later and of course become the owner of inheritance rights. I agree with the necessity of educating heirs to know how to use private keys and understand bitcoin. some people even now lose their bitcoin assets when they die and can't be opened by anyone because no one knows but him. and the bitcoins in that wallet will be buried forever.

Having an heir is the most recommended endeavor by most people, it is very useful because bitcoins can only be transacted as long as someone has access to the wallet. Inheriting the private key to someone they can trust is an option that bitcoin investors may have considered so far, but some people might prefer not to say anything to anyone and try to hide it as security is being considered.

To be honest I haven't taught my family anything about what bitcoin is and what it does, but I have made a secure backup for my storage wallet which is easy to access when needed. Backup seeds on metal is a risky move, but having a solid backup with a few standard methods is enough to keep the wallet safe in the long term.

[Cookdata]

Ofcourse I know how important the private key is. I wouldn't have shared all the words to the vendor and would have opted to do it from 3-4 different vendors.
That's the reason why I made this thread to ask how the engraving is done at first place. I was wondering how so many people got their keys on the plates.
How can I do it myself because I don't have an engraving machine. This is why I was confused and thought to ask you guys here.

Are you aware that every workman or artisan has an association to which they all belong? They may not be in every association, but there is one that they had to attend in order to discuss their personal progress. You said that you would construct your seed on metal in various locations, have you though the likelihood of these men by chance, reviewed your workpiece as a discussion and boom! that's a catct to lose your coins to four wonders of the world at a simple round table!

There are videos and blogs on the web that can guide you on the DIY, your seed is only safe in your hands. You can stylishly go to a workshop for some self, just don't tell them you real intention of learning from them.