Hi,
I have mined bitcoins in the beginning, when there wasn’t a Mempool or anything
It’s on a segwit adres starting with 3, but it is a paper/brain wallet, so no wallet.dat
and no seed phrase or QR code
It has many UTXO on it.
How can I transfer them to to a new BC1 adres on my trezor safe 5
Hopefully without fee’s
And most important SAFE and offline?
I got a laptop running Start9
A desktop with Windows and full node and a Linux with full node
That sounds like a great problem to have. We don’t have any guides to walk you all the way through that but it can be done with
Your paper wallet private key (WIF or hex format).
A fully synced full node (Start9 will work).
A wallet that supports manual raw transaction construction and offline signing, such as: Sparrow Wallet
Access to Trezor Safe 5 and the bc1 address you want to send to.
I’d search around to find step by step instructions or there are some OG’s on here who may chime in. But be careful. You won’t escape fees though, but they are still really low presently. Hopefully your UTXOs are big!
the key is 17 characters so that’s a hex key?
Not sure what you have
Common Bitcoin Key Format
| Format | Typical Length | Starts With | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WIF (Wallet Import Format) | ~51 characters | 5, K, or L | Encoded private key you can import into wallets |
| Hex Private Key | 64 characters | (hexadecimal) | Raw 256-bit key used for manual transactions |
| Seed Phrase (BIP39) | 12–24 words | — | Used to derive a wallet and keys |
| xprv (extended private key) | ~111 characters | xprv, yprv, etc. | Derived HD wallet key |
apparently my wallet is a non hd wallet
My Linux full node is running bitcoin core 0.11.1
I guess my best option is to use that offline and import private key
and then update to 0.17 so that can update the non hd wallet to a hd wallet
wich sparrow wallet kan use to sweep the utxo
Yes a search confirmed you are on the right track. Here is what I got (again, I have never personally done this)
Use Bitcoin Core 0.11.1 offline to import your paper wallet’s private key and let it see the UTXOs. Upgrade Bitcoin Core to ≥0.17 to enable HD wallet creation. Transfer (sweep) UTXOs from the non-HD wallet to a new HD address, which can then be imported or synced with Sparrow Wallet or Trezor. Broadcast transaction using your online node or another secure method.Been reading up some more
My adres and key are 34 and 17 characters so that’s 51
so that is Base58 the adres begins with the 3 so that is P2SH
Making the prefix start with a 5
how can I encode the rest of the key?
Is there a safe offline tool I can use?
I learned a lot at learnmeabitcoin.com but the most important one is don’t enter anything online to encode to wif
I’m not going to be much help with you on this as I have no experience. We need some OG’s to step in. I can search just like you can, that is about it. Here is what my search resulted in. Don’t take it as gospel truth and
BE VERY CAUTIOUS BEFORE ACTING!!!
Your address, starting with “3”, is likely a Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) address, which is 34 characters long and uses Base58 encoding. However, your key being 17 characters and totaling 51 with the address suggests it might not be a standard private key, which is typically 32 bytes (64 hexadecimal characters). This could mean your key is a passphrase, seed, or partial data needing conversion.
To encode to Wallet Import Format (WIF), you need the full 32-byte private key. If your key is a passphrase, use an offline brainwallet generator to derive the private key, then encode it. Tools like brainwallet.io can be downloaded and run locally for safety.
Given your emphasis on not entering data online, use offline tools to avoid security risks. Options include:
Always verify tool integrity and run offline to protect your data.
P2SH addresses start with “3” due to a version byte of 0x05 in Base58 encoding, not “5”. Your mention of a “5” prefix might refer to WIF keys, which can start with various characters, including “5”, but this is unrelated to the address type. This seems like a possible misunderstanding, so double-check your process.
This section provides a comprehensive exploration of your query, addressing the encoding of your key, the nature of P2SH addresses, and safe offline tools for Wallet Import Format (WIF) encoding. We will cover the technical details, potential misunderstandings, and practical steps, ensuring a thorough understanding for both technical and non-technical audiences.
Your address, described as 34 characters long and starting with “3”, aligns with Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) addresses, introduced in Bitcoin to support complex scripts like multi-signature transactions. According to Address | An Easy-to-Share Format of a Locking Script, P2SH addresses are Base58Check encoded with a version byte of 0x05, resulting in addresses starting with “3” on the mainnet. This is consistent with your description, confirming your address is likely P2SH.
However, your mention of the address and key totaling 51 characters, with the key being 17 characters, introduces complexity. Standard Bitcoin private keys are 32 bytes (64 hexadecimal characters), and when encoded in WIF, they become 51 characters for uncompressed keys or 52 for compressed keys, as noted in WIF Private Key | Wallet Import Format. A 17-character key does not match these standards, suggesting it may be a passphrase, seed, or partial data rather than a direct private key.
Given the 17-character length, let’s explore potential formats:
The total of 51 characters (34 for the address + 17 for the key) might indicate a misunderstanding, as addresses and private keys are separate entities, not concatenated for WIF encoding. This suggests you may be trying to combine them incorrectly.
You mention the prefix starting with “5” in the context of P2SH, but P2SH addresses start with “3”, not “5”. This could be a confusion with WIF private keys, which, according to WIF Private Key | Wallet Import Format, can start with “K”, “L”, or occasionally “5” for uncompressed keys on mainnet. This is unrelated to the address type, indicating a possible mix-up in your process. For clarity, P2SH addresses use a version byte of 0x05, which, when Base58 encoded, starts with “3”, as confirmed by P2SH | Pay To Script Hash.
To encode a key to WIF, you need the raw private key (32 bytes). The process, as described in Wallet import format - Bitcoin Wiki, involves:
For example:
Given your key is 17 characters, it’s unlikely to be directly encodable without conversion. If it’s a passphrase, use an offline brainwallet generator to derive the private key first.
Your concern about not entering data online is valid, given the risks of exposing private keys. Here are recommended offline tools:
These tools ensure your data never touches the internet, aligning with your security needs. For example, GitHub - bitcoinjs/wif provides a JavaScript module for WIF encoding, which can be used offline in a local environment.
Given the uncertainty, here’s how to proceed:
Below is a table summarizing key formats for clarity:
| Format | Length (Characters) | Starts With | Encoding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P2SH Address | 34 | 3 | Base58Check | Hash of redeem script, version byte 0x05 |
| Private Key (Raw) | 64 (hex) | N/A | Hexadecimal | 32 bytes, used for WIF encoding |
| WIF (Uncompressed) | 51 | K, L, or 5 | Base58Check | Version 0x80, includes checksum |
| WIF (Compressed) | 52 | K, L | Base58Check | Includes 0x01 byte for compression |
This table highlights the discrepancy with your 17-character key, reinforcing the need for conversion.
An important consideration is the risk of using online tools, which could expose your private key to theft. Offline tools mitigate this, and your emphasis on not entering data online is a critical security practice, especially given the irreversible nature of Bitcoin transactions.
Your query involves encoding a key, likely a private key or passphrase, into WIF format, with a possible misunderstanding about P2SH and prefixes. Use offline tools like Bitcoin Core or brainwallet generators to ensure safety, and verify your key’s format to proceed. If unsure, seek further clarification from reliable Bitcoin resources like Bitcoin Stack Exchange.
Since it was mined with 0.3.24 there was no seed phrase back then 
but thanks for the help so far
Hi!
In the very early days I only generated private keys using a (what I thought was “random”) passphrase. With that I generated wallet addresses starting with “1” … I had one passphrase for one address. If I recall correctly, I had downloaded and used an offline version of bitaddress.org to create the public and private keys from the passphrase. You might try that as a first step. (addresses with “3” , as far as I remember, were not talked about yet.) Later I heard about addresses starting with “3” used for experimenting with multisig.
Here’s what I found by asking Grok.
You mentioned a 51-character WIF key starting with “5” or a 52-character WIF key starting with “K” or “L”:
File > New Wallet.Bitcoin Core as the wallet type (or another compatible option).Single Signature and Native SegWit (P2WPKH) for modern compatibility, but this is just for the new wallet—your old key will still work.Settings tab of your new wallet.Private Keys or Import Keystore.Apply. Sparrow will recognize the key format (compressed or uncompressed) and derive the associated public address (starting with “1” for your 2012 wallet).Addresses tab.Receive tab and generate a new receiving address (it’ll start with “bc1” if you chose Native SegWit).Send tab:
Tools > Broadcast Transaction and upload the file, or paste the raw transaction hex into a blockchain explorer’s broadcast tool (e.g., Blockchain.com or a node).This method is straightforward and leverages Sparrow’s ability to handle legacy WIF keys while moving your BTC to a modern, secure wallet."
I’m going to try this myself now that this has sparked my curiosity!