diff --git a/src/keyboard.rs b/src/keyboard.rs
index d675017c..cb9cb8ae 100644
--- a/src/keyboard.rs
+++ b/src/keyboard.rs
@@ -15,59 +15,20 @@ use std::iter::{ FromIterator, IntoIterator };
 /// Gathers stuff defined in C or called by C
 pub mod c {
     use super::*;
+    use ::util::c;
     use ::util::c::as_cstr;
     
     use std::ffi::CString;
     use std::os::raw::c_char;
 
-    // traits
-    
-    use std::borrow::ToOwned;
-
-    /// The wrapped structure for KeyState suitable for handling in C
-    /// Since C doesn't respect borrowing rules,
-    /// RefCell will enforce them dynamically (only 1 writer/many readers)
-    /// Rc is implied and will ensure timely dropping
-    #[repr(transparent)]
-    pub struct CKeyState(*const RefCell<KeyState>);
-    
-    impl Clone for CKeyState {
-        fn clone(&self) -> Self {
-            CKeyState(self.0.clone())
-        }
-    }
-
-    impl CKeyState {
-        pub fn wrap(state: Rc<RefCell<KeyState>>) -> CKeyState {
-            CKeyState(Rc::into_raw(state))
-        }
-        pub fn unwrap(self) -> Rc<RefCell<KeyState>> {
-            unsafe { Rc::from_raw(self.0) }
-        }
-        fn to_owned(self) -> KeyState {
-            let rc = self.unwrap();
-            let state = rc.borrow().to_owned();
-            Rc::into_raw(rc); // Prevent dropping
-            state
-        }
-        fn borrow_mut<F, T>(self, f: F) -> T where F: FnOnce(&mut KeyState) -> T {
-            let rc = self.unwrap();
-            let ret = {
-                let mut state = rc.borrow_mut();
-                f(&mut state)
-            };
-            Rc::into_raw(rc); // Prevent dropping
-            ret
-        }
-    }
-
-    // TODO: unwrapping
+    pub type CKeyState = c::Wrapped<KeyState>;
 
     // The following defined in Rust. TODO: wrap naked pointers to Rust data inside RefCells to prevent multiple writers
+
     #[no_mangle]
     pub extern "C"
     fn squeek_key_free(key: CKeyState) {
-        key.unwrap(); // reference dropped
+        unsafe { key.unwrap() }; // reference dropped
     }
     
     #[no_mangle]
@@ -80,7 +41,9 @@ pub mod c {
     #[no_mangle]
     pub extern "C"
     fn squeek_key_set_pressed(key: CKeyState, pressed: u32) {
-        key.borrow_mut(|key| key.pressed = pressed != 0);
+        let key = key.clone_ref();
+        let mut key = key.borrow_mut();
+        key.pressed = pressed != 0;
     }
     
     #[no_mangle]
@@ -92,7 +55,9 @@ pub mod c {
     #[no_mangle]
     pub extern "C"
     fn squeek_key_set_locked(key: CKeyState, locked: u32) {
-        key.borrow_mut(|key| key.locked = locked != 0);
+        let key = key.clone_ref();
+        let mut key = key.borrow_mut();
+        key.locked = locked != 0;
     }
     
     #[no_mangle]
@@ -116,10 +81,10 @@ pub mod c {
             Action::Submit { text: Some(text), .. } => {
                 Some(
                     text.clone()
-                        .into_string().expect("Bad symbol text")
+                        .into_string().expect("Bad symbol")
                 )
             },
-            _ => None
+            _ => None,
         };
 
         let inner = match symbol_name {
diff --git a/src/layout.rs b/src/layout.rs
index e406e638..e72a6937 100644
--- a/src/layout.rs
+++ b/src/layout.rs
@@ -194,9 +194,8 @@ pub mod c {
         state: ::keyboard::c::CKeyState,
     ) -> u32 {
         let button = unsafe { &*button };
-        let state = state.unwrap();
+        let state = state.clone_ref();
         let equal = Rc::ptr_eq(&button.state, &state);
-        Rc::into_raw(state); // Prevent dropping
         equal as u32
     }
     
@@ -333,13 +332,10 @@ pub mod c {
             needle: ::keyboard::c::CKeyState,
         ) -> ButtonPlace {
             let view = unsafe { &*view };
-            let state = needle.unwrap();
+            let state = needle.clone_ref();
             
             let paths = ::layout::procedures::find_key_paths(view, &state);
 
-            // Iterators used up, can turn the reference back into pointer
-            Rc::into_raw(state);
-
             // Can only return 1 entry back to C
             let (row, button) = match paths.get(0) {
                 Some((row, button)) => (
diff --git a/src/util.rs b/src/util.rs
index 4d7d6378..9289a40d 100644
--- a/src/util.rs
+++ b/src/util.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 pub mod c {
+    use std::cell::RefCell;
     use std::ffi::{ CStr, CString };
     use std::os::raw::c_char;
+    use std::rc::Rc;
     use std::str::Utf8Error;
+
+    // traits
+    
+    use std::borrow::ToOwned;
     
     pub fn as_str(s: &*const c_char) -> Result<Option<&str>, Utf8Error> {
         if s.is_null() {
@@ -46,4 +52,52 @@ pub mod c {
             assert_eq!(as_str(&ptr::null()), Ok(None))
         }
     }
+
+    /// Wraps structures to pass them safely to/from C
+    /// Since C doesn't respect borrowing rules,
+    /// RefCell will enforce them dynamically (only 1 writer/many readers)
+    /// Rc is implied and will ensure timely dropping
+    #[repr(transparent)]
+    pub struct Wrapped<T: Clone>(*const RefCell<T>);
+
+    // It would be nice to implement `Borrow`
+    // directly on the raw pointer to avoid one conversion call,
+    // but the `borrow()` call needs to extract a `Rc`,
+    // and at the same time return a reference to it (`std::cell::Ref`)
+    // to take advantage of `Rc<RefCell>::borrow()` runtime checks.
+    // Unfortunately, that needs a `Ref` struct with self-referential fields,
+    // which is a bit too complex for now.
+
+    impl<T: Clone> Wrapped<T> {
+        pub fn wrap(state: Rc<RefCell<T>>) -> Wrapped<T> {
+            Wrapped(Rc::into_raw(state))
+        }
+        /// Extracts the reference to the data.
+        /// It may cause problems if attempted in more than one place
+        pub unsafe fn unwrap(self) -> Rc<RefCell<T>> {
+            Rc::from_raw(self.0)
+        }
+        
+        /// Creates a new Rc reference to the same data
+        pub fn clone_ref(&self) -> Rc<RefCell<T>> {
+            // A bit dangerous: the Rc may be in use elsewhere
+            let used_rc = unsafe { Rc::from_raw(self.0) };
+            let rc = used_rc.clone();
+            Rc::into_raw(used_rc); // prevent dropping the original reference
+            rc
+        }
+
+        /// Create a copy of the underlying data
+        pub fn to_owned(&self) -> T {
+            let rc = self.clone_ref();
+            let r = rc.borrow();
+            r.to_owned()
+        }
+    }
+    
+    impl<T: Clone> Clone for Wrapped<T> {
+        fn clone(&self) -> Wrapped<T> {
+            Wrapped::wrap(self.clone_ref())
+        }
+    }
 }