diff --git a/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/PrivateKey.java b/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/PrivateKey.java
index 146dc76b9..d22a538bf 100644
--- a/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/PrivateKey.java
+++ b/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/PrivateKey.java
@@ -33,6 +33,16 @@ public class PrivateKey extends DataStructureImpl {
         setData(null);
     }
 
+    /** constructs from base64
+     * @param a string of base64 data (the output of .toBase64() called
+     * on a prior instance of PrivateKey
+     * @author aum
+     */
+    public PrivateKey(String base64Data) throws DataFormatException {
+        this();
+        fromBase64(base64Data);
+    }
+
     public byte[] getData() {
         return _data;
     }
diff --git a/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/PublicKey.java b/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/PublicKey.java
index 86d31177e..8c62ad7f5 100644
--- a/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/PublicKey.java
+++ b/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/PublicKey.java
@@ -32,6 +32,16 @@ public class PublicKey extends DataStructureImpl {
         setData(null);
     }
 
+    /** constructs from base64
+     * @param a string of base64 data (the output of .toBase64() called
+     * on a prior instance of PublicKey
+     * @author aum
+     */
+    public PublicKey(String base64Data)  throws DataFormatException {
+        this();
+        fromBase64(base64Data);
+    }
+
     public byte[] getData() {
         return _data;
     }
diff --git a/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/SigningPrivateKey.java b/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/SigningPrivateKey.java
index 587546db8..9e0a80c58 100644
--- a/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/SigningPrivateKey.java
+++ b/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/SigningPrivateKey.java
@@ -30,9 +30,19 @@ public class SigningPrivateKey extends DataStructureImpl {
 
     public final static int KEYSIZE_BYTES = 20;
 
-    public SigningPrivateKey() { this(null); }
+    public SigningPrivateKey() { this((byte[])null); }
     public SigningPrivateKey(byte data[]) { setData(data); }
 
+    /** constructs from base64
+     * @param a string of base64 data (the output of .toBase64() called
+     * on a prior instance of SigningPrivateKey
+     * @author aum
+     */
+    public SigningPrivateKey(String base64Data)  throws DataFormatException {
+        this();
+        fromBase64(base64Data);
+    }
+
     public byte[] getData() {
         return _data;
     }
diff --git a/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/SigningPublicKey.java b/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/SigningPublicKey.java
index 9e6c78c1a..72a906868 100644
--- a/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/SigningPublicKey.java
+++ b/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/SigningPublicKey.java
@@ -29,9 +29,19 @@ public class SigningPublicKey extends DataStructureImpl {
 
     public final static int KEYSIZE_BYTES = 128;
 
-    public SigningPublicKey() { this(null); }
+    public SigningPublicKey() { this((byte[])null); }
     public SigningPublicKey(byte data[]) { setData(data); }
 
+    /** constructs from base64
+     * @param a string of base64 data (the output of .toBase64() called
+     * on a prior instance of SigningPublicKey
+     * @author aum
+     */
+    public SigningPublicKey(String base64Data)  throws DataFormatException {
+        this();
+        fromBase64(base64Data);
+    }
+
     public byte[] getData() {
         return _data;
     }