Chubb badged Medeco Biaxial Keys (OT?)

Parautoptic

Dear all

Slightly OT but I know that someone here can help!

I am looking for a locksmith in the UK (London area preferred) who can cut for me a duplicate to a Biaxial key.
I have tried several local locksmiths and they all either have no knowledge or say that since the demise of Chubb these are no longer available… I know that they are (or were) a restricted profile but I can provide suitable references to show that I have authority to have copies made 🙂-:
If I cannot get this copied then it means about two dozen new Euro cylinders:=(: so any help would be appreciated!!

Alan Morgan

Try dropping John a line

jcmlocksmiths AT btconnect.com

Let us know if you get sorted.

Are these master keyed?

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

My knowledge goes back to only before 1990, but then Chubb was licensed in the US for the safe division and in Canada for all other locks. The licensee in England was J. Parkes at that time. All of which are gone now, but maybe that will give you a lead too.
BBE.

Parautoptic

Thanks for the various replies both here and by PM. I will report on progress once I have followed the leads that have been given.

Alan, Yes, the suite is mastered, just one level of master to pass the various differs. Inherited from a previous custodian without any paperwork… Grrrr!

BBE, I believe that Parkes had the licence for Medeco (under the Union name) prior to being bought out by Yale/Chubb who were later bought out by ASSA/ABLOY. (someone please correct me if I have that wrong! )🙁think):

Has anyone ever done a “family tree” of the various mergers, demergers and disapearances of lock and safe companies? It would be interesting to see such a chart.

BBE wrote
My knowledge goes back to only before 1990, but then Chubb was licensed in the US for the safe division and in Canada for all other locks. The licensee in England was J. Parkes at that time. All of which are gone now, but maybe that will give you a lead too.
BBE.

[unknown]

Ian D. Lewis

BBE wrote
My knowledge goes back to only before 1990, but then Chubb was licensed in the US for the safe division and in Canada for all other locks. The licensee in England was J. Parkes at that time. All of which are gone now, but maybe that will give you a lead too.
BBE.

Josiah Parkes was indeed the Union Lock company and was a subsidiary of Chubb & Sons Locks & Safe Co. , when i started my apprenticeship with Chubb in 1967. I have no idea how long before that it was that they became a subsidiary.

[unknown]

Ant

Well years ago Union locks was a separate company in 1963 so somewhere between then and 1968 it became a subsidiary of Chubb Lock and Safe co Ltd. Though I was at Chubb in London in 1968 and was far too busy soaking up all the knowledge that the old Chatwood and Hobbs Hart locksmiths had to impart.

Alan Morgan

For many years both Chubb and Josiah Parkes as Union were part of the Racal group. Then Williams Holdings bought them out and ‘rationalised’ the business. Downhill from there, many good but slow lines were stopped and service levels dropped until Assa Abloy came along. Now they are just another brand name in a global group to the extent that the most famous name Chubb isn’t even licensed.

Ian D. Lewis

Alan Morgan wrote
For many years both Chubb and Josiah Parkes as Union were part of the Racal group. Then Williams Holdings bought them out and ‘rationalised’ the business. Downhill from there, many good but slow lines were stopped and service levels dropped until Assa Abloy came along. Now they are just another brand name in a global group to the extent that the most famous name Chubb isn’t even licensed.

Yes its a shame the Chubb name is lost only this week I installed my first Union 3G114s they come in a standard Union Box with a Chubb at Heart Logo on the Box. And all Chubb secondary security items now carry the Yale brand name.
Strange that you can sell a company and not include the name. The same thing happened to Tanns.

[unknown]

Ant

We seem to have drifted off the thread of the Chubb Keys?
But then what do I know?

Its a pity that all these firms go, but its the way of the modern world?

Dean Nickel

We are not that far off as it really pertains to what happened to the key in question.

This has been happening for at least the last 150 years. Companies get bought and the old name maybe worth something and maybe not. Some don’t care and want their name put on the product, but this is stupid as the brand name is always worth something. Chubb is a name that has brand name holding in several countries. Yale has more in more countries so I can see why they made the switch. When ASSA ABLOY bought all the companies here they retained the brand names of all but a few and merged them in to what they did best. Norton still does closers but now they do all the closers for Yale, Corbin Russwin and Sargent too. Corbin Russwin was two companies brands as they were in the same building for 40 years and the names were joined into one. SO we will see this keep happening and we will have to keep a tab on what happened so we know when a product mark was made. This is why this isn’t off topic. 🙁nerd):

Tom Gordon

www.amberley-security.co.uk
www.bradleys-blyth.co.uk
sales@blakeys.co.uk
sales@blslocks.fsnet.co.uk
sws@south-west-security.com
michael.camilleri@ntlworld.com
john@charnleys.co.uk

Try these-they were all dealers.

Tom Gordon

If you tell me what is stamped on the keybow then I may be able to tell you the originating dealer.