I was recently asked in a discussion with a lock enthusiast in another forum to post some photos of some of the prison locks that I have in my collection. It took a while to get these together, and I didn’t have time to set up a proper camera/lighting rig for these… so I’ll start with apologies for the cellphone pictures. Some of these locks are more antique than others, but hopefully there’s something of interest for folks here.
To start, here’s a size comparison of some of the keys next to a standard Schlage (SC1) key blank. These are large locks:
First up is an old S&G lock, originally in service in Leavenworth in the US. It has a fairly compact key, relative to the other locks. The levers are all double-sprung, and have some heavy serrations to trap against the bolt stump as an anti-picking measure.
Next is an equally-old Yale lock, removed from service in the British Columbia Penitentiary (Canada) when it closed in the 1980’s. Similar in design to the Yale, but the anti-pick serrations are much less pronounced. This lock has a double-sided plug: it can be opened from either side (note the symmetric cuts on the key), and would have been used on an access door, rather than a cell.
Next is a (relatively) more modern Folger Adam Model 82, taken out of service in Salem (US); this was a major restoration effort that took dozens of hours to carefully clean and restore to proper function… the lock was heavily rusted, paint-splattered and beat up when it finally came out of service. Unlike the other two locks, these levers have only a single spring: it’s obviously more economical to produce, but slightly less reliable for locks that saw heavy service.
Finally, something a bit different: a much more modern Folger Adam. This lock is based on the Model 80 lock body, but uses a pin-tumbler mogul cylinder:
Just to give some size comparison, these are huge cylinders:
What’s particularly interesting is that they’ve kept all of the internals of the lever version of the lock the same:
To interface with the cylinder, they simply mill down the standard curtain and cut a slot in the top. You can also see the Phillips-head screw that’s been added (just left of the curtain), acting as a stop to limit rotation of the cylinder.
…and the slot interfaces with the strangest “tailpiece” I’ve ever seen in a production lock: a pair of screws, tapped into the rear of the mogul cylinder plug, fit into the notch in the plug.
Some of these locks are likely very familiar to folks, but hopefully there’s something interesting/new there. 🙂
