Yale and Towne Locksmith's Manual 1920's

cowboyup

Hello everyone.
I’m trying to find a Yale locksmith manual from the 1920’s. A manual
that would have been issued by Yale and Towne to help locksmiths repair
and pin their locks.
I’ve looked at my local library. Searched every combination of terms and I can’t seem
to find a thing. Does such a manual exist or did locksmiths from that era just
figure it out as they went?
Thanks for all your help.
Rick Guenther

Pschiffe

cowboyup wrote
Hello everyone.
I’m trying to find a Yale locksmith manual from the 1920’s. A manual
that would have been issued by Yale and Towne to help locksmiths repair
and pin their locks.
I’ve looked at my local library. Searched every combination of terms and I can’t seem
to find a thing. Does such a manual exist or did locksmiths from that era just
figure it out as they went?
Thanks for all your help.
Rick Guenther

Many old time locksmiths were very secretive about their craft and only began sharing information in later years when trade associations and periodicals began to appear. I am unaware of any such publication by Yale & Towne during that era. There are many locksmithing books by various authors which do explain much of what you are seeking. My two cents.

Pete Schifferli

[unknown]

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

Pschiffe wrote
Many old time locksmiths were very secretive about their craft and only began sharing information in later years when trade associations and periodicals began to appear. I am unaware of any such publication by Yale & Towne during that era. There are many locksmithing books by various authors which do explain much of what you are seeking. My two cents.

Pete Schifferli

Pete is correct. You might try obtaining an older catalog as they used to have an explanation of how the cylinders worked in the front.
BBE.

[unknown]

cowboyup

BBE wrote
Pete is correct. You might try obtaining an older catalog as they used to have an explanation of how the cylinders worked in the front.
BBE.

Thanks for the input.
Regarding a Yale retail catalog; I’ve looked in the local library, the internet and Ebay without any success. The most success I’ve had is from you guys sharing some pages here and there. Any suggestions where I might find an entire catalog? Even if it was just basically a transcript would be fine.

As I spend time with these Lever Tumbler and Push Key locks;
I keep thinking that there must have been a manual to describe the repair process and identify the correct tools. However, your comment helped remind me that back in the day, many specialized skilled occupations were learned in the process of Apprentices to Journeyman to Master. So it would make sense that Yale would not bother with printing a locksmith repair manual.
Different times require a different mind set.
Have a great weekend.
Rick Guenther

[unknown]

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

cowboyup wrote
Thanks for the input.
Regarding a Yale retail catalog; I’ve looked in the local library, the internet and Ebay without any success. The most success I’ve had is from you guys sharing some pages here and there. Any suggestions where I might find an entire catalog? Even if it was just basically a transcript would be fine.

Someone may have a scan of an older catalog but you are unlikely to find one elsewhere unless it is at a collectors show. BTW, that lock is known as a push pin tumbler to differenciate it from a push lever tumbler. Yale made both types
BBE.

[unknown]

cowboyup

BBE wrote
Someone may have a scan of an older catalog but you are unlikely to find one elsewhere unless it is at a collectors show. BTW, that lock is known as a push pin tumbler to differenciate it from a push lever tumbler. Yale made both types
BBE.[/QUOTE

Thanks for pointing that out. It never occurred to me to think of the different mechanism.

[unknown]

oldbiscuit

I’ve got a few books I received from a friend who’s dad bought out an old locksmith years back. The old locksmith came over here from Germany and set up a gunsmith/locksmith shop and later added bicycles. He started business around 1900 and sold out to my friends dad in the early 60’s. One book was published in 1923,one in 1935 , and the biggest was 1927.Mark

Pschiffe

cowboyup wrote
Thanks for the input.
Regarding a Yale retail catalog; I’ve looked in the local library, the internet and Ebay without any success. The most success I’ve had is from you guys sharing some pages here and there. Any suggestions where I might find an entire catalog? Even if it was just basically a transcript would be fine.
Rick Guenther

A PDF version The Yale & Towne Mfg. Co. Catalog No. 26, ca. 1929 is sold on the Internet by The Antique Doorknob Collectors of America. Pricey @ $96.00, it can be downloaded immediately upon payment via PayPal:
http://www.antiquedoorknobs.org/AntiqueCatalogOrders.htm

The late Don Stewart, executive director of the former Key Collectors International sold reprints of many old catalogs that he did over thirty years ago. They were not in electronic format and photocopy technology was not what it is today. With that said, many are still available from a fellow named Richard Chenovick in Santa Barbara, CA who I’m told exhibits at some lock collectors’ shows. He may still have certain Yale & Towne materials at reasonable prices. You could eMail him for a price list:
rchenovickATjuno.com change AT to @

Pete Schifferli

[unknown]

oldbiscuit

I wonder what all is in that catalog. If it’s just a salesman catalog, it would have nothing more than descriptions,sizes and prices. I doubt it would have any information on the actual workings of the padlocks, such as pinning or key cuts. Mark

Pschiffe

oldbiscuit wrote
I wonder what all is in that catalog. If it’s just a salesman catalog, it would have nothing more than descriptions,sizes and prices. I doubt it would have any information on the actual workings of the padlocks, such as pinning or key cuts. Mark

As BBE indicated earlier, the introductory pages of the catalog do show the workings of various types of Yale Locks. Pgs. XXX-XXXII in Volume 29 to be specific. It was however primarily a sales tool, not a technical manual.

Pete Schifferli

[unknown]