new member

CHIHUAHUA3/4/2008

hi , glad to have found this site ., my name is Gus and have only a few padlocks looking for info and reading the forums .

oldbiscuit

Welcome Gus, I’m sure you’ll find all kinds of usefull info on this site. I myself am on here several times a day to check on new posts. Check out some of my padlock collection in the “padlock” section under “other padlocks”. Mark

Dean Nickel

Welcome.

I don’t collect padlocks but I do work on them at times.

CHIHUAHUA3/4/2008

thanks , have to sort old camera as my other camera is with someone else before sending some pic’s. .One question for the moment is if a padlock is authentic and the key works how can I tell if the key is the original. apology in advance if this question has been asked before.

Dean Nickel

That is a case by case question. Some of the time there is a mark on the key that will tell us if they match the padlock. This mark maybe on the padlock too. But then as you get older padlocks it gets harder.

CHIHUAHUA3/4/2008

Halflock wrote
That is a case by case question. Some of the time there is a mark on the key that will tell us if they match the padlock. This mark maybe on the padlock too. But then as you get older padlocks it gets harder.

thanks for quick reply

[unknown]

BoomBoxDeluxe

Hi peoples!

This is my first post here. Its great to have found a chat forum for locks, keys, padlocks and the like.

Since a young boy, I have always been interested in keys and locks, and over time, I collected a sizeable quantity of keys. Some of them are for cars, but the majority I have are for door locks, both cylinder type and lever locks.

I also have a small collection of cylinders, and padlocks. I also have this HUGE 3-lever Union lock. Never seen another like it, although I am sure that it was a mass-produced lock in its day.

None of my locks are antique as such, but some are from companies that no longer exist either because they were bought-out, or changed their name for some reason ( e.g. Yale used to be known as Yale and Towne, and then later on, Eaton Corporation)

Just for quick reference, some of the lock names that I have:

Century ( H & J F )
Chubb
GeGe
KEN
Mul-T-Lock
Union
Yale (Yale and Towne)
Yale (Eaton Corporation)

There’s also some funny, el-cheapo padlocks that I have, which are:

Tri-Circle (yeah, made-in-china)
L&F ( I believe that this may be Lowe and Fletcher )

The L&F padlocks that I have (QTY=2) are what would have been used by electricity boards to secure the coin boxes on electricity meters. Not only do I have the padlocks, but I have the meters, too! 🙁nod): I don’t have keys for them though, however I managed to open one of them by picking it, and then taking an old key and filing it down so that it worked the lock.

I hope to get pictures posted soon. I have a photobucket account, and I will link them from there.

My username of “BoomBoxDeluxe” comes from my other interest, which has been going for roughly as long as the interest in locks, which is Boom Boxes, otherwise known as “Ghetto-Blasters”. I have a collection of those also. :-D

Pictures to arrive soon, I hope! (….of the locks, not the boomboxes :-D )

Take care everyone,

-BoomBoxDeluxe.

Dean Nickel

Welcome aboard! Always happy to have another lock collector. Maybe over time you will find the nitch that you like…. from the sound of it you like the keys. I don’t collect keys so much as get OEM keys of different times in a manufactures history so I can make keys to locks with the original marked keys for the time the lock was made. I did trip over a 1940s V key as the link at the end shows. Sometimes it isn’t that easy to get a key for a 100 year old lock that is correct. But I do try.

http://www.antique-locks.com/keys/429-v-victory.html

Eldoc

Hi all.
I’m new here and I’m glad to be here. I liked to register myself simply reading the name of this site.
I began my working life into safeboxes, locks, keys and security sistems since 1978.
I have some old lock, expecially safeboxes locks, but not a really collection. Just because I like the old, hand made, manifacture.
I’m sure to find a lot of interesting topics here.
Bye all🙁handshake):

Eldoc

Dean Nickel

Welcome aboard!

Join in the conversation. I know there are several locks and safes that have been asked about on this forum that are from Italy. We would LOVE to learn more! 🙁nod): Or pictures of any lock you may have.

Tom Gordon

I saw a very early Chatwood fire resister safe on ebay a while back-it was in Italy-have you seen many Chatwood safes over there?
Tom

Greg

Hi….found this form today!!!!

from Southern Indiana

Joiner

🙁hi):I would like to take this first posting as an opportunity to extend my appreciation to the forum for my acceptance as your most recent member. I have been involved in fitting, refitting and to some extent refurbishing old locks over a considerable period of time. I have had no formal training outside of my Trade (Joiner) regarding locks and learn by need, trial and unfortunally error, I would like to ask for advice regarding antique/old locks still in use which I may come across from time to time and am required to fix, I will hopefully have the opportunity to photograph for record purposes so learning may be available for all. I will hopefully post a photo of an old lock I have to see how my computer skills are and take it from there.

Brian Morland MLA Hon

Hi Greg

Welcome to our forums – do feel free to introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your lock/key interests….

Brian Morland MLA Hon

Hi Joiner

Welcome to our forums – thank you for introducing yourself and telling us a bit about your lock/key interest. We will look forward to learning more about your artefacts. No problem about computer skills, whatever problems you may encounter I’m sure there are many here that can assist with help and advice.

Imanrique

Hi guys,
I just registered to this site. Im so glad that ive found it. I always had a huge fascination of locks and keys( especially Skeleton keys) since i can last remember. in matter of fact I’m currently creating a website(which is not finished yet) regarding padlocks and its history. Anywho i will be on here often so i thought i would introduce myself on this thread 🙁clap):

I do in fact have a vintage padlock with 2 sets of skeleton keys that i’ve boxed up (cause we are moving to another house) and when i unpack it ill post the picture on here🙁mm):

ok back to my studies, yall take care peeps

Isaac M.

bbcci

Hello lock and safe fanatics. I’m Bill DeGrow from the northern Detroit suburb area and am pleased to join your group. My thanks to Brian who helped me get through an activation glitch with my isp provider at regisration.
My first memory of a lock goes bact to about 5 years old and constantly playing with a combination lock on our root cellar door. I was so fascinated with it, they took it off the door to let me play with it, and showed me how to open it. Next thing I remember is going to ‘show and tell’ in elementary school with a string of locks and a ring of keys. I don’t know why the fascination, but it stuck with me. Fifty years later I fnd myself typing on a forum board of what I assume are similar minded folks. Glad to be here!
Mostly a padlock collector of turn of last century era thru industrial revolution and some safes from the late 1800’s.
I spend a lot of time on online auctions, craigslist, etc. looking and pricing locks. I hope to be of assistance on the valuation board while at the same time learning from the rest of the forums.
Look forward to interacting…
Bill
(BBCCI)

Brian Morland MLA Hon

Please welcome Keith Teicher to the forums. Keith has inherited a collection and is looking forward to learning more about it….

Brian Morland MLA Hon

Please welcome Ian McColl to the forums. Ian collects padlocks and handcuffs. He has also written a number of books for the locksmithing trade.

Dean Nickel

Welcome Bill, Ian and Keith! Good to have more members with a heavy background to help us pool our info about locks. Pull up a keyboard and have some fun!🙁nod):