Strange Yale key

oldbiscuit

Does anyone have an idea as to what the strange Yale key pictured would be for?

Dean Nickel

There are two things that come to mind when I see a notch in the bottom of the key. One it is for removing core of some type such as used with Almont padlock. The other is for a switch lock or some special type lock that needs a special tip. When I look at that one I would lean to the second one. There is one more that it might be, A hotel bypass key for when the customer has locked the door and this is the override key.

Pschiffe

Halflock wrote
There are two things that come to mind when I see a notch in the bottom of the key. One it is for removing core of some type such as used with Almont padlock. The other is for a switch lock or some special type lock that needs a special tip. When I look at that one I would lean to the second one. There is one more that it might be, A hotel bypass key for when the customer has locked the door and this is the override key.

The width of the blank leads me to suspect that it may have been for a cabinet lock of some sort using the old .40″ dia. plug and .101″ dia. pins.

Pete Schifferli

[unknown]

Dean Nickel

I look at it again and I notice that there are 3 or 4 pin chambers, 3 noticeable cuts that is. That would lend itself to the cabinet lock or switch lock idea.

oldbiscuit

Your guess is as good as mine guys.I’ve never seen a Yale blank that long and the extra notch on the top side threw me. But you could be right in that it’s a switch key.🙁mm):

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

oldbiscuit wrote
Your guess is as good as mine guys.I’ve never seen a Yale blank that long and the extra notch on the top side threw me. But you could be right in that it’s a switch key.🙁mm):

Keys of that length and with that kind of notch were commonly used in Phelps and Simplex time recorder locks. Different keys would have the unnotched portions in different places and the unnotched part would activate the recorder to indicate which key operated the lock. Those locks typically had a spool of paper inside upon which the date and time of operation was recorded along with the indication of which key operated. I would tend to think that key was for a Simplex time recording lock as Phelps was just a little different.
BBE.

[unknown]

Dean Nickel

Thank you BBE! The special switch for a rounds tracker! Not one I would have thought of. Love this place!

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

Halflock wrote
Thank you BBE! The special switch for a rounds tracker! Not one I would have thought of. Love this place!

I should have explained better. It was not part of a tour recording system. In those, the recorder was portable but the key in the picture was part of a door hardware recording system where the recorder was stationary. Both Phelp’s and Simplex were mechanical access control with audit trail.

Simplex has evolved to only monitoring fire systems today and all of the touring systems and time recording locks have gone bythe wayside. Phelp’s has evolved to electroincs involved primarily with bank systems and large corporate applications for people management. I still don’t understand their association with Detex.

Both systems, back in their heyday used a rim lock where the housing mounted on the inside of the door was about 8-10 inches tall, 3 inches deep and 4-5 inches wide. Inside that box was a complex of mechanics that had a separate spring for each key to operate and the springs would activate a print head and cause an imprint on a spool of paper. There was a clock inside the box that turned some wheels on the print head. A very sophisticated device. Typically used in banks, jewlers, alcohol control, drug control, etc.

Simplex is now part of Simplex-Grinnel. Phelp’s is still around, see the link.
BBE.

Phelps Time Recording Lock Corporation Company and Product Info from SecurityInfoWatch

[unknown]

oldbiscuit

Bill, thanks for the explanation. I’ve never seen a Yale key like that and it had me puzzled. I’ve seen watchman keys, but they are different. Do you have one of the locks in your collection?