A blog for lock- twichers

Keys made for the Tower leg- irons and the handcuffs.  They are slightly different.  Despite a warning from my friend and mentor, when impressioning the leg-iron key i filed too much and the key was useless.  The tolerances in the leg-irons are very fine, more than you would expect.  They contain three levers and there are multiple depths and key configurations.  The handcuff keys were much easier to make; the tolerances are much looser.  Its always a great day when you are at a workbench messing about with locks.

Tower handcuffs.  I restored these by soaking in a bath of bicarbonate soda and water, then scrubbing gently with CLR and a toothbrush.  These did not come up as well as the leg- irons.

Tower leg- irons after restoration, this time photographed inside a light tent.

Woodbridge House, Guildford, WA.  One of the earliest stately homes in or near Perth, and for a time the home of Guildford Grammar school.  Lock is on an external door in a front room.

Execution block, Fremantle Prison.  Last used in 1963.  Cell no.1 in this block is where the condemned man, was moved to the day before the execution.  The locked box is the actual hangman’s toolbox.

Fremantle Prison (WA) cell door lock.  Note the external plate is galvanised.  The door is another of the steel frame and corrugated steel with filler type.

Really old cell door lock at Fremantle Prison.

Cell door lock, Fremantle Prison.  This door is made of two sheets of corrugated iron, with a concrete filler, and a steel frame. 

Fremantle Prison cell door lock.

Fremantle Prison Museum.  Old locks and restraints from the convict era.  The rusted key was found during an excavation of the cellar above.

Fremantle Prison, 2017.  Most locks within are made by Jacksons, of Launceston, Tasmania.  These locks are still working fine after many years.  Note the surface rust on this door; Fremantle is on the edge of the Indian Ocean.  This is the contact visit block, just inside the main gate.  Fremantle Prison closed in 1991 and is now a museum.

Strongbox used for gold transport by the Perth Mint in years past (Perth Mint museum, 2017).  It is a fascinating place to visit, especially the gold pour.