 PADLOCKS | |
About Padlocks in Johns Creek GA  The earliest padlocks used in America, sometimes called “smokehouse” locks, were formed from wrought iron sheet and employed simple lever and ward mechanisms. The design was brought over from England. These locks afforded little protection against forced and surreptitious entry. Contemporary with the smokehouse padlocks and originating in the Slavic areas of Europe, “screw key” padlocks opened with a helical key that was threaded into the keyhole. The key pulled the locking bolt open against a strong spring. Padlocks that offered more key variance were the demise of the screw lock. Improved manufacturing methods allowed the manufacture of better padlocks that put an end to the Smokehouse around 1910. Around the middle of the 19th century, “Scandinavian” style locks were introduced in America and became a more secure alternative to the prevailing smokehouse and screw locks. These locks had a cast iron body that was loaded with a stack of rotating disks. Each disk had a central cutout to allow the key to pass through them and two notches cut out on the edge of the disc. When locked, the discs passed through cut-outs on the shackle. The key rotated each disk until the notches, placed along the edge of each tumbler in different places, lined up with the shackle, allowing the shackle to slide out of the body. The McWilliams company received a patent for these locks in 1871. The “Scandinavian” design was so successful that JHW Climax & Co. of Newark, New Jersey continued to make these padlocks until the 1950’s. Today, other countries are still manufacturing this style of padlock. | |
 Contemporary with the Scandinavian padlock ("Polhem locks") were the “cast heart” locks, so called because of their shape. A significantly stronger lock than the smokehouse and much more resistant to corrosion than the Scandinavian, the hearts had a lock body sand cast from brass or bronze and a more secure lever mechanism. Heart locks had two prominent characteristics: one was a spring-loaded cover that pivoted over the keyhole to keep dirt and insects out of the lock that was called a “drop”. The other was a point formed at the bottom of the lock so a chain could be attached to the lock body to prevent the lock from getting lost or stolen. Cast heart locks were very popular with railroads for locking switches and cars because of their economical cost and excellent ability to open reliably in dirty, moist, and frozen environments. Contemporary with the Scandinavian padlock ("Polhem locks") were the “cast heart” locks, so called because of their shape. A significantly stronger lock than the smokehouse and much more resistant to corrosion than the Scandinavian, the hearts had a lock body sand cast from brass or bronze and a more secure lever mechanism. Heart locks had two prominent characteristics: one was a spring-loaded cover that pivoted over the keyhole to keep dirt and insects out of the lock that was called a “drop”. The other was a point formed at the bottom of the lock so a chain could be attached to the lock body to prevent the lock from getting lost or stolen. Cast heart locks were very popular with railroads for locking switches and cars because of their economical cost and excellent ability to open reliably in dirty, moist, and frozen environments. | |
 In 1877 Yale & Towne was granted a patent for a padlock that housed a stack of levers and had a shackle that swung away when unlocked. It was a notable design because the levers were sub-assembled into a “cartridge” that could be slid into a cast brass body shell. The assembly would remain together by means of two taper pins passed through the shell and cartridge. This design gave the commercial padlock market a serviceable, re key able padlock. About twenty years later Yale made another “cartridge” style padlock that employed their famous pin tumbler mechanism and a shackle that slid out of the body instead of swinging away. Although machining metal was a method that was available to lock makers since the early 1800s, it was not economically feasible to do so until the very early 1900s when electrical generation and distribution became widespread. Some of the earliest padlocks (c. 1905) that were made from a machined block of cast or extruded metal resemble today’s modern padlock. Corbin and Eagle were one of the first lock makers to machine a solid block of metal and insert a relatively new pin tumbler mechanism and a sliding shackle into the holes machined into the body. This style of padlock was both strong and easy to manufacture. Many machined body padlocks were designed to be disassembled so that locksmiths could easily fit the locks to a certain key. The machined body padlocks are still very popular today. The process of machining allows many modern padlocks to have a “shroud” covering the shackle, which is an extension of the body around the shackle to protect the shackle from getting sheared or cut. In the early 1920s, Harry Soref started Master Lock off with the first laminated padlock. Plates that were punched from sheet metal were stacked and assembled. Holes that were formed in the middle of the plates made room to accommodate the locking mechanism. The entire stack of plates, loaded with the lock parts in it, was riveted together. This padlock was popular for its low cost and an impact-resistant laminated plate design. Today, many lock makers copy this very efficient and successful design. Die-casting became popular in the early 1930s among lock makers. Not only was it a very inexpensive way to make padlocks, but it allowed designers to design padlocks with a broad range of geometrical features and ornate designs that sand casting and machining wouldn’t allow. Some lock makers, like Junkunc Brothers, augmented their machined solid body padlock products with the less expensive and more attractive die-cast bodied padlocks. The Wise Lock Company embraced this new medium in making a novel padlock that, with the key inserted, would split lengthwise along the body in order to create an opening in the shackle. Chicago Lock pioneered their new “double bitted wafer” and “ACE” products by installing them into a die cast body. With the advent of inexpensive machining done overseas and the overall poor perception of the security of die cast locks, they no longer dominate today’s padlock market. Home Security Johns Creek GA | |
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