Slovenian handcuffs

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Just finished watching the collection. My handcuffs are very similar to french La Massenotte, but there is carving: GKG KUCLAR LJUBLJANA 027.

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Does it mean Slovenia buys french handcuffs?

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Yeah! And happy New year and X-mas!

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Is there any photo of them available? I would like to have a look at them.

Josef
Czech Republic
http://cz-pouta.wz.cz

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

http://www.handcuffs.org/gallery/gallery_i-m.html

La Massenotte, France. 1940's.

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

This blog was well over 10 years ago and I don't believe there has been any current discussions about this cuff.

I came into another pair of these and they are very rare. I listed this one on eBay if anyone is interested.
There are similar to the oval style cuffs from Germany and France but cuffs from Ljubljana, Slovenia are much, much harder to find.

Ljubljana is the largest city and capitol of Slovenia.





http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/332210664149?

If any of you Forum Folks in the U.S. bids and wins, I will offer free shipping. Please mention that you are from the forum and I will revise the bill or send the $ back in a check.

I wish I knew more about these cuffs so please respond if you have anything about them.
Thanks

Mark
O--O

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

I have been planning to make a thread on GKG handcuffs for ages, but now it is the time to do it. Since I come from Slovenia it is my duty... It will take me a few days to make photos.

I have seen that you do not have original keys for single locking GKG's- I have some extra pieces and I am willing to send them to the USA free of charge..

Anyone interested can mail me on borut_volk@yahoo.com

See you soon!

Borut

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Let's start...

On the bottom pictures you can see the oldest piece from my collection. Their manufacturer is unknown, however they resemble La Massenotte or K&D handcuffs very much. In my opinion they date in the time of the "Kraljevina Jugoslavija (1931-1945)"-Yugoslavian monarchy, a constitutional monarchy led by the serbian royal family. The monarchy stretched over today's Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia. The royal court and the government had excellent diplomatic and economic relationship with France and they have bought a lot of military equipment from the French, including two submarines for the navy. The handcuffs presented on the pictures could be a part of the shipments from the France, or can be a Yugoslavian reverse engineering product, based on the French cuffs. They have aluminium cheek plates, while the other parts are made of blackened steel. The locking mechanism consists of two three-toothed ratchet pawls, which "sink" into the lock, the same way as in the modern French handcuffs (e.g. Rivolier). The chain consists of only one chain link, attached to the swivels. Left cuff only. I do not have the original keys. I' ve bought this piece on a Serbian auction website and got it smuggled to Slovenia, since the Serbian folks are afraid to send such object via ordinary mail. I have never seen any other similar pair for sale again, or anywhere else (films, old photos...)...










The next handcuff is definitely the successor of the handcuffs presented above. It was widely used by the army and the police in the post WWII communist Yugoslavia, which succeeded the monarchy. The producer is unknown- could be the prison labor. I have seen them in quite a lot of Yugoslavian films. The handcuffs do not differ very much from their predecessor at the first sight- aluminium body, blackened rotating arm and chain, which is actually not a chain, but two swivels connected together. The most important difference is that the locking mechanism has been simplified- it has only one three-toothed ratchet pawl, which is hinged at the top. The interesting fact is that I have never seen this type of handcuffs on the Slovenian auction websites, but they are quite common in Serbia, from where the particular pair was smuggled. The key is an original, and also fits in the cuffs presented above. Left cuff only.











In my opinion aluminium was quite an expensive material and the handcuffs made of it were not that strong and durable, so another model came into production. It is a nickel plated steel copy of their predecessor, with all the advantages and disadvantages. First, I would like to present the advantages. The cuff has nice rounded edges, it can harbor a huge wrist, but also a very small one. The cuff literally embraces the whole wrist's surface and does not apply pressure on two points, like most of the American cuffs do. They quite comfortable to wear and even if overtightened they do less damage to the "customer" in comparison to the vertical type of the handcuffs. As all of the French type handcuffs, these have some disadvantages. Long cheek plates are more prone to the twisting and therefore the rotating arm often starts to rub against the cheek plates and disables the speedcuffing action. In case that the shackle boss rivet gets a little bit loose, the rotating arm often hits the cheek plate instead of engaging the ratchet pawl. If the ratchet pawl engaged only one tooth of the rotating arm (in case the suspect had large wrists), the suspect could open the cuff by force. Since the chain has no swivels, there were also cases when a strong suspect could twist the chain ad break the piece connecting the cuff to the chain. This type of handcuffs is still in active service in Slovenia.










If you put the aluminium and steel handcuff together they are a 100% match. Left and right cuff.





I have traded this pair with a police officer a few weeks ago. Although they look very well preserved, they are not what I've expected to get. Both of the rotating arms get stuck between the cheek plates, so the speedcuffing is impossible. I still wonder how this fact did not bother the cop...

I am a little short on time today so... to be continued...

Borut

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Let us continue...



The manufacturer of these cuffs is unknown- it could be the prison labor or factory Aurea Celje, Slovenia. They were used by the Yugoslavian police and the army (MP, border patrols). The time of production is also not precisely known, probably in the period between 1960's and 1970's. Here are two photos from the 1980's from the JNA (Yugoslav people's army).








Most of these handcuffs unlike their two predecessors, were marked with a number. It usually consisted of a Roman numeral followed by three or four Arabic digits, which were stamped on the bow of the left cuff. As you have probably noticed, all of the presented handcuffs are easy to pick or shim.


On the bottom photo you can compare all three models of handcuffs together.




Ljubljana was the capitol of the SR Slovenia (Socialist Republic of Slovenia, a part of Yugoslavia). On 183 Zaloška Street in Ljubljana, there was a workshop which produced medals, badges, buttons, police and military insignia. Unlike most of such enterprises in Yugoslavia, which were owned by the state, this workshop had a private owner. It was owned by Mr. Kuclar and its name was GKG Kuclar- Graverstvo in Kovinska Galanterija Kuclar (engravers and metal products Kuclar). The company was in business form the 1970's to the mid 1990's, when the owner retired and sold everything. At the end of the 1970's the company started to produce handcuffs. As the model, they have taken the most common handcuffs that were used, and made some improvements. On the photo below you can see the model handcuffs and the new product.





To be continued...

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Barrel key, swivels, single chain link, stronger rivets, construction made of three sheets of steel instead of four, thicker cheek plates.







There were some variations of the markings on the handcuffs. The pair on the top photo was used by the Slovenian Milica and army (In Yugoslavia the police was called Milicija, in Slovenia Milica), and later on in Policija, in the independent Republic of Slovenia, which separated from the Yugoslavia in 1991. It is marked with four digits engraved under the keyhole on both cuffs. No producer's signature though... Some pieces are still in the official police use in Slovenia.






The pair on the top was also used in Milica and Policija and it is still in the official police use in very small numbers. It is marked with four engraved digits under the keyholes on both sides. On the opposite side there is a sticker with the company's logo.








I have forgotten to mention that there was a lack in quality control in the shop and the handcuffs were not very precisely made. The pair with the logo sticker has at least two. On the photos above you can see how far the ratchet arm's teeth are far away from the ratchet pawl and you can see how huge gap they make at the top of the cuffs. Shimming with a toothpick is not a challenge... Also the edges on some pieces can be quite sharp.





On the top photo you can see that even the number of the ratchet teeth doesn't match. The rotating arm on the left has an extra tooth.







The pair on the pictures above is marked with engraved GKG logo and a serial number consisting of three digits. I have never seen such markings in Slovenia, but they were quite common in other Yugoslavian republics- especially in Serbia, from where I have got this pair. It is in excellent condition and surprisingly well made- smooth edges, no extra teeth...

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

All handcuffs which were presented until this point were single locking. GKG Kuclar has developed also a double locking mechanism. It is very simple, but also very unreliable. On the bottom pictures you can see a double locking GKG...










The double lock was activated by turning the screw by 180 degrees, using the "screwdriver" at the top of the key. During the long time usage of such handcuffs, the double lock screw could get loose and the vibrations caused by the ratchet pawl or other vibrations could make it turn around unwillingly... The handcuffs could get double locked in a most critical moment. According to some sources on the internet the users often used a drop of super glue to fix the problem. These handcuffs were mostly used in the Yugoslavian army.

There was a batch of double locking GKG's, which were made of very cheap and low quality materials. In my opinion they were made just before the disintegration of Yugoslavia. I do not know whether Mr. Kuclar became sloppy or he did it on purpose, because they were used in the Yugoslav army, which was changing from the defender of the people to its enemy. The cuffs were made of some cheap stainless steel, the rivets were made of some sort of soft alloy and were literally falling apart. On the bottom picture you can see an example.





I haven't had any trouble with drilling through the rivets, when I was disassembling one of those cuffs. On the pictures below you can see a GKG's internal organs.





Below: Double lock activated



Below: Double lock inactivated




Since the GKG Kuclar closed its door more than 20 years ago and ceased the production of the handcuffs almost a decade earlier, there is not much left to see, except from their products.

The GKG handcuffs are becoming a rare find, the number of produced units is far lower in comparison to the big handcuff producing companies and they are limited to the countries of the former Yugoslavia. Only Croatia and Slovenia are a part of EU and therefore all shipments from the other "Yugo" countries can be quite a challenge, since all the parcels undergo customs control. People from those countries are often afraid of sending the handcuffs via mail or parcel services, so I was often forced to have the stuff smuggled to Slovenia, which took money and also time.

The keys are also a problem, especially those with the double lock tip. It is usually easier to find a pair of cuffs than a key. I do not know why , but the Yugo army soldiers, who mainly used those handcuffs were very prone to losing those keys (and also handcuffs). At some border posts they did not have any keys, and they used to open the handcuffs with all sorts of objects. In comparison to the Slovenian Milica, the army or the police forces in other republics of Yugoslavia have never used handcuff pouches and they were carrying handcuffs and keys in pockets, behind the belt, in back pack... On the other hand the Milica in Slovenia used completely closed pouches, with a key tied to a thread. It was far more difficult to lose its contents and also the cuffs were protected.

Here is a picture of handcuffs in their pouch.





I should have written this disclaimer at the beginning of a thread:

1) Currently I do not own any extra pair to sell.

2) Currently I posses only one key with a double lock pin, and therefore it is not for sale.

3) I have some extra keys for the single locking models- the one for the four chain links cuff, and the single locking GKG key with triangular head.

4) In case I find anything suitable, I will let you know.

That would be all for tonight...

Borut

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

I just wanted to say thank you for sharing so much info you have on these handcuffs. It is well written and with great photos. I could only imagine what challenges you have gone through to obtain these items. It is great that you took the time to document what you have learned about these cuffs as there is otherwise so little info out there on them.

Thanks again!
--Vince

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Thank you for the work that went into this.
I have 3 versions of these cuffs and I believe I got 1 or 2 from you over the years.
I will print this page and keep it in my library.

Thanks again,

Mark
O--O

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Your wealth of knowledge on these hard to find cuffs is outstanding! Thank you for taking the time to preserve this, here, for us. I have yet to get a set of these for my collection, but I will add them to the list of cuffs to search for.
-Richard Knip-

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Mark, as far I remember you have the following pieces in your collection:




Since I have never sold any handcuffs anywhere outside my country, I can definitely say that none of your three pairs have come through my claws. I have only sent a key for the four chain links handcuffs to @Handboeinfreak. That key could be the only part that came from my collection...


As I have mentioned before I can send you some KEYS for the single locking GKG and their predecessors in case you OWN the handcuffs without an original key.


What I can offer is:

Two pieces for:





Five pieces for:





I also have a GKG graveyard consisting of 6 and 1/2 of double locking handcuffs, mostly from the low quality batch I have mentioned before in my thread. Their condition is very poor, some of them seem to be repaired after the production. Rubbing of the rotating arm against the cheek plates is a common feature of each pair. Since I do not want to sell junk, I have never mentioned them. They were a part of a shipment from Serbia and they have ripped me off with that deal.





If anyone is interested in buying this junk, I can put each pair on display on the forum, and I am willing to send them just for the shipping and manipulation costs.

Borut

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

This may be the only chance to get a pair of these. I would like to get 1 pair for my collection. Please, Send me an email at iambiohazard@yahoo.com and we can work out the shipping and such. Thank you!
-Richard Knip-

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

The pair with the markings "GKG Kuclar 006" is reserved.

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

One warning is not enough nowadays, so once again: On the last photo you can see my JUNKYARD...

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Hi,

I would be interested in the 2 flat keys and 5 triangle round AND a junkyard cuff which has the slot double lock screw.

I will send paypal once you give me a price that you would like for these with shipping.

Thank you so much.


Mark
O--O

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Hi
I would also like one of the Double locking and one of the other type from your junkyard. My email address is:
cgower1@aol.com
Thanks
Chris

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Junkyard cleared.

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

Slovenia has a very low crime rate, but occasionally some bad stuff also happens. A few months ago in March, there has been a cruel double murder. On the photo you can see the suspect being escorted to the court by the Police. Look at he jewellery he is carrying...

I have been planning to make a thread on GKG handcuffs for ages, but now it is the time to do it. Since I come from Slovenia it is my duty... It will take me a few days to make photos.

I have seen that you do not have original keys for single locking GKG's- I have some extra pieces and I am willing to send them to the USA free of charge..

Anyone interested can mail me on borut_volk@yahoo.com

See you soon!

Borut

Borut,

I received the cuffs and keys today.
I want you thank you very much for sending these items to me.
That was a very generous favor and I appreciate it very much.
Please let me know if I can return the favor.
I have a very nice pair but they are in hiding right now.
These will suffice nicely until the other ones show up.

Again, I appreciate you sending these out and the cost for postage.
I hope I can send something you can use one day soon


Mark
O--O

Does anybody have one? How do they open. I mean not only key opening.

I second what Mark said above. I received the package you sent to me the other day. Everything arrived in great condition! Your generosity and kindness are greatly appreciated. I am very happy to be able to ad this set to my collection. I know how hard it is to come by these. If I can return the favor to you, in any way, please contact me at my personal Email that you already have. I will do what I can to assist you. Thank you very much, my friend.
-Richard Knip-