Pics of Cuffs Bought in Estonia

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Very nice!......I like!

mark
O--O

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Here is a similar pair that was said to have come from Russia when I bought it.



And this one has German markings from the WWII era.



I had the one with German markings first and naturally thought they were from Germany, but the others clearly are of Russian or at least Soviet manufacture.

The German one could have been made in Russia under German occupation or it could have been a German factory and the equipment and design could have been confiscated by the Russians at the end of the war.

Joe

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As always, Joe, your collection and knowledge are stellar. I'd say your "Russian" cuffs are near enough to identical to mine to venture that they are from the same general era and geographical area as mine.

Sorry about the dark pics, folks. They weren't so dark when I uploaded them to photobucket. The cuffs are dark, but there is a semi-decent patina lurking in there (especially, if I give them a scrubbing).

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Monica
I wish my knowledge was a bit better. It would be nice to know where all these cuffs were actually made. They could have been made in any of the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Does anyone have a clue?

Joe

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Interesting… swing-thru cuffs with a Darby style key.
These look like they’d be fun to shim, and definitely more collectable than the recently made Russian clone handcuffs. I wonder if Russia ever imported their cuffs. I read somewhere that Italy – once a great shackle producing nation – and Egypt now import their handcuffs from The Czech Republic (Alfa Proj).

Thanks for posting these excellent photos!

Jason

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Not so easy to shim, Jason. When the cuffs are tightened to fit a small or even medium sized wrist, shimming is not an option and any struggle to escape is punished by the sharp inner bracelet edges - nasty.

Even with key in hand, the cuffs are discouraging and difficult for a prisoner to unlock, resultant from the placement of the key hole, the need to center the key barrel over the floating shaft, and the many turns it takes to unlock the cuffs, combined w/ a push motion at the end (and the impending wrist pain).

If your hands are large or you lack the requisite dexterity and strength, or your hands fatigue easily, you might need someone else to let you out. Don't put these on alone.

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Hi Monica:

I’m surprised to hear that these cuffs are resistant or impervious to shimming. In the absence of a double-lock, what is there to impede this? Do these cuffs have a notch or anti-shim wheel, such as those used on Star handcuffs? My WWII Padlock Handcuffs have neither, but are built to such tight tolerances that shimming looks unlikely, if at all possible. This might provide a clue as to their origin.

The floating bolt is an interesting feature. I can see where the placement of the keyway would make it difficult for most people to turn the key with their fingers. Also, a short bolt could be difficult to loop with a piece of string or line.

It would be nice to see the patent drawing for these…

Regards,
Jason

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Can be shimmed under certain circumstances. But, certainly difficult and not without perils. Maybe a question for the experts in that area.

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P.S. No star wheel or anti-shim device in these cuffs. Lack of access from secure or tight cuffing is the enemy.

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Hi,
The cuffs that I have that are similar do not have the ratchet toothed pawl that a usual cuff has. My Russian cuffs have two sharpened posts that drop and grab each of the teeth in the swinging bow. I believe that they work independently from each other, so if you could depress one of the locking posts, the other one will still hold the cuff locked.
If any attempt to shim the cuff were made, it would be very difficult as the shim would only make contact with the middle of the locking post and would not be able to exert any downward force that would be required to free up the cuff. The posts are close to center so the shim would need to be longer and stronger than normal
Hope this helps.

mark
O--O

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Greetings Mark:

Your variation sounds similar to the locking teeth on a pair of Bean handcuffs. I’ve noticed that the teeth on the Bean are curved back slightly, very much like a snake’s fangs. The Bean, however, also features the ridge on the jaw, thus ensuring that a single shim could never disengage both teeth.

The only method I’m aware of for shimming this type of cuff requires that they not be fastened too tightly on the wrists. The shims are then placed against the next ratchet stop on the jaws. The cuff is then tightened slightly, whereby the teeth bite down on the shims. This of course requires that enough clearance exists to wedge the shims in. I haven’t tried this on my Beans for fear of scratching the plating on the jaw.

Regards,
Jason

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Jason, I shimmed these particular cuffs at the antique shop by not fastening them but a few clicks and then using my hotel room key (credit card type) to depress the pawl/teeth (the people in both shops were slack-jawed - haha). No need to "click-shim."

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Great resourcefulness, Monica!

It sounds like the first few locking positions allow enough clearance to wedge the card through, since the jaw lacks the dividing ridge found on the Bean cuffs.
If you can locate an old fashioned Venetian Blind slat, these are also well suited as a lock shim or jimmy.

Not too long ago, I noticed someone selling a shim set on ebay, that they claimed would work on all major brands of cuffs. The auctions may have been cancelled for listing violations, though these shims are quite easy to fabricate from commonly available scrap materials if one knows where to finds them.


Happy Independence Day!

Jason

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A dealer on the German eBay site has three sets of Russian cuffs for sale. Some very nice pictures are given as well. Check out eBay # 140135694463

Joe

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Hi,

first of all, these handcuffs are not Russian but Polish!! They come from Poland from the 1930-1960s. I am sure about that.

I have got all three models in perfect condition in my collection - visit my sites www.pouta.org and go to the section Other countries and Poland. You can see them.

Prise is crazy, these offered pairs are in very poor condition. I know the original seller very well, one pair was dog out from the ground (that with small lockcase) the second was repaired (that with curved body of lock) and that third model with nickel finish don´t have an original plating!!

This set was purchased by this dealer from my friend and now is offered for crazy price. Don´t buy them if you are searching for originals in perfect or at least good condition!!

In addition I had a trouble with this seller in another auction which I won. This man made an agreement with seller behind my back and however I won the auction, I didn´t get these cuffs and shortly later they were sold to this man.

Cheers

Josef

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Josef

That is very interesting. I have a pair and thought they were Russian.

What about this pair? Are they Russian or Polish?



Joe

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These are Russian. All Polish handcuffs have swivel eye like a ball. As far as I know only three patterns were made/used in Poland - those I have got in my collection. All other should be of Russian origin.

These from your collection are Russian and those in Alex Nichols book "Butirskaya handcuffs" are Russian too.

Cheers

Josef