Please help me identify this lock/cuff

Hello all, I have just aquired a wierd lock or single handcuff/leg iron but I have no clue as to what it is or what it was made for. I was hoping that someone here might know something about it. According to the discribtion, it was made by the "Robelock Co." in Oakland, California.....no date has been given and no other info has been obtained yet. Here are some photos:





I don't believe that it is a cuff but who knows??? By the design, it looks like it was made to lock a bunch of chain end links together. It appears to unlock via a flat steel key, then have the square sliding bolt pulled back by hand. Once the key is removed, the bolt can be pushed back in (again, by hand) locking like a ratchet style handcuff, click by click until it stops at the end.
The opening looks huge, one could fit something large inside of it (perhaps someone's ankle???) and it is hooked at the start of the opening (maybe to catch end links and not let them slip back off???) With the locking bolt pulled out, (the bolt) looks like it could act as a handle while the "hooked" side can scoop chain links off of the ground or something. If nothing else, it is a really cool lock. =)

I would appreciate any info that anyone might have about this lock. Thanks.

Cheers, Mike

MIKE :: for once the nmae of the manufacture gives a great hint to what the item was made for.... padlock used for locking up robes (coats, furs etc) in variuos parlors & establishments ... joe

Hello all, I have just aquired a wierd lock or single handcuff/leg iron but I have no clue as to what it is or what it was made for. I was hoping that someone here might know something about it. According to the discribtion, it was made by the "Robelock Co." in Oakland, California.....no date has been given and no other info has been obtained yet. Here are some photos:





I don't believe that it is a cuff but who knows??? By the design, it looks like it was made to lock a bunch of chain end links together. It appears to unlock via a flat steel key, then have the square sliding bolt pulled back by hand. Once the key is removed, the bolt can be pushed back in (again, by hand) locking like a ratchet style handcuff, click by click until it stops at the end.
The opening looks huge, one could fit something large inside of it (perhaps someone's ankle???) and it is hooked at the start of the opening (maybe to catch end links and not let them slip back off???) With the locking bolt pulled out, (the bolt) looks like it could act as a handle while the "hooked" side can scoop chain links off of the ground or something. If nothing else, it is a really cool lock. =)

I would appreciate any info that anyone might have about this lock. Thanks.

Cheers, Mike

Click to expand...

Thanks Joe!!! Do you have any idea how old it is or how high security the lock is??? Is this lock rare??? I have never seen one before.

Cheers, Mike

Hello all, I have just aquired a wierd lock or single handcuff/leg iron but I have no clue as to what it is or what it was made for. I was hoping that someone here might know something about it. According to the discribtion, it was made by the "Robelock Co." in Oakland, California.....no date has been given and no other info has been obtained yet. Here are some photos:





I don't believe that it is a cuff but who knows??? By the design, it looks like it was made to lock a bunch of chain end links together. It appears to unlock via a flat steel key, then have the square sliding bolt pulled back by hand. Once the key is removed, the bolt can be pushed back in (again, by hand) locking like a ratchet style handcuff, click by click until it stops at the end.
The opening looks huge, one could fit something large inside of it (perhaps someone's ankle???) and it is hooked at the start of the opening (maybe to catch end links and not let them slip back off???) With the locking bolt pulled out, (the bolt) looks like it could act as a handle while the "hooked" side can scoop chain links off of the ground or something. If nothing else, it is a really cool lock. =)

I would appreciate any info that anyone might have about this lock. Thanks.

Cheers, Mike

Click to expand...

There is at least one of these that shows up on Ebay every 2 or so months.

The lock is a multiple lever lock. Should be at least 2 levers.

There is also a variation whose sliding ratchet bar is more rounded.

Steve Santini

Hello all, I have just aquired a wierd lock or single handcuff/leg iron but I have no clue as to what it is or what it was made for. I was hoping that someone here might know something about it. According to the discribtion, it was made by the "Robelock Co." in Oakland, California.....no date has been given and no other info has been obtained yet. Here are some photos:





I don't believe that it is a cuff but who knows??? By the design, it looks like it was made to lock a bunch of chain end links together. It appears to unlock via a flat steel key, then have the square sliding bolt pulled back by hand. Once the key is removed, the bolt can be pushed back in (again, by hand) locking like a ratchet style handcuff, click by click until it stops at the end.
The opening looks huge, one could fit something large inside of it (perhaps someone's ankle???) and it is hooked at the start of the opening (maybe to catch end links and not let them slip back off???) With the locking bolt pulled out, (the bolt) looks like it could act as a handle while the "hooked" side can scoop chain links off of the ground or something. If nothing else, it is a really cool lock. =)

I would appreciate any info that anyone might have about this lock. Thanks.

Cheers, Mike

Click to expand...

To agree that perhaps this type of lock could possibly by used to maybe lock lengths of chains that were first threaded through the arms of expensive garments or furs but I do not think this would be done on the floor of a showroom that sells such items.

More likely than not such a lock would have been used to secure such items within a vehicle transporting valuable garments.

Steve Santini

P.S. It is the ratchet function the is the most perplexing. One could easilly lock up many lengths of chain using a normal lock with a long shackle so there is really no need to have the shackle ratchet at all as it does here. I am still wondering about the exact specific use of this lock. Certainly it could have secured many things but it's unique design and function indicate it was destined for a particular distinct service.

Hello all, I have just aquired a wierd lock or single handcuff/leg iron but I have no clue as to what it is or what it was made for. I was hoping that someone here might know something about it. According to the discribtion, it was made by the "Robelock Co." in Oakland, California.....no date has been given and no other info has been obtained yet. Here are some photos:





I don't believe that it is a cuff but who knows??? By the design, it looks like it was made to lock a bunch of chain end links together. It appears to unlock via a flat steel key, then have the square sliding bolt pulled back by hand. Once the key is removed, the bolt can be pushed back in (again, by hand) locking like a ratchet style handcuff, click by click until it stops at the end.
The opening looks huge, one could fit something large inside of it (perhaps someone's ankle???) and it is hooked at the start of the opening (maybe to catch end links and not let them slip back off???) With the locking bolt pulled out, (the bolt) looks like it could act as a handle while the "hooked" side can scoop chain links off of the ground or something. If nothing else, it is a really cool lock. =)

I would appreciate any info that anyone might have about this lock. Thanks.

Cheers, Mike

Click to expand...

Thanks Steve, BTW, good to hear from you (I was beginning to think that you fell off the face of the Earth) lol. Strange that I have not seen one of these before......I am sure that now that I own one, I will see them all over the place. I obtained a Fordloc (crank lock) earlier this year.....never seen a crank lock before, but as soon as I got one, I seen about 5 of them at the Indy Lock Show and 1 or 2 of them in a book. Go figure, I thought I had something really rare. Oh well. Thanks again for the info.

Cheers, Mike

Hello all, I have just aquired a wierd lock or single handcuff/leg iron but I have no clue as to what it is or what it was made for. I was hoping that someone here might know something about it. According to the discribtion, it was made by the "Robelock Co." in Oakland, California.....no date has been given and no other info has been obtained yet. Here are some photos:





I don't believe that it is a cuff but who knows??? By the design, it looks like it was made to lock a bunch of chain end links together. It appears to unlock via a flat steel key, then have the square sliding bolt pulled back by hand. Once the key is removed, the bolt can be pushed back in (again, by hand) locking like a ratchet style handcuff, click by click until it stops at the end.
The opening looks huge, one could fit something large inside of it (perhaps someone's ankle???) and it is hooked at the start of the opening (maybe to catch end links and not let them slip back off???) With the locking bolt pulled out, (the bolt) looks like it could act as a handle while the "hooked" side can scoop chain links off of the ground or something. If nothing else, it is a really cool lock. =)

I would appreciate any info that anyone might have about this lock. Thanks.

Cheers, Mike

Click to expand...

Hi all, I wanted to up-date this thread. I have the Ropelock in hand now, made a key for it, and also obtained some paper work on it. Here is what I have learned:

Pat. applied for in 1912, Pat. given in 1913, it has 6 levers (not 2), it was used to secure garments in an automobile by having the garments around a rod then the lock clamped on either side of said garment and was pushed together pinching the garment to keep it there, and it is a bit more rare than was stated here. Also, Santini was right about there being a variation of this with a rounded end.....it is pictured in the Pat. drawings and I seen one in Bob Dix's Lock Museum earlier this month.

Bottom line......it is definitly not a handcuff. However, the idea of welding two of these together by the knobs and making a new type of handcuff has been suggested! =)

Thanks again to all who responded to this.

Cheers, Mike