Tower Bean's repair info...

Hello everyone,

Perhaps someone could give me some assistance on the repair of a Tower Bean's cuff I own. Here's the problem, at some time in this poor cuff's life, someone forced one of the bows outward with enough force to cause the little "bushing" within the keyhole to distort & bend halfway. Now the bushing sits right against the keyhole's post, prohibiting entry of the key. To make matters worse, is that the tiny spring that is against the lever connecting to the button used to "set" the cuff is mangled, making even shimming of the one cuff a chore at best. The other cuff works via key, and is near perfect except for some residue from some moron's long-ago tacky 'GOLD' paint job. (But that's another story)

So here I am, asking anyone who might know, HOW can I remove the lockcase for repair? Or if someone can direct me to an exploded diagram of how the cuff was constructed, that would be much appreciated.

(I am able to make-out the outlines of both the lockcase, as well as the "rivet" that is located just above the letter 'o' in the name Tower)

PS, I am expierenced at lock repair, just unsure of how to get em' apart properly. As far as potentially lowering their value, the way I look at them now, is of almost NO value with one cuff broken like it is currently





Thanks for your time,

--Vince

VINCE ::: just junk them & buy a good set as they ain't worth the hassle... joe

Hello everyone,

Perhaps someone could give me some assistance on the repair of a Tower Bean's cuff I own. Here's the problem, at some time in this poor cuff's life, someone forced one of the bows outward with enough force to cause the little "bushing" within the keyhole to distort & bend halfway. Now the bushing sits right against the keyhole's post, prohibiting entry of the key. To make matters worse, is that the tiny spring that is against the lever connecting to the button used to "set" the cuff is mangled, making even shimming of the one cuff a chore at best. The other cuff works via key, and is near perfect except for some residue from some moron's long-ago tacky 'GOLD' paint job. (But that's another story)

So here I am, asking anyone who might know, HOW can I remove the lockcase for repair? Or if someone can direct me to an exploded diagram of how the cuff was constructed, that would be much appreciated.

(I am able to make-out the outlines of both the lockcase, as well as the "rivet" that is located just above the letter 'o' in the name Tower)

PS, I am expierenced at lock repair, just unsure of how to get em' apart properly. As far as potentially lowering their value, the way I look at them now, is of almost NO value with one cuff broken like it is currently





Thanks for your time,

--Vince

Click to expand...

There is no "lockcase" per say like on a Cobb.

At least nothing that is removable as an entire unit.

In this case, what is involved is actually prying off the faceplate or drilling out the rivet tips (flush with the lockcase surface) and THEN prying off the faceplate.

Even if can do this and you repair them and find replacement spring, etc, there is still the problem of putting the cover back to the degree where is asthetically pleasing.

This is a tough one to be sure.

Good luck, Steve Santini

Hello everyone,

Perhaps someone could give me some assistance on the repair of a Tower Bean's cuff I own. Here's the problem, at some time in this poor cuff's life, someone forced one of the bows outward with enough force to cause the little "bushing" within the keyhole to distort & bend halfway. Now the bushing sits right against the keyhole's post, prohibiting entry of the key. To make matters worse, is that the tiny spring that is against the lever connecting to the button used to "set" the cuff is mangled, making even shimming of the one cuff a chore at best. The other cuff works via key, and is near perfect except for some residue from some moron's long-ago tacky 'GOLD' paint job. (But that's another story)

So here I am, asking anyone who might know, HOW can I remove the lockcase for repair? Or if someone can direct me to an exploded diagram of how the cuff was constructed, that would be much appreciated.

(I am able to make-out the outlines of both the lockcase, as well as the "rivet" that is located just above the letter 'o' in the name Tower)

PS, I am expierenced at lock repair, just unsure of how to get em' apart properly. As far as potentially lowering their value, the way I look at them now, is of almost NO value with one cuff broken like it is currently





Thanks for your time,

--Vince

Click to expand...

I had gotten a broken pair of Tower beans pattern cuffs a few years ago with one side damaged as tho it had been run over by a truck or something and this is what I did with the one good side.



While the lock works in the flat key "bean cobb" handcuffs is removable and repairable the same
isn't practicle for the hollow barrel key tower beans.

Good luck..

Hello everyone,

Perhaps someone could give me some assistance on the repair of a Tower Bean's cuff I own. Here's the problem, at some time in this poor cuff's life, someone forced one of the bows outward with enough force to cause the little "bushing" within the keyhole to distort & bend halfway. Now the bushing sits right against the keyhole's post, prohibiting entry of the key. To make matters worse, is that the tiny spring that is against the lever connecting to the button used to "set" the cuff is mangled, making even shimming of the one cuff a chore at best. The other cuff works via key, and is near perfect except for some residue from some moron's long-ago tacky 'GOLD' paint job. (But that's another story)

So here I am, asking anyone who might know, HOW can I remove the lockcase for repair? Or if someone can direct me to an exploded diagram of how the cuff was constructed, that would be much appreciated.

(I am able to make-out the outlines of both the lockcase, as well as the "rivet" that is located just above the letter 'o' in the name Tower)

PS, I am expierenced at lock repair, just unsure of how to get em' apart properly. As far as potentially lowering their value, the way I look at them now, is of almost NO value with one cuff broken like it is currently





Thanks for your time,

--Vince

Click to expand...

Face it. What you have is a 100+ year old piece of junk.

Indeed a 100+ years old, but not all that special

On eBay all the time.

Attach a slave tag to it, lie like a cheap rug, make up a stupid story, and you might get more than fifty bucks for them.

Oh!! These are just like the ones that John Wilkes Booth might have broken out of when Union soldiers attempted to arrest him after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. I have pictures from the time. Pictures showing slaves and everything. And pictures of John Wilkes Booth showing his hands that later could have gotten locked up in Tower handcuffs very much like these, had he lived just a bit longer.

THESE ARE THE REAL THING

After over a centuty or more of silence, this rare artifact can now be offerred to the discriminating collector.

They come with a sworn affidavit of authenticity, from the old lady who got them from her next door neighbor, who dug them out of the trash, from an old man who had lived next door to her for over a decade, who's second wife had been married to the son of a previously divorced World War I veteran, who fooled around with a young French girl whose father had been in the diplomatic service years before, but secured them from the mistress of a person of very high ranking in the German diplomatic legation whose second cousin, twice removed (on his mother's side) had to flee Tuscany when Napoleon invaded around 1800 or so.

As you can tell, an item of this stature will not be soon again found.

Hello everyone,

Perhaps someone could give me some assistance on the repair of a Tower Bean's cuff I own. Here's the problem, at some time in this poor cuff's life, someone forced one of the bows outward with enough force to cause the little "bushing" within the keyhole to distort & bend halfway. Now the bushing sits right against the keyhole's post, prohibiting entry of the key. To make matters worse, is that the tiny spring that is against the lever connecting to the button used to "set" the cuff is mangled, making even shimming of the one cuff a chore at best. The other cuff works via key, and is near perfect except for some residue from some moron's long-ago tacky 'GOLD' paint job. (But that's another story)

So here I am, asking anyone who might know, HOW can I remove the lockcase for repair? Or if someone can direct me to an exploded diagram of how the cuff was constructed, that would be much appreciated.

(I am able to make-out the outlines of both the lockcase, as well as the "rivet" that is located just above the letter 'o' in the name Tower)

PS, I am expierenced at lock repair, just unsure of how to get em' apart properly. As far as potentially lowering their value, the way I look at them now, is of almost NO value with one cuff broken like it is currently





Thanks for your time,

--Vince

Click to expand...

Hi Vince, if you wish to take these cuffs apart for what ever reason you can but they will never look like they should be when you get them back together.

I have an original casting of the frame and like the Tower handcuff, there is a small protruding edge which surrounds the lock cap ( in this case a circular disc with keyhole. This raised edge was peined over the cap before the being ground flush with the surface.

You will have to select an area to drill a 1/4 inch hole through which you will need to pry the disc out. This will ruin the disc and another one will need to be made. The frame shouldn't suffer badly and once the disc is out you can repair the interals.

Personaly I would go to all the effort but it's worth the experience to see what is inside.

Ian

Hello everyone,

Perhaps someone could give me some assistance on the repair of a Tower Bean's cuff I own. Here's the problem, at some time in this poor cuff's life, someone forced one of the bows outward with enough force to cause the little "bushing" within the keyhole to distort & bend halfway. Now the bushing sits right against the keyhole's post, prohibiting entry of the key. To make matters worse, is that the tiny spring that is against the lever connecting to the button used to "set" the cuff is mangled, making even shimming of the one cuff a chore at best. The other cuff works via key, and is near perfect except for some residue from some moron's long-ago tacky 'GOLD' paint job. (But that's another story)

So here I am, asking anyone who might know, HOW can I remove the lockcase for repair? Or if someone can direct me to an exploded diagram of how the cuff was constructed, that would be much appreciated.

(I am able to make-out the outlines of both the lockcase, as well as the "rivet" that is located just above the letter 'o' in the name Tower)

PS, I am expierenced at lock repair, just unsure of how to get em' apart properly. As far as potentially lowering their value, the way I look at them now, is of almost NO value with one cuff broken like it is currently





Thanks for your time,

--Vince

Click to expand...

If you do take it apart, please take pictures... It's always interesting to see the actual insides and how it works versus the drawings. I am not sure I have seen the patent drawings if any for this version of cuff... The bows of the cuffs are made of soft steel and can easily be bent which also means easy to bend back to the original shape. That is common with those cuffs and towers and th like. If there is any info, I have a friend who has several pairs I can reference for tips on opening the lock case. On some lock cases, you can pop the plate by forcing a screw driver or like into the lock where the bow goes to get it pried up and not do too much damage. I know I have down this with Towers.

Hello everyone,

Perhaps someone could give me some assistance on the repair of a Tower Bean's cuff I own. Here's the problem, at some time in this poor cuff's life, someone forced one of the bows outward with enough force to cause the little "bushing" within the keyhole to distort & bend halfway. Now the bushing sits right against the keyhole's post, prohibiting entry of the key. To make matters worse, is that the tiny spring that is against the lever connecting to the button used to "set" the cuff is mangled, making even shimming of the one cuff a chore at best. The other cuff works via key, and is near perfect except for some residue from some moron's long-ago tacky 'GOLD' paint job. (But that's another story)

So here I am, asking anyone who might know, HOW can I remove the lockcase for repair? Or if someone can direct me to an exploded diagram of how the cuff was constructed, that would be much appreciated.

(I am able to make-out the outlines of both the lockcase, as well as the "rivet" that is located just above the letter 'o' in the name Tower)

PS, I am expierenced at lock repair, just unsure of how to get em' apart properly. As far as potentially lowering their value, the way I look at them now, is of almost NO value with one cuff broken like it is currently





Thanks for your time,

--Vince

Click to expand...

I've found a diagram of the inner workings & case shape, and together with my own curiosity/stubborness, I am going to attempt a repair.


To Ian: I fully agree that it would not be an easy repair, yet with your description of how the facecap or "disk" is retained, I feel now I may have better odds as oposed to blindly attacking it. As far as the learning expierence goes: The day I stop learning, will be the day I stop living! What's the worst that can happen?


To Dorson: I will take pictures, both before & after, and post them here as my time allows. Perhaps someone could learn something from it.

THANKS to everyone for replying

Hello everyone,

Perhaps someone could give me some assistance on the repair of a Tower Bean's cuff I own. Here's the problem, at some time in this poor cuff's life, someone forced one of the bows outward with enough force to cause the little "bushing" within the keyhole to distort & bend halfway. Now the bushing sits right against the keyhole's post, prohibiting entry of the key. To make matters worse, is that the tiny spring that is against the lever connecting to the button used to "set" the cuff is mangled, making even shimming of the one cuff a chore at best. The other cuff works via key, and is near perfect except for some residue from some moron's long-ago tacky 'GOLD' paint job. (But that's another story)

So here I am, asking anyone who might know, HOW can I remove the lockcase for repair? Or if someone can direct me to an exploded diagram of how the cuff was constructed, that would be much appreciated.

(I am able to make-out the outlines of both the lockcase, as well as the "rivet" that is located just above the letter 'o' in the name Tower)

PS, I am expierenced at lock repair, just unsure of how to get em' apart properly. As far as potentially lowering their value, the way I look at them now, is of almost NO value with one cuff broken like it is currently





Thanks for your time,

--Vince

Click to expand...

Hi Vince, I forget to not that there ends of the posts on which the inner working pivot are also located through this disc. So when I said, locate a position to drill a hole, try not to hit one.

This way you won't have to replace these posts ( as you would if you drilled them out directly)

I would then use the removed circular disc as a template to make a another.

Ian.
every's day a learning day, I like your mindset. and like Mythbuster's, if you cannot solve it, wreck it.

Hello everyone,

Perhaps someone could give me some assistance on the repair of a Tower Bean's cuff I own. Here's the problem, at some time in this poor cuff's life, someone forced one of the bows outward with enough force to cause the little "bushing" within the keyhole to distort & bend halfway. Now the bushing sits right against the keyhole's post, prohibiting entry of the key. To make matters worse, is that the tiny spring that is against the lever connecting to the button used to "set" the cuff is mangled, making even shimming of the one cuff a chore at best. The other cuff works via key, and is near perfect except for some residue from some moron's long-ago tacky 'GOLD' paint job. (But that's another story)

So here I am, asking anyone who might know, HOW can I remove the lockcase for repair? Or if someone can direct me to an exploded diagram of how the cuff was constructed, that would be much appreciated.

(I am able to make-out the outlines of both the lockcase, as well as the "rivet" that is located just above the letter 'o' in the name Tower)

PS, I am expierenced at lock repair, just unsure of how to get em' apart properly. As far as potentially lowering their value, the way I look at them now, is of almost NO value with one cuff broken like it is currently





Thanks for your time,

--Vince

Click to expand...

Hi Vince, I have a photo of the Bean Cobb casting with the raised edge and posts (single) so you can work out where and what to drill.

Can you email your E-address ?

Ian