the Houdini Bell Lock Cuff

I have been wondering when the Houdini Bell Lock Cuff might have been made. Kalush has a signed copy of the photo that's on the cover of his book (and also on the cover of Silverman's notes) dated December 1902.
There is a very similar photo of Houdini's forearms in the Russian Manacle. I can't imagine these two photos being taken at the same time, because that would put the Russian Manacle in Houdini's hands before his tour of Russia.
Add to the list of possible cuffmakers to Houdini, Bert Clark, who invented Houdini's boiler escape.
Of the Houdini supercuffs, the whereabouts of the Mirror Cuff, the Russian Manacle, the French Letter Cuff, and the "Seance" Cuff are all known. The Bell Lock disappeared from 278 W. 113 St. sometime after Rose Bonanno's father bought the townhouse from Bess. Rose told me the plumbers took it, but, she told others she had given the cuff to the plumbers in return for some work. Conceivably it still exists.
Pat Culliton

To wonder if the Russian Manacle was made before Houdini's tour of Russia is assuming the Russian Manacle is in fact Russian which I do not believe it was.

The padlock body which makes up this "manacle" could very well have been composed of a British or in fact any other European padlock of the period.

Like many of Houdini's custom made cuffs he could have had it made at any time. It certainly is a one of a kind and this implies he created the design itself or contracted someone to make it for him.

This fact alone casts serious doubts he encountered it on his tour of Russia.

Steve Santini

I have been wondering when the Houdini Bell Lock Cuff might have been made. Kalush has a signed copy of the photo that's on the cover of his book (and also on the cover of Silverman's notes) dated December 1902.
There is a very similar photo of Houdini's forearms in the Russian Manacle. I can't imagine these two photos being taken at the same time, because that would put the Russian Manacle in Houdini's hands before his tour of Russia.
Add to the list of possible cuffmakers to Houdini, Bert Clark, who invented Houdini's boiler escape.
Of the Houdini supercuffs, the whereabouts of the Mirror Cuff, the Russian Manacle, the French Letter Cuff, and the "Seance" Cuff are all known. The Bell Lock disappeared from 278 W. 113 St. sometime after Rose Bonanno's father bought the townhouse from Bess. Rose told me the plumbers took it, but, she told others she had given the cuff to the plumbers in return for some work. Conceivably it still exists.
Pat Culliton

Click to expand...

You know very well, locksmiths and metal workers in Houdini's day, and before and since, have created "special" handcuffs--a better mousetrap as it were. Houdini commissioned the making of some of those cuffs, others he bought. Some he actually did encounter such as the Sgt Mark Baker cuff, which he met fair and square on the stage, and after a hellacious time, beat. The only reason we know that was real and not one of his fixes was he complained in his diary about it.
We are trying to connect any of the "Super Cuffs" that Houdini owned with their actual makers. There are more candidates for who made the French Letter Cuff or the Russian Manacle or the Mirror Cuff than you might think. Houdini had an arsenal of magic/lock/cuff fanciers and some of them were very talented. Houdini befriended them, hired them, picked their brains. Froggat, Clark, Morfitt.
You think Houdini would have squared off against Ian McColl? He'd have befriended him, shared secrets, and put him to work on some nefarious little project or another.
I'd swear John Bushey told me the Russian Manacle was based or built on a genuine Russian padlock. Doesn't mean Houdini didn't have it before. Perhaps John said European. Anyway, I'd love to put the "Russian Manacle" in the same photo session as the Bell Lock photo that we know was taken prior to '03 when Houdini went to Russia.
One of the other Super Cuffs showed up in Houdini's possession before he was supposed to have it.
Funny thing, there is a poster of Houdini with Russian words all over it and Houdini is shown, shirtless, from the waist up, fastened with three or four cuffs and irons.
As I recall, the hardware is all American. I'll bet the American cuffs looked very cool to the Russians.
Patrick Culliton