The Enigmatic Airweight

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Jason, nice find! I have never owned one of these.....now I am going to have to keep my eye out for one!

Cheers, Mike D~C/

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike!

Ive been searching for this model at reasonable cost for the longest time, but I think that fate may have finally thrown me a biscuit for my birthday.

Best regards,
Jason

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Click to expand...

First of the Chief Special derivatives was also a first "AirWeight" design from S&W. This little gun, named a "Chiefs Special AirWeight", appeared in 1952 and differed from standard Chiefs Special revolver only by having an aluminium alloy frame (cylinder and barrel are made of steel). This lightened new gun by some 40% and made it much comfortable to carry for long periods. Today, 50 years ago since its introduction, Chiefs Special Airweight, also known as Model 37, is still listed in S&W catalogs. It, in turn, also was followed by the line of lightweight derivatives. In the 1998 S&W introduced its "AirLite Ti" series of the guns, which featured Aluminium alloy frame, cylinder yoke and barrel shroud. Cylinder is made from Titanium and the barrel liner is made from stainless steel. These guns became even lighter than original Model 37. In the 2000, S&W also announced it newest line of the "AirLite Sc" revolvers, which used Aluminium-Scandium alloy for frame, yoke and barrel shroud (cylinder is Titanium and barrel liner is steel). The rare-earth elemet Scandium (Sc) is used to add strenght to the alloy frames, so new guns also appeared in powerful .357 magnum chamberings, such as Model 337. Another variation is a Model 332 in .32 H&R Magnum with 6-shot cylinder.

source:http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg105-e.htm

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Click to expand...

Thanks for shedding some light on these alternative arms.

I will have to research these further as the year 1952 might just correlate with the debut of the model 9x handcuffs.

Regards,
Jason

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Click to expand...

In addition to the five-shot Chief's Special Airweight, Smith & Wesson introduced the Military & Police Airweight six shot revolver in .38 SPL in 1952. This had an aluminum frame and cylinder. The Air Force adopted them as Revolver, Lightweight, Caliber .38 Special, M13. These suffered from cracked cylinders, and were eventually withdrawn from service. Consequently, they are quite rare.

The civilian version got steel cylinders. In 1957 the M&P Airweight became the Model 12. It has been available in a lot of configurations, but the 2 inch barrel versions are the only common ones.

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Click to expand...

Thanks for the additional info, Dennis.

Admittedly, the only Smith & Wesson pistols that I have experience with are the model 78G .22 cal single shot CO2 target pistol made in limited quantities in 1975 and the model 686 stainless steel DA revolver which is chambered for both 38 spl and .357.
The former is an extremely accurate single shot match grade pellet pistol with -- if my memory serves correctly -- a Walther made barrel and infinitely adjustable power.
The latter is something of a portable cannon, very hefty, can easily withstand the blowback from heavy .357 loads, though isn't particularly accurate in my hands with either caliber. I only wish that they had used the beautiful polished stainless steel finish on their model 938 handcuffs in lieu of the dull 'tactical' finish also used on the newer model 103.

I was under the impression that aluminum would soon fatigue under the strain of heavy loads, but incorporating Scandium to harden the metal might make this a viable albeit pricier alternative. Also interesting is the use of a Titanium cylinder. I've owned an all Titanium wristwatch that I use for casual wear since '95, and it is pretty much corrosion proof, all but impervious to scratches/scuffs, very lightweight yet strong. I always thought that this would be a great metal to manufacture handcuffs from.

I seem to recall that the model 9x line of cuffs made its debut in 1952 though I'm not certain of this. I have disks full of old advertisements, one of which showing S&W factory employees suspending themselves from a pair of model 90s. I need to sort through these and check the publication dates. In any case, the org gallery has the model 926 listed as a 1970's product. In order for the model 926 to have been made alongside the Chief Special Airweight Pistol, it would have to have been made in first variant form.
Does anyone own a model 926 in the early form? Mine are second variant in every way (detents, case, etc.). I do, however, own a model 938 that has features of both forms (transitional model?).

Regards,
Jason

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Click to expand...

Here is a note from Joe Fox

______________________________________________________________________________

Although hard to tell from the photo, here is a pair of S&W Aluminum lightweights with factory RAISED RIVETS.

An oddball, that I have never seen before in these models.


--Joe Fox

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Click to expand...

Likewise, this is the first example of a 9x series cuff that I've seen with raised rivets.

Thanks for posting...

Jason

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Click to expand...

I was under the impression that aluminum would soon fatigue under the strain of heavy loads, but incorporating Scandium to harden the metal might make this a viable albeit pricier alternative.

I believe this is correct, although I would assume the Airweights were all aluminum alloy. Your comment is borne out by the number of failures in USAF Airweight cylinders, leading to the weapon's withdrawal from duty.

S&W has recently released a line of Scandium (presumably alloy) revolvers. They are pretty light.

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Click to expand...

Quite correct; I was thinking in terms of pure aluminum rather than better suited aluminum alloy.

On another note, it occurred to me as an afterthought that the 926 example presented above not only has raised rivets, but also has the stamping configuration common to other 9x series cuffs. I also wonder why the Airweight model was omitted from the subsequent 10x series? Perhaps it didn't conform to the N.I.J. standards.

Greetings fellow collectors!

Thanks in part to the often lambasted e-bay, I am now the proud first time owner of a near mint pair of Smith & Wesson Airweight handcuffs that I won with a very reasonable winning bid. Back when police departments were changing over to the N.I.J. approved model 10x series of cuffs, I used to purchase the 'obsolete' model 9x series cuffs for $10 apiece. Out of all the pairs that I inspected and or purchased, I had never even once encountered the coveted model 926 aluminum handcuffs, and assumed that the stampings would be the same as those of the other 9x series.

My seller -- who was not a handcuff collector -- had them listed plainly as "Smith & Wesson handcuffs". In the item description area, he stated that they were very lightweight, so I asked him to perform the magnet test to make sure that they weren't the model 925 (plated lightweight version). Having won the auction and received the cuffs, the first thing that I noticed was that with the exception of the serial number, the lock cases were devoid of the usual stampings -- that were instead placed on the cheeks of the cuffs. Checking the example in the org's gallery and those in Yossie's collection, I noted that these also had more or less the same stamping configuration. Aside from that, I was very happy with the condition of the cuffs, as the springs are about as stiff as those of a new pair and the cuffs show no signs of surface wear. Sadly, they came sans box, but the seller also included at no charge a vintage Safariland stainless steel belt keeper key.

For those like myself that hadn't handled this model, I can tell you that they really do earn their 'Airweight' moniker. These cuffs weigh about as much as the first pair of toy handcuffs that I played with as a child. Probing with a small pickup magnet, I found that the only steel components aside from the stainless springs are the swivels. Everything else including the chain links are made of high tensile aluminum.

As one would expect with unprotected aluminum, the years of tarnish buildup does greatly detract from the polished surface. Much of it came off with repeated soakings in WD-40, but I cannot bring myself to apply Metal-Glo polish to these vintage gems as I had with my more common model 91s.

Does anyone know of any other aluminum products made by S&W during the '70s?
I know that the aluminum flashlights and aluminum handled knives came later and were actually made by Taylor and other companies for S&W. Is it possible that they contracted out the labor using latter model 90 patterns?


Happy collecting!
Jason

Click to expand...

Jason, any chance of making your avatar none flashing. I get a little distracted while reading.