Interesting Leg Iron

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

Hey Damon,

VERY cool, do you have the key? If so, would you be able to put a pic of it up? The round hole on the side of the tube; is that for the tip of the key to pass into?

Take care,
--Vince

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Vince,

No original key but the lock is very simple and one of my old call box keys worked the lock perfectly. It appears that the lock bolt or plate is square with a slot in the center. There is a stationary block in the slot so if you try a key with a blade that doesn't have the slot it blocks the key from pushing the bolt. It does appear that the facing hole was for the end of the key as the hole is larger than the top of the key way where a post might have been. I wonder if the leg iron might have been keyed the same as a door.

Damon

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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With the key's post going through to the other side, to me, looks like a design takeaway from rim or mortise locks. What you described the piece in the middle as a ward obstruction, is the part that the key touches split? or could the ward be more as a "baffle" to prevent (make harder) to depress with a small piece of metal? Either way the keyhole screams out at me as being European or from a transplanted blacksmith from Europe.
It's a shame the original key is lost, in a situation like this the key would probably spill more beans as to it's origin.

All the best,
--Vince

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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A great find! Congratulations!

Nils

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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That is a very interesting piece!

The hinge is finished like a darby handcuff. ie not rounded either side like a Plug cuff.

The general shape is much like an English Plug Leg iron but the chain is attached differently. ie not a lug with a hole in it but staple which presumably passes right through and is peined as usual.

The lock case does not appear brazed on like a Plug Cuff. It is so well finished that I cannot see any joins anywhere, not even signs how the hinge was made.

Without seeing them open I wont comment on the lock but you have described it well enough.

Any knowledge of which country they came from originally?
Very nice indeed.

Paul

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Damon,

Congratulations!

This is a most interesting set of leg irons with an odd and exciting design.
I also have never seen such set before and I have no idea of origin but it's likely not US made,
maybe British due to the hinge design.

Many of us have been collecting for decades and we think we have seen it all but we have not.
Odd and unknown restraints still turn up from time to time. That's what makes collecting so funny!

Cheers,

Lars


www.holstcollection.com

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Thanks to all. The leg iron was part of a collection in an estate sale. There were ten or so restraints and all of the rest were US made-Marlin, Bean Cobb, and Prov. Tool. There was no hint as to the origin of the leg iron.

Damon

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Damon--Great post and addition to a great collection. You're post on the H&R's was also very interesting.

Looking forward to seeing you at Indy.

Ron

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Kimball leg iron. (joking)

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Thanks Ron-Looking forward to seeing you at Indy.

Ian-were it only true. How about calling it a UKimball leg iron.

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Damon, I stopped bidding at 800. I have another pair that is heavily rusted and wanted these to see how to get mine in working order. Mine are stuck open. Could you email me a pic of the key so I have something to go on? Thanks!

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Sorry, didn't mean to show up as anon. My set does not have a swivel on the chain. If I could get a pic up without photobucket, I would.

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Here is a photo of a key that worked to open my leg iron. Keep in mind it is not even close to the original key but just happened to fit in the key hole and get by a ward in the center of the lock.

The lock bolt and latch are designed so that the bow can easily be pushed to the locked position without using a key. The lock works in my leg iron were very free moving and the springs are strong.(I soaked for several hours before I tried a key.)

If you email me a photo I'll be glad to post a photo of your leg iron.

Damon

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Here are photos of the other leg iron. A different chain but looks like the identical cuff body and lock. Interesting that both of these turn up in the US. They sure look UK made but maybe not.

Damon

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Hi,

Should anyone with one of these leg irons decide to sell it or trade it please let me know.

Thank you, Steve bookings@thedarkmaster.com

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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I would say the leg iron is early 19th century British.

It was likely made at the same time as the side lock handcuff that sold on eBay back in 2007. There
is a nice message string on the forum at:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/261154/m ... come+along



Another item that may be from the same era is the padlock marked "TW" recently sold on eBay. # 130801040779



Paul Davies posted a picture of similar one here back in 2010.

http://www.network54.com/Forum/261154/m ... e+end+lock



I would say all these items, the leg iron, the hand cuff and the padlock were early attempts on the way to the conventional Darby lock. We know that the earliest successful cuffs of the 19th century all had the plug 8 mechanism. The oldest conventional Darby cuffs seem to have come about in about 1815 or so.

We need more research. Does anyone know anything about the "TW" mark?

Joe

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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I bought them after seeing a poor quality photo, and thought they might be a form of Rankin, because they kind of have the same silhouette as my Delastasius. Close to the patent drawing. Still trying to get them in working order.

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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In what way are they not working? do you need assistance to get them working?

Ian

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Well, Ian, the problem is that they are frozen in the open position. You can close them, but they don't lock. I've soaked them over and over, and they're soaking now. I'm going to try a key again, now that I have a rough idea of the type. I'm just afraid that the bolt will break.

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

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Joe--I spent a lot of time searching for information on the TW hallmark on the padlock. I assumed the lock was British made and there were some TW marks by early silversmiths. The mark was a little different in style so there was no direct match in the ones I found. Sorry to say that I did not win the lock.

Ron

I acquired this leg iron in a private action. At first blush I thought it was a plug lock but it is keyed from the side and has a strong spring latch. It is solid and well built. I have never seen one like this.

Damon

Click to expand...

Hi, so I assume that the hinge works , The cuff actually open and close!
BUT the locking bolt is raised and stays there.
If this is the case, the application of the key won't help to get it back.
If the spring is working but the rust is holding the bolt in the open position, you need to use scientific force to get it to move. (this is an amount of force that will work but not break) you only need to move it 1thousandth of an inch and then back again. Do this over and over and over. What lubricate you have soaked it in will get into the invisible crack this movement makes and it will move ever so slightly more. Soak it again and try the same again an hour later. Bit by bit it will move.
(or if all else fails, get a bigger hammer, LOL)
If it's not already working, then it's "broken" by default. Give it a go, you have nothing to loose, all metal can be repaired. (It's not like working with wood)