holstcollection
#1Hi all,
Im not sure how many of you are really interested but here are a few photos of the mechanism in Berliner cuffs.
Most Berliner cuffs are welded and cant be opened. Only a few have screws which allow the cuff to be opened for inspection or service.
The most common construction consists of two round discs with a pawl attached to each of them. Each disc locks each bow.
The first photo shows a Round top Berliner with the top unmounted. There are two leaf springs attached to the round discs
and to the inside of the lock house. I would say this is the earlier and most common Berliner lock construction.
Round top Berliner
In December, I was fortune to acquire another Berliner to the collection and this one turned out to differ in the lock construction.
This one has rectangular discs and not round. The top is fixed by not less than four machine screws that go flush to the surface.
Another significant difference is that this construction use spiral springs instead of leaf springs.
It makes the action very smooth and precise as the springs work in the moving direction of the discs.
Locked position
Unlocked position
The Berliner construction is as genius as simple and the lock only consists of THREE moving parts; the two discs
and the part that press the discs apart when the key is turned and the lock is opened. If a spiral spring would break,
it only would take some minutes to open the cuff and have the spring exchanged. The lock screws from outside also keep
the springs in position.
When the key is turned, the lock remains unlocked until the key is turned back again. As Ian McColl said; this cuff would last forever.
The key post is screwed to the bottom of the cuff. The square nut also serves as guide to keep the bottom disc in
position when moving.
The top is made of two pieces; a flat plate and a flat iron that is wrought in shape and then brass brazed to the flat plate.
The brass brazed "seam" can be seen to the bottom left.
According to my opinion, this is a piece of art and the quality of manufacture is stunning.
Lars
www.holstcollection.com
Im not sure how many of you are really interested but here are a few photos of the mechanism in Berliner cuffs.
Most Berliner cuffs are welded and cant be opened. Only a few have screws which allow the cuff to be opened for inspection or service.
The most common construction consists of two round discs with a pawl attached to each of them. Each disc locks each bow.
The first photo shows a Round top Berliner with the top unmounted. There are two leaf springs attached to the round discs
and to the inside of the lock house. I would say this is the earlier and most common Berliner lock construction.
Round top Berliner
In December, I was fortune to acquire another Berliner to the collection and this one turned out to differ in the lock construction.
This one has rectangular discs and not round. The top is fixed by not less than four machine screws that go flush to the surface.
Another significant difference is that this construction use spiral springs instead of leaf springs.
It makes the action very smooth and precise as the springs work in the moving direction of the discs.
Locked position
Unlocked position
The Berliner construction is as genius as simple and the lock only consists of THREE moving parts; the two discs
and the part that press the discs apart when the key is turned and the lock is opened. If a spiral spring would break,
it only would take some minutes to open the cuff and have the spring exchanged. The lock screws from outside also keep
the springs in position.
When the key is turned, the lock remains unlocked until the key is turned back again. As Ian McColl said; this cuff would last forever.
The key post is screwed to the bottom of the cuff. The square nut also serves as guide to keep the bottom disc in
position when moving.
The top is made of two pieces; a flat plate and a flat iron that is wrought in shape and then brass brazed to the flat plate.
The brass brazed "seam" can be seen to the bottom left.
According to my opinion, this is a piece of art and the quality of manufacture is stunning.
Lars
www.holstcollection.com