RyanVaene
#1Hello everyone,
I appreciate the comments and views of the first part of my series, and now I bring you another segment of my collection. Again, I welcome any questions, corrections, information, or comments. I don't intend to teach anyone anything, but rather to showcase a variety of styles of handcuffs and restraints, with a vague chronological narrative of what I call "modern vintage." I also just want to show off my collection.
#1 Hiatt SPF 1358
#1: First I would begin with these Hiatt SPF 1358 adjustable darby handcuffs. While fairly standard, I did not have any nickel plated darby handcuffs yet, and I find the SPF to be unique in that they have a different swivel type than some other handcuffs. Arioch explained a lot of details regarding swivel style on darby restraints in one recent video, and I found that this resembles one of those interesting varieties. I do not know what 1358 stands for. Certainly not the year of manufacture!
I find that the shape and size of this adjustable handcuff is well designed. They seem to fit well on wrists of small and relatively large sizes without undue discomfort.
#2 Hiatt adjustable handcuffs, 'hot bluing' process
#2: Next we have a pair of Hiatts adjustable handcuffs that I purchased from an ebayer in Ireland. They were quite rusty despite being in good condition otherwise. I took this as an opportunity to attempt a 'hot bluing' process. I soaked these in a hydrogen peroxide and salt mixture until a coating of new red rust was formed, and then baked them in the oven at a few hundred degrees until dry. Several repetitions of this process left me with a set of cuffs that has an attractive 'antiqued' black patina. They of course ended up very dry and stiff, but a further oiling has deepened the patina and made them workable. They are very similar if not identical to the SPF pair above, except for a different swivel type.
****These also have a sort of misprint of "hiatt" on one cuff. I am not sure how common or uncommon this is, and was unable to get a good picture, but it says "Hiattt" with an extra 't' faintly stamped between the normal two 't's!***
#3: Hiatt alloy 12" bar adjustable handcuffs
#3: These are a cast alloy pair of adjustable darby handcuffs that were available from the factory on a 12" steel bar. The bar is extremely heavy duty, as are the 1" O rings attaching the cuffs. It seems that bar cuffs (and even irons) were in use in the past, but I would suggest the bar could have been a bit longer if added security were the intention; even with the cuffs locked tightly, it is easy for the wearers hands to reach each other and unlock the cuffs! There is a hole in the middle of the bar, which appears to be 1/2" bar stock.
#4: Hiatt alloy adjustable handcuffs
#4: These are the basic Hiatt alloy adjustable handcuffs, the same which were used in the making of the bar handcuffs above. While often considered lesser quality that the steel version, they are nonetheless of decent quality except for the fact that the key is also made of soft alloy metal, and is prone to stripping. These have a more standard type of swivel.
#5: Hiatt alloy adjustable handcuffs, black finish
#5: These are the same cuffs as the bar cuffs and the plain alloy cuffs above, except they have been finished with a 'space age' black finish. I am not sure if this is some sort of enamel, paint, or a different process, but it is durable, even, thick, and smooth. The tips of the bows are missing the coating, as they were locked closed when it was applied at the factory. You can see this on the right cuff. I think it is an interesting mix of vintage style cuffs with a modern or even futuristic looking finish. There were also darby style leg irons made of cast alloy available with this finish.
#6 and #7: KUB adjustable darby handcuffs, large (top) and small
#6 and #7: These are the modern production of the vintage adjustable darby design made by Pakistani KUB, and marketed by Chicago Handcuff Company. These are nickel plated brass, and are of high quality manufacture. The large has 4 locking positions, while the small has 5. The design varies slightly from the Hiatt versions, most notably in that while the adjustable Hiatt darby can 'comfortably' fit a small or relatively large wrist, KUB went with a small adjustable as well as a large adjustable. Each cuff above is pictured on the largest notch on the left, the smallest on the right. While the small will fit my wrist at the largest notch, it isn't as good a fit as the Hiatt adjustable. Likewise, the large KUB will fit a smaller wrist securely, but not as well as the Hiatt version, which seems to be the closest to a 'one size fits all' adjustable darby style handcuff that I have come across.
Thank you for reading, and again, I welcome any comments or information.
My next installment, in 3 or 4 weeks, will be about Darby style leg irons.
Here are a few extra pictures:
I appreciate the comments and views of the first part of my series, and now I bring you another segment of my collection. Again, I welcome any questions, corrections, information, or comments. I don't intend to teach anyone anything, but rather to showcase a variety of styles of handcuffs and restraints, with a vague chronological narrative of what I call "modern vintage." I also just want to show off my collection.
#1 Hiatt SPF 1358
#1: First I would begin with these Hiatt SPF 1358 adjustable darby handcuffs. While fairly standard, I did not have any nickel plated darby handcuffs yet, and I find the SPF to be unique in that they have a different swivel type than some other handcuffs. Arioch explained a lot of details regarding swivel style on darby restraints in one recent video, and I found that this resembles one of those interesting varieties. I do not know what 1358 stands for. Certainly not the year of manufacture!
I find that the shape and size of this adjustable handcuff is well designed. They seem to fit well on wrists of small and relatively large sizes without undue discomfort.
#2 Hiatt adjustable handcuffs, 'hot bluing' process
#2: Next we have a pair of Hiatts adjustable handcuffs that I purchased from an ebayer in Ireland. They were quite rusty despite being in good condition otherwise. I took this as an opportunity to attempt a 'hot bluing' process. I soaked these in a hydrogen peroxide and salt mixture until a coating of new red rust was formed, and then baked them in the oven at a few hundred degrees until dry. Several repetitions of this process left me with a set of cuffs that has an attractive 'antiqued' black patina. They of course ended up very dry and stiff, but a further oiling has deepened the patina and made them workable. They are very similar if not identical to the SPF pair above, except for a different swivel type.
****These also have a sort of misprint of "hiatt" on one cuff. I am not sure how common or uncommon this is, and was unable to get a good picture, but it says "Hiattt" with an extra 't' faintly stamped between the normal two 't's!***
#3: Hiatt alloy 12" bar adjustable handcuffs
#3: These are a cast alloy pair of adjustable darby handcuffs that were available from the factory on a 12" steel bar. The bar is extremely heavy duty, as are the 1" O rings attaching the cuffs. It seems that bar cuffs (and even irons) were in use in the past, but I would suggest the bar could have been a bit longer if added security were the intention; even with the cuffs locked tightly, it is easy for the wearers hands to reach each other and unlock the cuffs! There is a hole in the middle of the bar, which appears to be 1/2" bar stock.
#4: Hiatt alloy adjustable handcuffs
#4: These are the basic Hiatt alloy adjustable handcuffs, the same which were used in the making of the bar handcuffs above. While often considered lesser quality that the steel version, they are nonetheless of decent quality except for the fact that the key is also made of soft alloy metal, and is prone to stripping. These have a more standard type of swivel.
#5: Hiatt alloy adjustable handcuffs, black finish
#5: These are the same cuffs as the bar cuffs and the plain alloy cuffs above, except they have been finished with a 'space age' black finish. I am not sure if this is some sort of enamel, paint, or a different process, but it is durable, even, thick, and smooth. The tips of the bows are missing the coating, as they were locked closed when it was applied at the factory. You can see this on the right cuff. I think it is an interesting mix of vintage style cuffs with a modern or even futuristic looking finish. There were also darby style leg irons made of cast alloy available with this finish.
#6 and #7: KUB adjustable darby handcuffs, large (top) and small
#6 and #7: These are the modern production of the vintage adjustable darby design made by Pakistani KUB, and marketed by Chicago Handcuff Company. These are nickel plated brass, and are of high quality manufacture. The large has 4 locking positions, while the small has 5. The design varies slightly from the Hiatt versions, most notably in that while the adjustable Hiatt darby can 'comfortably' fit a small or relatively large wrist, KUB went with a small adjustable as well as a large adjustable. Each cuff above is pictured on the largest notch on the left, the smallest on the right. While the small will fit my wrist at the largest notch, it isn't as good a fit as the Hiatt adjustable. Likewise, the large KUB will fit a smaller wrist securely, but not as well as the Hiatt version, which seems to be the closest to a 'one size fits all' adjustable darby style handcuff that I have come across.
Thank you for reading, and again, I welcome any comments or information.
My next installment, in 3 or 4 weeks, will be about Darby style leg irons.
Here are a few extra pictures: