New Member Contribution, part 3 of a series: Darby Shackles

Hello fellow collectors,
Here I am going to detail for you my small collection of non adjustable darby style leg irons or shackles. As before, I am hoping to illustrate what I would refer to as "modern vintage", or roughly spanning from the mid to late1900's through the modern era, of vintage style cuffs. Again, any corrections, further information, questions, or comments are appreciated and welcome! Descriptions following photos;
Here, above, we have two pairs of Hiatt irons, both of cast alloy. My research and reading lead me to believe these 'reproductions' of the Hiatt 104L leg iron were made in the 70's up into the 80's. While they share the same shape and design, there are numerous differences:
The set on the top has completely flush rivets at the hinge; it is stamped "Hiatt" on both cuffs, and "british made" on one.  The chain on these is 12". 

The set on the bottom has round raised rivets at the hinge; stamped Hiatt on one cuff only, it is however stamped "MADE IN ENGLAND" on both cuffs, note the different verbiage from "british made"! These irons have a 13" chain, as well as a larger diameter yet thinner O ring on the ends of the chain as compared to the top set.

They have a similar swivel. Both sets of cuffs take a lot of force to snap shut.
Both sets use the same key, which is a large barrel alloy key prone to stripping if not properly lubricated and handled with care. Aside from that, these are actually very nice leg irons. The top set I cleaned and polished, which brought out a very nice subtle blue tone to the metal; the bottom set has not been cleaned and was apparently sitting on display for many years behind the counter of an antique shop.

On the top is a pair of darby style irons made by KUB in Pakistan. These are nickel plated brass, and are true to the cast design of the previous alloy cuffs. They are marked 66 on both cuffs, on the side of the lock cylinder near the key hole. The chain as well as the O rings are stainless steel, while the swivel is nickel plated brass. These are a very nice set of irons, with a smooth hinge, strong springs, but not so strong as to make snapping them shut difficult. The nickel plating hasn't held up too well, and I have been considering stripping it somehow to polish the underlying brass to a buffed finish, and then allow it to age naturally. Does anyone have experience with that sort of process?

On the bottom is a pair of Hiatt cast alloy leg irons with a 'space age' black coating. Rather than a matte black, it is a brilliant reflective black coating, which is very smooth to the touch. These have an improved locking bolt/key from the first two sets. The bolt is a smaller diameter, and the key has an inner sleeve of fine brass threads less prone to stripping damage. The black coating unfortunately wears off fairly easily; you can see on the inside of the chain and where the O rings link with the cuffs, the original alloy casting. Between this coating, the nickel coating on the KUBs ,and the many beautiful vintage cuffs with missing nickel plating, I personally prefer plain polished steel finish. As long as it is taken care of, I think it has the most longevity, and the potential to build a deep patina over time. Some nickel finishes can build a patina, although it seems to vary.

Again, ALL cuffs thus far are the exact same size, dimension, and fit. Hiatt alloy and KUB brass. Below is the same KUB set, along with a Hiatt 104L, for size comparison. I note that the shape and relative dimensions are similar, but that the Hiatt 104L is significantly smaller than the Hiatt alloy irons/KUB brass irons. I have seen photos of a steel Hiatt leg iron that was of the larger diameter, which was probably a larger 104L which was used as the model to cast the Hiatt alloys, (and in turn, used as a model by KUB to produce their version of the darby leg irons.)

Hiatt 104L with KUB above for comparison. Beautiful steel patina on these irons, which have stout O rings, a heavy 11.5" chain, and the number 2 on each cuff near the hinge, as well as on the key; "british made" on one cuff.  These are certainly one of the centerpieces of my collection. I had been looking for a pair like this for some time and I feel thankful to have had the opportunity to purchase this very nice piece from another collector a few months ago.
Below, Size comparison of KUB (top) and Hiatt 104L (bottom)


Here are a few more photos with outdoor lighting to show details better.

Very cool man. I have a few darbys but they are the new nickle over brass ones. Those dont look very used. Can you tell if they were used a lot or just on display?

Thank you, 94104! When you mention nickel over brass, are you referring to the KUB made cuffs?
The two Hiatt alloy irons look to have minimal use. The alloy is a 'soft' metal, so I would think they would show wear readily.
The black coated Hiatt alloy I purchased new, and it had minimal loss of coating just from shipping and handling. If it were used as intended, I'm certain it would be a patchwork of missing coating sooner rather than later.
The Hiatt 104L, which is of course the oldest, and the hardest, seems to have a few very minor dings, while the KUB made of soft brass has a few more.
The 104L and the KUB both share a very fine line of impact marks, barely visible and just a slightly different texture, on each side of the cuff where the O ring strikes the cuff. On the 104L it is more of an area where the patina is interrupted, while the brass KUB has a multitude of tiny impact marks in a curved line on either side of the O ring.
I personally think a polished steel finish is the best finish, as I mentioned earlier. I like the black finish a lot, but it isn't practical except for display. I do not have any nickel plated Hiatts, other than a pair of SPF 115's, and Hiatts nickel plating does seem a bit better than that of KUB.

Well, mine are not the kub but the Chicago ones from handcuff warehouse that seem to be made the same. I just wanted some old looking style. Im more into the modern swing thru designs myself but do appreciate that old style. The thing i notice about all cuffs are there seem to be very few that have that worn in look about them. The ones in the prison system have that true look about them but its very hard to find the old darby style that have that worn edges and worn look about them. Im curious if the locks wear out before that happens and they toss them in the trash or if the finish was just that much better on the old style. I dont think ive ever seen cuffs where the chains had been worn down any on leg irons and such.

I am under the impression that KUB is the manufacturer of these high quality modern nickel plated brass products, including these non-adjustable darby style leg irons, and a rather wide range of other products, most nickel plated brass, but some other variants in stainless steel, too. Based on my research and reading, I have gathered that Chicago Handcuffs, while they do produce their own line of modern swing through restraints, sells KUB made darby style restraints through handcuffwarehouse.
I have sets with keys marked "KUB" and keys marked "CHICAGO HANDCUFF"; I read one opinion that the manufacturer could put reseller name on the keys. None of the cuffs (except one) are themselves marked aside from a number, which interestingly enough, seems to have been an actual serial number of sorts, and appears to have gone from 1 up to 99 and then they appear to be not numbered, so sort of like a limited edition production number. II am only basing that on the fact that I have never seen a 3 digit number on any KUB products. have an Irish 8 that is number 8, and a darby style collar which is #99, as well as numerous others.
I will focus one part of my series on my KUB/Chicago Handcuff collection, which I think people will find interesting to see in comparison.

My adjustable darby's say 29 on them and the keys says Chicago. The hamburg 8 doesn't say anything on the cuff but does say kub on the key. The high security turbo's only have a number on the cuff body and the key says tri circle with the number inscribed into it.