Cuff of the Day for May 31. Hiatt

31st    Sunday - Hiatt

I plan to suspend my Cuff of the Day postings today at the end of May.   We have gone through most topics and people are
getting busier.  But I encourage everyone else to start their own topics using a similar format.  
Just start a new post with a clear title and we will all try to contribute. 

I save the last day for the heart of my collection.  Hiatt.   As a collector who specializes in British Handcuffs, much of my collection centers around Hiatt.

I will start off with a Hiatt leg iron that could have been in yesterday's posting, but I have saved it for today.

In a weak moment a number of years ago Chris Gower sold me his Hiatt Plug 8 leg iron.   It has been speculated that the leg iron was made by Hiatt, likely by the hands of Thomas Froggatt who was working for Hiatt at the time, as a challenge for Harry Houdini.

Chris described the leg iron is his article in the 2006 Handcuff annual.

"The Plug ‘8’ leg-irons weigh 2 lb 8ozs (1.14kg). They measure 8.5” x 4.75” x 1”. The internal size of them is 4 1/8”. X 3 ¼” on one cuff and 4 1/8” x 3 3/8” on the locking side.
They are marked HIATT Warranted.  What is exceptional about them is the fact they have a 3 start left hand thread to the plug i.e. there are 3 independent threads cut, and the tolerance once closed is very tight (the central spike gives virtually no room for anything to be put down the centre). I believe this is why Houdini failed to escape from them. "

The cuff is a thing of beauty as is its replacement key made by Ian McColl.


The there are three interlaces left handed threads plus a center post.
  To show the full range of plug 8 sizes, here are the Hiatt plug 8 leg irons pictured with my smallest Hiatt plug 8 handcuff. 

Here is a Hiatt plug 8 handcuff.

Heavier plug 8 handcuffs were termed the "Boer War" model by Houdini.  It is quite likely he came up with the name having seen an example with the markings shown on this cuff.
This Boer War style plug 8 handcuff is closer to the Boer war than most. It is marked ZAR for the South African Republic.

Here is a Hiatt Side Snap 8.

The backstrap Darby design is heavier than a standard Darby and was the design used by the British Military from the mid 19th century through WWII.

This is an early Hiatt backstrap Darby maked BO for the Board of Ordinance. This means that it is pre-1855.


This backstrap model is marked M&C 1887.  I  have similar cuffs marked 1901, 1904 and 1915.

This one does not have a date, but it is marked "British Made" meaning that it is post WWI.

Firstly I would like to thank Joe for getting us together again, I have really enjoyed the last 6 weeks. Hiatt - I do have quite a few of their products, this shows their HSS Legirons they made in about 1995. Only 20 sets were made before the sale and export of Legirons was banned in the UK.
The HSS9 handcuffs are shown for comparison.

Two more Hiatt Handcuffs. The Reliant which was patented in 1955 I think and went into production for a very short time. Harry LaTrobe told me about 1000 were made and over half were returned due to the star wheel breaking.
The second set is the Hiatt 1960 MK2 Handcuffs. These appeared to be mainly exported to South Africa. Neither the Reliant or MK2 1960 cuffs double lock.

Three more Hiatt Screw Key Cuffs. Top one is the lightweight 101 Superintendents Pattern with the two large balls to reduce the risk of slipping them. Note copies of the balls have been made and are difficult to tell except by holding them next to each other.
The middle cuff is probably Hiatt but is not stamped. It is cast in an aluminium alloy and the caps on the ends look Hiatt.
Third cuff is the Hiatt Flexibles made in the late 1950 for a short while.

Hiatt Sheffiled Pattern

Hiatt Home Office

A pair of Hiatt Bar Handcuffs and a Pair of Hiatt Bar Leg Irons. I believe these were both made to be sold through Fetters in the late 70s/early 80s.
And a nice wooden HM Prison Presentation box with Hiatt Darby Non Adjustable cuffs and key, inside. This was given to the Captain of a UK prison upon his retirement in 2006. I bought this directly from the person who received it. 
-Richard Knip-

This is Hiatt's high security Darby. It has a female key. The key has fine thread and is hollow fitting over a central post. Difficult to open without a real key.

This is a doubly rare cuff.  A Hiatt Sheffield Flexible.

The first of the modern Hiatt came out in 1982. It has a simple HIATT trademark.

The Hiatt Reliant is a rare cuff from the early 1950s. Not many were sold, likely because the wheel mechanism worked so poorly.
The Reliant is rare cuff, but its heavy weight version is super rare

Here are the two versions of the Reliant together.

The Hiatt 1970 model is a rather ugly cuff, thin with sharp edges. It double locks through a hole in the face.

Here is the Black version

And a rare version marked for the Master Lock Company of Milwaukee Wisconsin

This cuff is Hiatt model of the Peerless. The cuff double locks from a hole in the rear face of the cuff.

Here is a heavier version.


This version is the more accurate copy. It double lock with the conventional pin at the edge of the cuff.

Adding to Joe Lauher's post with the Master Lock cuffs made by Hiatt. Here is the Model 606 with its original box. Cuffs are marked as Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Master Lock Cuffs marked as Made In England.

-Richard Knip-

Another cuff made by Hiatt is the Maranda Lynxite Handcuffs. That is an original key with them.
-Richard Knip-

Here is my Hiatt Bar cuff.  When I first bought it, the seller said it was unmarked, but if you look closely you can see the Hiatt name.  It is located at the same position as it is on Gordon's cuff.

Finally we are getting around to the Hiatts! Saving the best for last I see, Joe. Thank you for inspiring everyone to share so much.
I have an extra appreciation for Hiatt cuffs.  While my collection started with modern KUB reproductions, Hiatts were the first vintage cuffs I added to my collection, and are the maker I have more examples from than any other.

I have 3 Hiatt leg irons, and 4 Hiatt handcuffs.  I've posted a series in the past detailing my collection of darby cuffs, with comparison pictures.  I've got a few new pictures and I'll share a little about each.  Apologies for the late posting, I was getting an http error when I loaded pictures yesterday...? Working now.
Above are my two Hiatt darby style handcuffs, Hiatt 104 model.  They are identical and both marked Hiatt Best, Warrented Wrought, Hard.  One is number 93, the other is number 159.  The 93 has a matching key while the 159 has a key marked 5, which works perfectly.
They both have the start of a nice deep brown tinted patina, but I cleaned and polished one pair, which made it much more shiny.  These are very nice cuffs.
And next we see two pairs of Hiatt 115 adjustable darby handcuffs. One is a rather generic looking set that came to me via Ireland.  It was rustier than I had thought it would be, and I exparimented with a hot blueing process whereby I boiled it in salt water to deepen the rust further, and then baked it for a few hours. This odd expariment did yield a near black patina, however it isn't a "deep" patina.  Maybe it will deepen in time. 
The others are an SPF 1358 with perfect nickel plating.  These seem a bit dainty compared to the 104's above, but are plenty secure.

Next we see three pairs of Hiatt 104L leg irons or shackles.  I was surprised to find out that these were made in two sizes, which I'd call medium and large. The first set I got was the middle pair, the smaller size of the two, which is shown with it's key.  When I was searching for over a year for just the right 104L, I came across these on US handcuffs site and emailed Damon as I had to have them. They are marked 2 and have a matching key with a larger hole drilled into it, possibly for a jailer style key ring larger than the factory hole.  These are the single most expensive restraint in my collection! They have the start of a wonderful deep brown patina, and have a rather short chain. They are my favorite in my entire collection, certainly a centerpiece. 
The top pair is the same shackles with a very nice nickel plating.  These are of the smaller of the two sizes, as well.  They are marked 4 and have a matching key. The chain appears to be nickel plated too.
The bottom set is the larger size 104L, which has a slightly longer chain, (two additional links) and has little patina, as the polished steel is just about new looking. These are marked 17 and have the matching key.

Above there is a size comparison of the 104L, where the top two are the smaller size and the bottom is larger.

Finally, since I've shared photos of these cuffs in the past as well, I thought I'd try something silly and share the "hiatt pile" you see above.  A big beautiful tangle of steel, look at all those darby locks.

One of my favourite Hiatt restraints is the wrist lock. There were various sizes. Once the sleeve is in place holding the 2 side of the cuff together, it could be locked with any padlock or chain with padlock on it. A very versatile restrain with many possibilities for use.

Not cuffs but Hiatt related. Here is a selection of Hiatt stamped products, Alarm bell used in air raids etc, Dark Lantern used by Police at night which can be clipped onto the belt or hand held, Spurs for mounted police or military, Brassard or arm band, Dee Gate lock using same principal as a "side-snap" handcuff and a dog collar. Somewhere I also have Hiatt dutch padlock and wooden alarm rattle

Many of the manufacturers tendered for Police contracts to supply equipment. it stands to reason that if Hiatt won a contract he would source his police whistles from Dowler or Hudson, brass bells and brassards maybe from another brass foundry. If Dowler won a contract he might source his cuffs from Hiatt etc etc. Same can be said for makers Parker and Field handcuffs but at one time Parker Field were making handcuffs. Parker specialised more in guns and swords.

Look like a fire hydrent