Hiatt Plug Leg iron with modified Boer War cuff mechanism

Another slightly different leg iron. I'd be interested to see if there are others.
Like many others, it is a heavy plug leg iron with long, heavy chain, but the internal bolt has a pin on the end like in a Boer War handcuff. So the key needs to be drilled out (hollow). The other difference is that the key is 2 fluted, not 4 fluted, so a standard Boer War key will not work.
Paul

 The number of slots in the castellated nut of the plug cuff determines the number of flutes in a key.  Both should match. 
However a key with only on protruding 'tooth' or row of thread will open all cuffs. A key with two fluted will open a 4 slot castellated nut.  However the reverse will not. 4 slotted nuts and fluted key is considered standard as there are more of them . 3 slotted nuts are known. This is the first time I have heard of a 2 fluted key. 

The nut definitely has only two slots and is in excellent condition inside. Maybe they couldn't be bothered with an odd key? 
A standard Boer War key will not enter because it is slightly too big and would need to be filed down. 
None of my other plug leg irons has the Boer War bolt with the pin on the end. I wonder if any one else has that feature on theirs?
Paul

It will be the nut that determines the cuff. I would assume it to be a security of that cuff and not a forgotten part of manufacturing, especially if the key has only two flutes. If it was a mistake for the nut, then making the keys flutes would have been the hint that the nut wasn't right.

Froggart's plug eight leg iron has a triple helix and only three slots in the nut, but that was a special to beat Houdini. Just incremental changes to each part would be enough effect change to prohibit or restrict keys from interchanging. E.g. The cuff lock thread pitch, the diameter of the shaft, the diameter of the bore in the key, the depth of the bore and the number of slots in the nut. This would cause some chaos for getting right key to the right cuff, but I don't think we can look at their methods with  20-21st century thinking.  Different times and attitudes.

Fascinating. And another one for me to look for.

Paul, my Nichols Plug Leg Iron looks to have the same basic configuration as your Irons do. Mine has the large center ring, the two swivels, same chain and same mount for the chain to the cuffs. Im willing to bet you have a match to my leg iron. I got mine from a guy on Facebook who was selling his collection. He had 3 of these that were the same. This was about 2-3 years ago? My chain is about 44" in length. But, my cuff uses a 3 pronged key. You can see the end of the key standing up, being held up, inside of the Humane Restraint Leather cuff. -Richard Knip-

Here is a pic of my other 3 Plug Irons. Top one I cannot read the markings on the cuff, but it has a 3 prong key. The middle one is a Griffin and uses a 4 prong key and the bottom one is a Froggatt and uses a 4 pronged key, also. The top and the middle have the Boer War style spikes, while the bottom does not. But, i can see on both sides of the bottom cuff, it looks like the locking bolts may have been altered and perhaps had the spike removed at some point? I bet they also had the Boer War style spike on the end of the bolt, at one point in time.

-Richard Knip-

That is interesting Richard. I have had another set with the spike but they were totally rusted shut and the nut was worn. But you have 3 more, so they are not so unique. I was amazed at the length of the spike on your second set. A pain making a key for it in the old days I imagine. 

The Nichols, Digbeth, BIRMm mark is new to me. It is more often just J.Nichols in an arc and reminds me of the early Hiatt marks, Hiatt Moore St. and Hiatt BIRMm. I am making a collection of makers marks, so I hope you don't mind if I use that one. What the Nichols mark also shows us is that the Boer War mechanism predates the 1st Boer War (1880-1882) by at least 20 years and maybe a few decades earlier again. 

The similarities of your Nichols and my Hiatt leg irons suggest that they were working closely together. We know they co-owned a foundry, but it was probably more than that when Nichols took control of the business of Hiatt's uncle Thomas Griffin.

I will check my Nichols, Griffin, and Hiatt Legirons later. I have never seen the Digbeth stamping on any Nichols restraints. I assume the keys were made by your friend?
Going back to you Paul, I know when Alex visited Hudson’s many years ago they showed him a collection of stamps they used. Think I will contact them and try to visit them.

Thanks Chris. The stamps do tell a story, especially when there is an address such as Hiatt Moore Street or Hiatt Masshouse Lane because we know when they were at those addresses and it helps date the cuffs. Nichols, Digbeth stamp should be after the period when Griffin/Hiatt and Griffin/Nichols  were at 63 Digbeth Street. I find it very interesting, but it's not everyones cup of tea is it?

The Nichols Digbeth marking is very cool. I have not seen it before.
Joe

Not the Boer model but the light weight (keyhole shown in my last post) , interestingly the pitch of the plug is triangular and not square for that time. 

Paul, by all means, you, or anyone else on this forum, may use anything I share here. Its a public accessible platform. I would love nothing more than to have something I contributed to the cuff collecting community, live on after I am gone. Just like most collectors would want to do, I wish to attain knowledge about the items we collect, preserve what I have in my collection, and one day have my collection be a part of other's collections. For others to enjoy my treasures, as I do now. The only way to pass along the information and knowledge is to share it with others. I wish I had more to contribute to many of these debates and open discussions. I try to add what I can and in return, i try to depart with what others have shared, and mentally file it away for future use. My memory not being the best, due to my stroke in 1997, i do keep written notes from time to time, on things I have or wish to get in the future. I commend those, such as yourself, who go the extra mile and search for small clues for information. Things like stamps, key shapes and threads, even what time frame a certain chain type was used by a given company. Its that dedication, that could lead to solving the puzzle, that many of us hold the pieces to.  In hopes to pass it along to someone, like myself, that wants to learn more about cuffs.

Please let me know if you need any more information about anything in my collection. Any pictures, close ups of stamps, etc...and I will do what I can to provide it for you. That goes for anyone on the pages. Let me know if something I have can have anyone in any way, while searching for information about what I collect. Two of the greatest things I think have come from this forum, are the Handcuff Annuals that Joe L. worked to publish for us to have and to use. I applaud everyone that contributed to those two books! I only have the 2006 copy, but i will have it and use it, until my time here is up. I will find a copy of the 2007, one day to complete my set.
-Richard Knip-