Tool box Lock is driving me nuts

[1mrchristopher]

Had a customer bring me a 3/4" cam style lock that goes to a tool box he bought at an auction. It has an extended tailpiece which is fastened to the plug by way of a roll pin, and it is a pin tumbler cylinder. Going through the key blank directory, I have come to the conclusion that the key it takes is an Ilco G190B, which seems rather difficult to come by. What's more, I cannot seem to find depth and spacing information. It's an ugly little keyway, and I imagine that it's difficult to get the key in, let alone a lock pick. Ah well, back to it, just had to vent where someone was likely to have felt a similar frustration at one point or another.

[Raymond]

All right! Enough with the teaser already. Give us at least the name of the box or a photo of the lock.

[1mrchristopher]

I should have just gotten up out of my recliner and grabbed the lock before I ever posted. Give me a few minutes.

[GWiens2001]

We can't wait! Do it now, now, NOW!!!

Gordon

[billdeserthills]

I think I just saw those General keys for sale on e-bay & for cheap too!

[1mrchristopher]

Working on the pictures, Bill, you just going to tease or are you going to give me an auction number?!

[Raymond]

Come on.!! We are tired of looking at this funny looking guy and want to see L O C K S.

[1mrchristopher]

OK, cell phone pictures, sorry about that.

Head on, looking at the keyway:


From the side:


From the top:


From the bottom:


The owner does not know the manufacturer of the toolbox, as it was painted at some point in it's life, prior to his purchase.

[Raymond]

Thanks. All I can say is Wow. Thats a tough one to find.

[billdeserthills]

Working on the pictures, Bill, you just going to tease or are you going to give me an auction number?!

The keys I saw already sold, the only General keys left on e-bay are overpriced
G199 item#271523320008
G190M item#281350298465

[billdeserthills]

Sure reminds me of a postal lock, too bad you can't rig one to take the place of this

[1mrchristopher]

I'm going to have to go see this box in person. At this point I've spent more time searching and wondering than the job would ever be worth. I'm not giving up on it, simply because I am enjoying the challenge.

What I do know now is that it CANNOT be a General key, because the blade depth is too great, as is the blade length.

Chances are it's some international brand, and not a North American cylinder. Any 3/4" cam lock which could be fitted with this tailpiece would work, but I haven't found anything like that either.

I have considered emailing Blue Dog as well.

[billdeserthills]

Sure reminds me of a postal lock, too bad you can't rig one to take the place of this

You could get a piece of brass round, tap it for mail box lock threads & screw it on the back. It would be easy enough to cut the slot & drill the
holes in the back of the brass piece. Sometimes I'll just go ahead and tell the client what all that stuff would cost and then they voluntarily run away,
never to be seen or heard from again!

[1mrchristopher]

New pictures everyone!

By the power of Raimundo, I snapped this little ornery cylinder open and dissected it to see if it had anything to teach me.

The pins are .078" diameter, which is just about too small for my pinning tweezers, and not only was it master pinned, but the master pins have holes in them!


I'm unfamiliar with holey master pins, who has seen these before, and what in?

Here's a cleaner picture of the keyway:


And lastly, a picture of the empty plug and the tailpiece:


Note that the plug is drilled for six pins, while the cylinder itself was only drilled for 5. I'm not any closer to answers, but it was satisfying to take it apart.

[GWiens2001]

The only master pins I've seen with a hole in the middle was on a Mul-T-Lock, for obvious reasons. Never seen them anywhere else.

Gordon