Key blank for Yale 863? (4-lever warded lock)

[prevariikation]

I was recently gifted an antique lock without key that I think to be a Yale & Towne 863. It's 2 1/4" wide and after going through the 1908 Yale & Towne catalog the 863 appears to be the closest match.

I'd love to try and impression a key. Does anyone know what a fitting key blank would be? In the Ilco catalog, the Eagle 671 blank seems closest to the measurements (the outer keyway is about 9mm wide and 2mm thick.) Supposedly there's a blank in the Ilco catalog that would work, at least as of 8 years ago.






Lock Noob's picking video and BosnianBill's disassembly of a similar padlock, for those interested in more.

[GWiens2001]

Did you notice the key code on the lock? The F in one upper corner and it looks like an 3 in the other upper corner.

The F part of the code shows the wards the key is cut for, and the 3 would show the cuts for the levers in the lock.

Any chance you can check the lock more closely to see what the number or letter in the upper right corner is? Also, look closely for numbers or letters in the lower sections just below the midline bar.

Gordon

[prevariikation]

Oh wow, I didn't even notice those

It looks like an F in the upper left corner and an 8 in the upper right corner. I don't see any markings on the rest of the lock, including below that midline bar. Thank you for pointing those out!

[GWiens2001]

It took me a while to figure out what those were a few years ago. A copy of the Reed Padlock Code Books gives the proper information needed to decode and cut the key.

Out of curiosity, what is the width of the padlock? 1 5/8" or less, 1 3/4", or 2" and larger?

Gordon

[prevariikation]

It measures 2.25" I think. And thank you! I'll check out those code book sections