Butter's system levers

[Vincent-XXI]

Simple question, why did production of these stop? Given that it allowed for masterkeying, it would seem more practicle than standard ever locks which seem to be the ones favoured in Darwins evolution of locks, leaving the butters sytem all but extinct.


Saw a few diagrams of these in an old copy of the encylopedia of locks and builders hardware today at a local lockies. Perhaps a UK lockie might have the answer.

[Chucklz]

Someone will have to post pictures for us poor Americans.

[CPLP]

I don't know what type of locks you are talking about but maybe because they offered much less security than the others. Wouldn't that be the reason?

[greyman]

The original Butter's system is from around 1950. I don't know why production stopped, but it may be related to the takeover of Union works by Chubb in 1965 (see: http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/locks/gazetteer/parkes.htm).

The Chubb 3G110 is basically a pivoting lever version of the Butter's system.

[sidpick]

Might have gone now but there was a butters system lock on ebay a few days ago...

[horsefeathers]

And i bought it.....

cant pick it with 2-in-1 as doesnt lift all the levers high enough so have to use wires. Not especially difficult so if I ever come face to face with one (if ever) then I wont faint.

regards

[quacking_duck]

I've just taken some pics of a Parkes Union 2197 Butter's System lock in my collection for those that have not seen one.

Photo 1, Butters system lock in locked position

http://i2.tinypic.com/qx84s7.jpg

Photo 2, Lock with detainers removed (You can see how the pivot pushes the sidebar into the detainers)

http://i2.tinypic.com/qx87zc.jpg

Photo 3, Key in lock, lining the detainer gates up with sidebar and bolt retracting.

http://i2.tinypic.com/qx8p04.jpg (Sorry about quality on this one, but I was holding it under a scanner trying not to let detainers fall out).

Best opening methods I've found is overlifting detainers with shaped wire to get round collar ward while tensioning talon.

[Vincent-XXI]

Thanks for those pics, I drew a diagram but my lack of artist talent can be blamed for the fact it looked nothing like anything and hence wen't in the recycle bin.

When masterkeyed two notchs are cut in the levers instead of one allowing for the lever to be lifted to two different heights.

[quacking_duck]

The lock's designer, Mr. Francis J. Butter, according to the article about his life here http://www.antique-locks.com/articles.htm#a2 says he did work for Chubbs as chief designer, retiring in 1937 at 65 and for Union in the same role until he was 90 years old. What a guy! He died in 1963.

It was shortly after Mr. Butter's death that the locks would have gone out of production.

[SAL]

thanks for the good response, ill keep practicing with my wires.

[David Swearingen]

The Butters system locks couldn't have gone out of production THAT long ago; I set up a large Butters masterkey system in 1990. The most interesting thing to me, was that the depths of the masterkeyed levers and keys are half way between the depths used for non-masterkeyed Butters locks. I think the only thing that was disconinued was the padlocks, and they were particularly interesting because they didn't use keys from the standard range; since the keys worked from one side only, they were not cut symetrically and so had a very large number of odd looking asymetrical differs. That always seemed strange to me, because it seems like the only real reason for using a Butters padlock to begin with, would be to Key Alike with doors in a Butters system.

[greyman]

Is that the same Butter's system as the English lever lock type? I've never seen it in a padlock. Was it a miniaturized version or something?
Do you have further info or links for that?