Info needed about Abus #999 50mm padlock

[Jaakko]

Hi to all of you fellow members!

I recently bought a lock from a finnish auction site (Huuto.net) which is like eBay. I bought it just for curiosity and when it finally arrived today, I noticed something interesting. It says "Abus No. 999 / 50mm DEP MADE IN GERMANY".

So, off to the Abus website. I didn't find exactly the same lock, but this No. 444 lock seems to be almost identical to what I have

As from the pictures can be seen, the lock has a blue color which has had some wear and tear. Also the lock is little rusty, but I believe that it is still functional. I don't have a key for the lock so on to my questions

Question #1: Can anybody tell me when Abus made these? There is no year stamped on it anywhere and couldn't find any info on this particular model from here or Google.

Question #2: What kind of key operates the lock? I tried the Abus website but couldn't find a picture of a key that would fit into this kind of lock. This leads to a...

Question #3: What kind of mechanism is in the lock? The shackle feels a little bit springy, so I think I could shim it open but that would not give me anything useful information. I tried to peek to the keyhole with a bright light but could not see anything useful And I'm not going to rip the lock apart, because it is probably old, it is nice add to my collection of locks and the opening would have to be done with a Dremel.

Here is links to the small pictures (800 * 600, about 70KB each):
The keyway
Size comparison with an AAA battery.
The stamped text behind the lock enhanced with red color.

Here is links to the BIG original pictures (2048 * 1536, about 1.2MB each):
The keyway
Size comparison with an AAA battery.
The stamped text behind the lock.

Any information about this particular lock will be appreciated If you know anything, please, share your thoughts Thank you in advance!

[White Graphite]

It looks like a lever type lock.

These may help you
viewtopic.php?t=15061

viewtopic.php?t=19767&highlight=lever

Hope this helps.

[raimundo]

what I see in the picture is a very simple keyway, in a lock that is made of stampings, assembled like a tin can is sealed. this makes me believe that its a simple lock, but that does not mean the lock may not be hard to open, if you don't understand whats in it, sometimes simple tricks are the best.

[Jaakko]

Thank you White Graphite for the links although I don't know yet if it is a lever lock or not

raimundo, I think it is easy lock based on the keyway shape and from what I have gathered while poking inside with different keys. There seems to be no warding whatsoever so the lever type gets my opinion. I can definately feels something inside the lock when turning my "key" 180 degrees (the key bitting would point upwards towards the shackle) but I'm not sure what it is. I think I stick some wax on a piece of plastic that fits into the keyhole so I'd get a little picture about what is going on in there.

And yes, it is stamped close like a tin can That is the reason I won't open it, because I would have to destroy it. And because it looks old, I don't like destroying it

If anyone has a similar Abus lock or know the keytype, I'd appreciate your input, please

[Jaakko]

Success!

I finally found something that fits through the keyhole and is long enough and strong enough: Swiss made jackknife a.k.a. MacGyver tool

Here is link to pictures where you can see the opened lock and my..erhm..."beatiful and precise" drawing
Opened lock, small picture, about 70KB
Opened lock, BIG picture, about 1.4MB
Drawing, small picture, about 70KB
Drawing, BIG picture, about 1.4MB

As can be seen from my beatiful and precise drawing, there is practically no warding whatsoever. At the bottom of the lock is a plate where is a round hole, probably as a guidance for keys tip. This leads to a hunch that the keys profile at the tip is little rounded to fit into that hole. The key is pretty much just a "blank" with a little bit cut off to allow it to rotate while in the backhole. I'm still hoping to find a picture of a real key for this type of lock (the Abus #444 lock looks identical, but I don't have a picture of a key).

The steel spring which keeps the metal protruding part of the "lever" in the notch of the shackle is very strong. The mechanism isn't rusted, it really is very stiff spring. The spring itself is flat piece of steel, about 1cm wide and is somehow pivoted/attached to the locks inner. The shackle rest on top of the springs other end when open and presses the spring down when closed. This provides the springy feel when pushing the locked shackle in. The shackle goes through an metal plate/part and on the other side there is some sort of circlip or the shackles end is deformed so that the shackle won't come out of the lock even when the lock is open.

Because the locking mechanism is very stiff and the play between shackle and the lock body is very minimal, the lock isn't shimmable as far as I know. I haven't tested to shim it, but maybe I try some day when I get a soda can

All in all, very interesting piece of metal I got here. I don't know anything about this locks history or when these were made, but I hope to hear some info from anyone whos willing to help

Thank you and may the picks be with you!

[White Graphite]

Glad to see that you got it open. I hope you can find a picture of the key.
Also his brings me to the question of "Where would we all be without the MacGyver tool"?

[raimundo]

this is all guess work, but that company is german, known now for excellent locks, but that lock is from a different economy, probably postwar economy when light industry was makeing whatever could be made cheaply to keep the economy running so I would put the lock in the 1950's on a guess.

[PickPick]

While there are indeed a lot of high quality locks made in Germany, there are also a lot of cheap cylinders on the market and even some junk metal. Still no Kwikset but cheap never the less.
There's a market for expensive high quality and there's a market for cheap low quality. That lock qualifies for the second kind.