Rare lock identification

[bembel]

Excuse my crappy drawing.
I saw this lock some time ago and wasn't able to find more information on the web. It might be Russian.



This lock could be best described as "push through lock".
You push the key (the teeth) through the keyhole, turn it 180 degrees and then pull it back. The teeth now work together like a gear and move the bolt aside.
Very clever idea.

[Gordon Airporte]

Very clever idea.

I'm probably missing something, but what does the biting of the key do? Couldn't these be opened by anything that can manipulate the gear? Kind of like how you only have to get at the one spring to open a warded lock and the cuts on the key don't matter so much.

[bembel]

If the key biting doesn't fit to the bolt you're unable to pull back the key.
However, it's just a lousy drawing from my memory. Let's see if somebody comes up with the real thing - then we can talk about manipulation.

[horsefeathers]

Surely just one bent bit of wire is all that is needed - it just needs to engage with just one of the bolt's teeth to pull it back. Sounds rubbish!

regards

[illusion]

Could be similar to the Egyptian pin tumbler lock, where the key pressed the key pins (only key/bottom pins in this lock, no driver/top pins) into the 'bolt' as you call it.

Perhaps they used this design, but added a twist mechanism?

Looking at the keyway, it's either an improved Egyptian pin tumbler lock, or it's some kind of lever lock.

[n2oah]

It sounds ancient; yet I did not read anything about while researching ancient locks for my paper.

[bembel]

There are no pins or levers, just 2 metal bars wich move across.
The teeth are cut to 45° angles so they support the 90° movement.
(Imagine 2 gear wheels with diagonal teeth. Now pull those wheels flat and you got 2 gear bars which can move across)
Height of the teeth is not important, it's the irregular cut of the teeth which must fit exactly to the counterpart. The key needs to be pulled back over the full length to retract the springed bolt. One false tooth and the movement stops.

Tried my best to describe it. Hopefully someone will recognise it.

[GateTwelve]

Unfortunately I can't help with the identification of this lock, but my thoughts would be that there's something more to this lock that you're not seeing. If you are correct about the operation of this lock, a bent wire with a 90 degree bend at the end would be all that is needed. Maybe two wires if the "gear" is spring loaded so that it resets if you let off. But I would think that there's something more to this.

Definately post when you figure this lock or its history out.

[mh]

Hmm, this took some time to understand - yet - a nice puzzle

So what I can see in your drawing is:

1) A side view of the key
2) A bottom view of the key

.........................................3) A "bolt"

(At first I didn't see that 1) and 2) are both different views of the same key)

The bolt has teeth that match the key's teeth;
by pulling the key to the left, because of the 45 degree teeth, the bolt is moved down.
If the key's teeth are in the wrong place, the bolt will block or snap back to the top.

As GateTwelve wrote, with 2 bent wires you should be able to move the bolt step by step / bite by bite

Never saw this type of lock before.

mh

[eric343]

I've only seen one lock that's anything like this before -- a rather uncommon design by Mul-T-Lock (same company, but not the pin-in-pin dimple we all know). In this case, however, you didn't twist the key at all. You inserted the key into the lock and the padlock shackle popped open. The key had the same 45 degree cuts on the side.

[mh]

I've only seen one lock that's anything like this before -- a rather uncommon design by Mul-T-Lock (same company, but not the pin-in-pin dimple we all know).

Was that an old design, and their cheapest line, or did the mechanism have other security features?