hobbs & co locks

[MrAHH]

Hi, joined your friendly forum looking for some advice and help.

I have inherited a steel box which from web searches seems to be a Hobbs & co deed box or something very similar. I have a key but it will not open... I have twisted and turned and tried with pliers but all that seems to budge is the key which is now bending.

So before i get a hammer to try and prise open the lid any suggestions gratefully appreciated.I could try dynamite, but one listing for a similar box said some of the old ones were gunpowder proof... i jest but that was how i feeling last night and there might be family photos and bits inside that are worth opening the box for.

At the moment i have not sprayed the lock with wd40 incase there is something delicate inside, and I have also watched a couple of lock picking videos and tried to force up the lever with a meat skewer without success, so I'm hoping for a suggestion to try once more. Maybe the Hobbs & Co locks are too difficult to pick?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[1d4]

Can you post a picture? Please put down the meat skewer in the meantime

[MrAHH]

Hi, all sharp instruments placed safely out of reach of adults, but I have large claw hammer not far away to wack the lock with your guidance.
Pictures of box and key uploaded to -https://imgur.com/gallery/Mbd4ORh

https://imgur.com/gallery/Mbd4ORh

thanks

[Squelchtone]

Thank you for the photos, have you tried pressing down on the lid to relieve some pressure from the locking mechanism and then trying to turn the key in either direction?

[MrAHH]

Hi just tried and bounced up and down a few times (not a pretty sight) to no avail.. Any more ideas?

[femurat]

How about bringing the box and key to a locksmith and get a quote on opening it? If your family photos are inside, it's well worth the price he may ask. Bringing him the box will save you the exit/travel/service fee and get an accurate quote.

Cheers

[MrAHH]

Hi, Thanks for your suggestion. I did get a few telephone quotes for GBP60-90 for the first hour and then 50% thereafter, which seemed a lttle steep, but maybe that is the going rate?

[femurat]

I'd be happy to pay a hundred bucks for an old picture of my dad, granny, uncle, whatever.
Just don't damage the lock because it will make the Locksmith job harder and longer.

Good luck

[MrAHH]

I totally agree pictures of my family are like you said priceless, unless they are old pictures of me and should probably remain tightly locked and the key disposed of...

But seriously, i thought i'd give it a try first, and i thought maybe naievly that there might be a simple tried and tested technique from the lock picking 101 crew that would throw me a secret recipe to what looks like a simple lock - insert 6mm red allen key twist three times and bingo arrive in Kansas where the treasure is hidden.

Anyway thanks to everyone who has replied, keep safe, and remember don't put memorabilia in a lock up steel box before you go and hand the bits in person to the ones you love before the box gets locked.

Now where's that stick of dynamite I inherited

[1d4]

This one looks like a job for a locksmith to me

[DaWolfMan]

It is hard to tell from your pictures, but i am wondering if the lid of the box fits over the top of the box or just flush to the top of the box. If it is just flush to the top of the box you may be able to slip a hacksaw blade between the lid and body of the box and just cut the latch to get into the box. that is if you are not worried about the box but just want to reclaim the contents. My fear is that you may not have been the first person to try and open this box and the lock itself may be damaged from someone before you. looking at how bent the head of your key is i can only assume you have already put a lot of force on the key without being able to turn it. that said it is either the wrong key for this lock, or the lock itself is internally damaged.

DaWolfMan

[rphillips52]

Best to avoid the mistake of equating 'simple' with 'insecure'. It is not always so.
This appears to be a tinplate deed box — the weight will indicate it it is one of the company's insulated fire-resisting boxes.
From the photos, it appears likely this is a Hobbs 4lever box lock, and the key shown is of that type. There are too many differs for trial of keys to be feasible, unless a large stock of such keys is to hand.
If you are anywhere where locksmiths are familiar with lever locks, the normal Hobbs 4lever cabinet lock is not impossibly difficult to pick, some locksmiths might even impression it. However, with the box open, the lock can be removed by undoing 4 screws, then making a key with the lock apart is easier (if a key is required). The linkplate, however, is soldered to the lid.

A Hobbs 2-in-1 pick (the company was started by the well-known engineer who demonstrated tentative picking of locks with movable detainers) made to suit this lock, which is likely to have a 12g drill pin protruding from the lockcase, with a keyhole of 6g, could be used. The tube walls will need to be very thin, and thus delicate. Alternatively, cut down the bit of a suitable blank to leave only the bolt step, and flatten the shank to leave room for a bent lifting wire to rest on it. The levers have close gating.

Or, engage the services of a locksmith competent with such locks. Locksmiths might have other means of opening, depending whether force may or may not be used on a tinplate box. One who habitually opens such locks, typically for antique dealers, might have a set of cabinet lock jigglers. A set is commercially available in Britain at a price few locksmiths would find economic unless they do much of this work.