Hurd Lock

[Scajaquada87]

Greetings!

I recently dug out an old Hurd padlock that my grandpa gave me fifteen years ago. I did a search for "Hurd" on this site and didn't come across much, so I thought I would contribute something new. I have yet to locate the key, which I have laying around somewhere. The first thing I figured out from picking it was that on this padlock the key is rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise to release the shackle. What is also interesting about this lock is that there is no visible notches in the shackle when it is released. This would mean that some sort of internal and inaccessible mechanism secures the shackle. It also utilizes five pin stacks and perhaps the simplest keyway I have come across. I find this rather unusual, considering the heftiness of this lock (it weighs substantially more than my American 5200). From what I could ascertain when picking it, none of the stacks appear to utilize spools or any other sort of security pin. This lock is key-retaining.

Pictured below is the Hurd lock on the right with an American 5200 on the left to give viewers an idea of how large this lock is.


Also, here is a view of the keyway in the picked position. You can see that it uses a metal cover to protect the keyway from the elements.

[Squelchtone]

That's a nice padlock you have there. I recently got into locks manufactured in the 1920's to 1940's, there was a real boom in innovation and design. Some of the locks we covet today such as the Medeco cam lock came directly from 1930's sidebar lock designs by companies like Hurd.

If you poke around http://patents.google.com and are careful with your Search wording, you can find a lot of interesting documents and a lot of history as well.

The lock you have most likely has a variation of the following cylinder it in, which was also used on the early H10 style American Locks (invented by John Junkunc), where only the heel of the shackle had a cutout, and the cylinders rotation inside the lock would be enough to get to a part on the cylinder where there was less metal and the shackle could pop open. By the way, your lock can probably also pick 90 degrees clock wise, give it a try.

Take a look at this drawing, you'll know what I mean: http://www.google.com/patents/US1722525?printsec=drawing&dq=junkunc+padlock&ei=bQ1fUJOCFsnHrQfF-YH4BA#v=onepage&q=junkunc%20padlock&f=false

Thanks for sharing your lock and enjoy the forum!
Squelchtone

[cledry]

Hurd used to be the manufacturer of the locks used on Ford automobiles. The blank and pins in your lock are the same as used on early Fords and the pins are the same used on Fords until they switched to a double-sided key in the mid to late 1960s. Most locksmiths will have these pins and blanks should you need them. Naby early car locks have a similar rotating shutter too.

[Scajaquada87]

Thanks for the replies! I actually have an old 4-pin cylinder that was from an older Ford along with a working key. The keyway is a bit shorter, but the shape is pretty much the same.

Yesterday I tried to pick the cylinder in a clockwise direction, but none of the pins seemed to bind at all even when I increased the tension substantially (since its an older lock I've been using my more rigid HPC tension wrench). Now that I think back, I remember the lock only opening counter-clockwise with the key.

Anyway, it can be fun to pick an older lock like this. I like to keep a mix of new and older locks in my box-o-practice-locks. I find that the pins in the older locks sometimes get worn and on occasion rust, which can make for a much more challenging pick. This lock actually seems to take me a bit longer to pick than my American 5200 most likely because I bought the 5200 brand new so even with the serrated spools things still tend to snap into place, whereas with the Hurd, I really have to get it just right for it to open.

[blate]

Ok, so I'm not going insane!

I bought a set of ~5 smallish, old-looking brass Hurd padlocks from Ebay a while back. They're still sitting in my "unpicked" pile.

I suspected that they wanted to open counterclockwise, but in some of them, the pins would set in either direction... but with minimal plug movement.

**Does anyone know if Hurd used any sort of security pins? The pins feel serrated (like an American 5200) but this also may be an artifact of the lock's age and present state of (non-)lubrication.

Thanks all for the info!

[marqueA2]

Take a look at this drawing, you'll know what I mean: http://www.google.com/patents/US1722525?printsec=drawing&dq=junkunc+padlock&ei=bQ1fUJOCFsnHrQfF-YH4BA#v=onepage&q=junkunc%20padlock&f=false

Wow!!!
This is amazing! I'm having the hardest time finding info about these wonderful little round Hurd locks I've started collecting, and here is the patent drawings!!
1925! Are these two that old??


I love these locks for being Made in Detroit and for being counter-clockwise rotation... as a Lefty, I can pick these in-hand very comfortably.

I would love any and all info you have on these, as I'm presently a little obsessed with them.

- marqueA2