What was this Chubb key used for?

[Arcade Al]

I must emphasise that it's not my ebay listing!

[Brian Morland]

That's for a Chubb pre WWII rim night-latch cylinder.

[Huw Eastwood]

Seeing that brought a tear to my eye- my dad had a box of those cylinders and keys back in the 1970s- they were all used and worn but the whole lot went in the brass bin for scrap Just didn't think anything of it back then.

Looking at the colour of the alloy I think the ebay seller means Nickel Silver when he says 'white metal'. I cast the various white metals quite a bit and they'd be useless for any sort of key except for an exhibition 'showpiece'!

[Arcade Al]

That's for a Chubb pre WWII rim night-latch cylinder.

Thanks Brian, very interesting. Not seen one before.

Seeing that brought a tear to my eye- my dad had a box of those cylinders and keys back in the 1970s- they were all used and worn but the whole lot went in the brass bin for scrap Just didn't think anything of it back then.

Looking at the colour of the alloy I think the ebay seller means Nickel Silver when he says 'white metal'. I cast the various white metals quite a bit and they'd be useless for any sort of key except for an exhibition 'showpiece'!

Indeed that did make me smile, white metal being used for bearings generally isn't it?

The other one that amuses me is when people describe blued or greyish steel as "gunmetal", when the rest of us know that it's a type of bronze!

[Adrian Weber]

Interesting lock for being pre WWII!

[lucysmith]

Is it still available?

[Adrian Weber]

The keys were sold on Ebay and the other lock belongs to the archive of the A&HoL Library

[Arcade Al]

Here's something else - so we know what the lower keys are, but what on earth are the upper ones?

[Parautoptic]

I believe these are for chinese padlocks similar to

http://www.antiquesnavigator.com/d-4...-with-key.html

Here's something else - so we know what the lower keys are, but what on earth are the upper ones?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-SMALL-VI...-/370996237794

[oldlock]

The top keys are not for chinese padlocks, although the principle is similar. Those keys are known as 'French latch' or 'Odells Latch' keys.