HINTS&TIPS • 39
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one small bit at a time and keep
checking and double checking.
There is nothing worse than
spending a few hours building your
key up and then getting to the stage
where you have filed too much off
where the key will either be too
weak, and break.
Luckily for me this lock had
very little warding and I was quite
surprised that the key was going
so far round to start off with. Every
time the key got tight I took it out
and kept looking for rust marks
and signs of rubbing anywhere
along the edges and on the face
of the bit. Filing a little more away
each time on the chafing marks
and then re-inserting and getting
the key to turn further and further
each time.
At the final stages I cannot
really explain how much force was
needed on the key to release all of
the x7 sprung latches inside the
lid. The turning pressure was so
immense that it was very difficult
with just one hand to turn and
if you can imagine the pressure
of what two hands are physically
capable of turning holding only
onto the key bow this was the
amount of turning pressure that
was required to eventually operate
the lock. However many times you
do this sort of work you will always
get that feeling of great satisfaction
when the lock is open – and of
course once the lock is open you
can now dismantle it and fine
tune the key even further and do
any lubrication and cleaning to
the lock to give a much smoother
operation. To my surprise when I
opened the lid there was a broken
key laying at the bottom of the
box – but unfortunately no other
treasures.
The key did not turn a full 360
degrees which I was expecting it too
but only needed to rotate to roughly
the ‘8 o’clock position’. Normally
I would have made the bit a lot
fancier by cutting false warding into
it, but due to the force needed to
pull back the sprung latches I left it
as it was.
I was going to show you the
finished working key which I had
made but as I did not own this box
nor have the customers consent
I thought it was only right not to
show the completed key. I am sure
he is not going to use it as a safe nor
store anything valuable inside – but
even so I feel it was the right thing
to do.
After a bit of research I found a
very similar box in the Merseyside
Maritime Museum which they call
a ‘King’s Chest’. These were used
around 1750 for monies being
collected by Excise Officers and the
money was stored in these sort of
boxes until it could be transported
to the Treasury.
By Mark Ward. C/o Anglia
Locksmiths - Wisbech
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | JUL/AUG 2018
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