ASSA 7 lever lock, unkown age
Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 8:50 am
This lock had been sitting outside in harsh climate for quite some time as you can tell by the condition of the housing.
Some resistance when turning the key but still works! Even though ants and cobweb came out of it and some levers were really stuck together due to some genius lubricating it with oil.
Only fault was that the little ring in the keyhole that stops the key going in too far was missing on one side, so if you insert the key all the way it ends up poking out the other side. Also, the springs look a bit rusty and fragile. I thought everyone had agreed in the 19th century that a common spring was preferable. Still, can't really complain about the durability.
Surprisingly no anti-pick notches or serrations on the levers. I haven't given it a shot yet, but should be pickable with just bent wires.
Lock housing with levers removed
Levers... 9 in total but only 7 of them are actually part of the code
Key. Note the perfect staircase bitting. I guess whoever assembled it was tired of his/her job For those who aren't familiar with this flavor of lever locks, the key is usually symmetric so it works from both sides of the lock.
I really like the esthetics of these. Almost looks like the parts could be carved out of stone. Certainly different from the locks with one million little tiny pieces!
I actually didn't know ASSA made these kind of lever locks. Typically in Sweden you associate them with FAS (which nowadays is a part of the ASSA ABLOY group, but this is clearly ASSA branded).
I don't know the exact age of it - would be interesting if someone could narrow it down.
Lock itself says ASSA and Ruko.
Key says ASSA-STENMAN - when did ASSA stop using the full name?
The house was built in 1964 but the lock was probably retrofitted at some point since the slot in the door was just carved out of the wood.
PS. Might be worth mentioning that the otherwise similar FAS 7 lever locks require turning the key twice to fully retract/extend the bolt. This one only requires turning once, as can be seen in the pictures of the levers despite my poor photography.
Some resistance when turning the key but still works! Even though ants and cobweb came out of it and some levers were really stuck together due to some genius lubricating it with oil.
Only fault was that the little ring in the keyhole that stops the key going in too far was missing on one side, so if you insert the key all the way it ends up poking out the other side. Also, the springs look a bit rusty and fragile. I thought everyone had agreed in the 19th century that a common spring was preferable. Still, can't really complain about the durability.
Surprisingly no anti-pick notches or serrations on the levers. I haven't given it a shot yet, but should be pickable with just bent wires.
Lock housing with levers removed
Levers... 9 in total but only 7 of them are actually part of the code
Key. Note the perfect staircase bitting. I guess whoever assembled it was tired of his/her job For those who aren't familiar with this flavor of lever locks, the key is usually symmetric so it works from both sides of the lock.
I really like the esthetics of these. Almost looks like the parts could be carved out of stone. Certainly different from the locks with one million little tiny pieces!
I actually didn't know ASSA made these kind of lever locks. Typically in Sweden you associate them with FAS (which nowadays is a part of the ASSA ABLOY group, but this is clearly ASSA branded).
I don't know the exact age of it - would be interesting if someone could narrow it down.
Lock itself says ASSA and Ruko.
Key says ASSA-STENMAN - when did ASSA stop using the full name?
The house was built in 1964 but the lock was probably retrofitted at some point since the slot in the door was just carved out of the wood.
PS. Might be worth mentioning that the otherwise similar FAS 7 lever locks require turning the key twice to fully retract/extend the bolt. This one only requires turning once, as can be seen in the pictures of the levers despite my poor photography.