Ministry of Works Meter Lock, Lowe & Fletcher

[Dopug]

Hi guys

I just got this in an ebay auction for £6.74 including shipping



This is what the seller has to say about it

Thanks for looking at this Vintage Ministry of Works Meter Lock, in solid Brass, made by one of the UK's leading Lock Manufacturers ,Lowe & Fletcher from the West Midlands (who, by the way, are still going strong)
It dates from the early 50's, and has never been used...it is still in its original brown wrapping paper !!
Unfortunately, there is no key for this,...apparently they are as rare as hens teeth !!
Still, it's a fabulous quality item of interest to Lock Historians, collectors, or anyone who loves old stuff !
It measures 5cm by 3 cm
The Ministry of Works was a Government department set up after WW2 to help coordinate the rebuilding of the social and business infrastructure. It underwent several name changes before finally being closed down in , I think 1968.

He has a few more for sale, buy it now for £8.00 (not including shipping) and one in auction starting bid £4.99

When it arrives i will take some pics and do a picking video and if I can find a key that fit's it i will try to impression a key.

[s1deshowmick]

jazzy ol lock, i saw it on ebay, and forgot to fight you for it, lol.

Thanks for the heads up on the other auctions though...

[Dopug]

yeah it's a beaut isn't it!

I have no idea what type of lock it is as you can't really see the keyway from the pic's, should be an interesting one to play with and a gem in my collection!

[s1deshowmick]

Yeah, that really grabbed my attention. Can't wait to see the Keyway.

[MacGyver101]

Inside, they're a pretty simple, single-lever lock. Here's a drawing of the internal mechanism, from the original design patent from 1938:

The key, however, is quite interesting: the key tip needs to be longer than the hole diameter. In order to accomplish this, the key shaft is actually a hollow tube; the key "nib" is initially inside the tube while the key is inserted:

When the key is pushed into the lock, it causes the nib to extend out through the slot in the bottom of the key:

And, from there, rotating the key will cause the nib to push against and retract a simple lever-latch mechanism that's holding the shackle in place (the shaded #14 part in the first diagram).

I have one coming as well, and will be playing with constructing a key out of some hollow tubing, when I'm able to scrounge together a few free hours.

[Dopug]

MacGyver101 you are a legend! how did you find this?

[MacGyver101]

MacGyver101 you are a legend! how did you find this?

Happy to be of help!

We'd been discussing this lock in, um, another lockpicking forum... and I dug up the patent info as part of that research. (I spend a lot of time reading lock patents: you get quick at finding them after a while.)

[awol70]

absolutely stunning win! Beautiful lock.
fantastic addition to your collection and the forum.
thank you very much for sharing.
(i anxiously await more pictures...)

[Dopug]

And, from there, rotating the key will cause the nib to push against and retract a simple lever-latch mechanism that's holding the shackle in place (the shaded #14 part in the first diagram).

I have one coming as well, and will be playing with constructing a key out of some hollow tubing, when I'm able to scrounge together a few free hours.

So am I right in thinking picking this would be as simple as getting a long hook into the part of the lock the nib goes, and turning?

If you do get round to making a key, please photograph the process. As keys for these locks seem to be rare as fuck, a photographed guide to making a key would be an excellent addition to the forum.

[MacGyver101]

So am I right in thinking picking this would be as simple as getting a long hook into the part of the lock the nib goes, and turning?

I believe so. The patent diagrams only show one lever, and that's all that's discussed in the patent description.

The trick, of course, is how to get a long-enough hook down that keyway. The designers tried to make it difficult for anything other than a folding, spring-loaded key to do the job; I'm curious to see the actual internal dimensions when the lock arrives.

[Dopug]

My lock arrived today, sorry this isn't the best picture, had to use the flash to light up the inside of the keyway, so there's a lot of glare

I photographed it next to my watch to give you an idea of the size. My watch is quite chunky so you see how small the lock is, much smaller than i was expecting.

I gave it a good polish and have tried to pick it just using a long hook but it wont reach the mechanism.

[awol70]

My lock arrived today, sorry this isn't the best picture, had to use the flash to light up the inside of the keyway, so there's a lot of glare

I photographed it next to my watch to give you an idea of the size. My watch is quite chunky so you and the lock is much smaller than i was expecting.

I gave it a good polish and have tried to pick it just using a long hook but it wont reach the mechanism.

OMG! lol i wasnt expecting it to be so tiny!
again, great lock!