Locksmithing has been a traditional trade for centuries, and there have been some truly talented individuals and ingenious inventions over the years. However, when you hear the two words ‘famous locksmiths’, we bet you’d be hard pressed to come up with even one name, and that’s a shame. So in this, the first of a new series, we’re going to look at some of these historic individuals…
Linus Yale, Junior
If ever a surname gave away what someone was famous for, this is it! Linus Yale was an American mechanical engineer who made his name as a result of creating the cylinder lock. Actually, Yale was the second member of his family to specialise in locksmithing, as his father, Linus Yale Senior was the owner of a lock shop in 1840s New York. Yale Senior was himself an instrumental figure behind the design of the pin-tumbler lock, but it was his son, Yale Junior, who refined the concept.
In the Family
The younger Yale’s aptitude lay in the area of introducing permutations and cylinders into his locks, and some of his creations were genuinely revolutionary. Many of these designs are still in use today, and Yale himself was quick to patent his locks. In fact, Yale Senior had already started this trend with eight patents for his own locks, but Yale Junior’s Massachusetts outlet had a particular association with bank locks. He opened this establishment in 1860, and it proved to be a great success.
Combination Safes
Yale locks excelled in the area of combination safe protection, and also sophisticated key operation. Modern day locks and safes still utilise the ‘pin-tumbler’ design, but, interestingly, Yale himself was inspired by lock ideas that were laid down some 4,000 years earlier by the Egyptians. Yale was always concerned that the keyhole in a lock represented an innate weak point, hence his development of combination safes, and, so confident was he in the workmanship of his locks, that he even issued a challenge to anyone who dared to pick a Yale lock, offering them a cash reward!
The Yale Legacy
Towards the end of his life, Yale cracked the clock lock and the double lock, with the post office in particular making widespread use of his new solutions. Modern day combination locks largely couldn’t have existed without the expertise of Linus Yale and his family, so the security of the world undoubtedly owes him, and his ongoing legacy, a very great debt indeed.
At AFS Security, we appreciate the efforts of bygone locksmiths, and like to think that our own services are carrying on in the same vein too. When you need a locksmith in Essex, we’re certainly on hand to help, no matter what your needs might be, so feel free to contact us now by calling +44(0)208 471 9000 or email enquiries@afs-security.com and we’ll be happy to assist you.
