The discovery and smelting of iron was a game changer, but it would take another 3000 years before we entered 'the iron age'. The issue holding us back was the high melting point of iron (1530 deg C). The ancient kilns were unable to produce temperatures above 900 C. However, with technical advancement in smelting furnaces, the iron which could be found in abundance replaced the bronze. It was also lighter, cheaper and most importantly stronger metal, suitable for anything from weapons to ploughs.
Romans were first true metal smiths, who skilfully used silver, zinc, iron, mercury, arsenic, antimony, lead, gold, copper and tin as numerous other alloys. However, with the fall of the Roman empire, many of those metallurgy skills were lost for next 1000 years, until the 'Vandals' rediscovered the lost craft.
And then, it all exploded in Europe once again in the late Middle ages and Renaissance. With the fall of Constantinople and rediscovery of ancient scientific texts - and invention of printing which democratised learning- great advancements occurred in physics, astronomy, mathematics, engineering and manufacturing.
The Holy Trinity of Smiths - locksmiths, gunsmiths and clockmakers - gave birth to fascinating utilitarian objects. Artes mechanicae (mechanical arts) were based on the practice of skills. While ungratefully called servile and vulgar by those who practiced academic disciplines and "liberal arts", mechanical arts changed and shaped the modern world in an amazing, practical way.
A few months ago, a book titled 'American Genius' landed on my desk. It is one of those very special books, so narrowly focused on a subject that you would never have a need to look for. A book that finds you, not the other way around; a book which provides an amazing answer to a question rarely asked: what happens when a locksmith and a clockmaker work together, when two geniuses collaborate, strive, improve, innovate - and give a birth to an object whose purpose becomes irreplaceable for hundreds of years, yet invisible to the common eye?
“American Genius: Nineteenth-century Bank locks and Time locks” reads as crime novel. Two trades - both deeply rooted in secrecy - not without a reason - and their colourful Masters with magical skills to help a locked-out banker, who spent nights trying to pick competitor's locks, to learn each other’s secrets while doing anything humanly possible to be known as the inventors of 'unpickable locks' themselves.
Take for example one Harry Miller, who in 1924 entered the trade as a locksmith apprentice at age 12. Only a few years later, Harry developed his expertise in opening the best and most complex safes and locks of the era. He was called upon to open safes for the US Military, the safe in the White House for President Roosevelt, and even a gold bullion chest for Chiang Kai-shek. Harry was known as 'the most dynamic and knowledgeable' figure in the history of American vaults. His secret? He was able to understand the weaknesses of safes and learn from them.
Here is another gem: around 1800 Bramah and Co were the makers of the 'most secure lock' of the time. Bramah was so confident that his lock was unpickable that their Piccadilly shop in London offered a reward of 210 pounds for anyone who could pick a Bramah padlock - a challenge that would go unanswered for more than 50 years. And then, in 1851, an American by the name of Alfred C Hobbs arrived to London. It took him 20 minutes to open the padlock and claim the massive reward. The defeat was felt by the entire nation, as recorded by Times of London:
"We believed before the exhibition opened we had the best lock in the world, and among us Bramah and Chubb were reckoned quite as impregnable as Gibraltar - more so, indeed, for the key of Mediterranean was taken by us, but none among us could penetrate into the locks and shoot the bolt of these makers".
Yes, no lock or vault is impervious to theft. A safe or vault can however be made impossible to crack without arousing alarm. And in this game, time itself is of the essence. The need for locks fitted with a clock mechanism which would prevent the opening of the safe even if the combination is known to burglars was a major advancement in safe protection. It came about as a result of a rather unpleasant event, the 1867 robbery of Northampton National Bank, Massachusetts:
"The so-called Great Burglary began not at the bank but soon after midnight at the home of John Whittelsey, a bank cashier, two thirds of a mile away. Seven robbers, one for each resident, burst into the house and tied up the Whittelsey family, demanding that John divulge the combination to the banks safe, and when he gave them the numbers, they diligently took then down. After the short period, they demanded that he repeat the combination, but having given the false one made up on the spot, he could not recall it now. The robbers tortured Whittelsey, obtaining the true combination, stealing more than $500,000 in banknotes, stock certificates and bonds. Three of the perpetrators were later captured and all the money was recovered, but the message to the banking industry was clear: with the newest combination locks, the weak point in the security system was now the human element. Bankers would need a lock that would keep out not just the robbers, but bankers as well".
From this- the time lock was born. Designed to protect the riches from every threat, these beautiful devices embody the evolution of locks technology. These handcrafted masterpieces are elaborately decorated with intricate engravings and castings despite the fact that they will be never seen by public.
"American Genius" is a feast for the eyes. With hundreds of high-quality photos and detailed descriptions of time locks, it covers the golden century of American craftsmanship. It is a must read for a technically minded and curious enthusiast, from an apprentice to an engineer, from a locksmith to a watchmaker, and perhaps, the most, from a banker and his antithesis - the lock picker.
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