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I Forge Iron

Mokume Gane and Silicon Bronze Viking Padlock (pic heavy)


Chinobi

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I'm reasonably certain that member projects is more applicable than the Mokume forum, if not, I'm sure you know where the move button is.

I have admired the excellent lock work shared by Nick and others here and elsewhere so I jumped at the opportunity to get a copy of instructions and materials to make a Viking era padlock myself.  I decided to up the ante a little and make the materials a little more interesting though.

The top and bottom plates are spare quarters mokume and the body is a sheet of copper with a design chased into it, subsequently filled with melted brass wire and melted silver solder in different places then ground smooth to give it a kind of faux-kume look because I didn't have the time to make a fresh billet that could be forged into sheet metal big enough to make the body.  The rods are 4 wires (2 copper and 2 brass) twisted together tightly, soldered solid into one bar, then forged cold to knock off the ridges and make it more of an actual circular cross section, the tops are 4mm sterling bezel cups set with lavender opals. The ward plate on the shackle is another chunk of spare mokume and the spring is nickel silver sheet metal flush riveted on with copper pins.  Both the shackle and key are forged silicon bronze.

The lock is operated by inserting the key into the rectangular slot on the bottom, rotating it into position and sliding it up to compress the springs, which will allow the shackle to pop through the hole in the top plate.

Thanks for looking!

01 top plate.JPG

02 top plate.JPG

03 top plate.JPG

04 top plate.JPG

05 base plate.jpg

06 ward plate stock.JPG

07 inserting key.JPG

08 unlocking.JPG

09 springs compressed.JPG

10 lock open.JPG

11 closed with original.JPG

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