Junkunc

Junkunc

John Junkunc was a railroad employee who had a habit of losing keys. He then designed and made a combination lock so he could avoid the problem of losing keys.

One of his early versions next to a quarter for scale:

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  Locked

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  Unlocked

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These early Junkunc combination padlocks had gates that lined up directly with the shackle. If someone were to try decoding the combination like a modern lock by pulling the shackle while dialing, the 'wheels' would become deformed as well as the shackle.

Normally, this problem can be identified by a dial that binds and is very hard to turn at a certain point, but turns freely for the rest of the dial rotation. (Similar to a bent spindle on a safe lock).

See Also

• Patent US1607758A