Dual Locking, Forged Steel

The Ellipse shackle has two locking points, which is a departure from many locks on the market, and makes it twice as difficult to breach. The shackle is made of 4100 series chromoly steel, which is an alloy with excellent strength to weight ratio and considerably stronger and harder than standard 1000 series steel. To enhance the strength, the shackle undergoes a unique two-step forging process.

In production forging, a thick rod of steel is heated to 2200°F (1200°C), pre-bent to the general shape of the shackle, and then placed between two extraordinarily hard steel dies that have the bottom and top halves formed into open-faced molds. The hammer slams the dies closed with forces measured in the tens of thousands of tonnes. Under such pressure, the metal reaches a state called “plastic deformation”, bends, compresses, and flows into the shaped cavities of the die.

A second lower temperature forging process called “warm forging” is used to improve the dimensional precision and surface finish. This coupled with precision machining and a matte nickel/zinc coating creates a part of exceptional strength and a beauty.