USPS Medeco lock

[PhoneMan]

This is a Medeco on a US Postal Service drop box, which I find unusual because most have the "arrow" style lever locks. Any idea what keyway this is?




This was taken at the tiny post office in Immigrant Gap California.

[xeo]

Must... rotate.... *cough*...

Sorry, no hint for you on the keyway.

[ARF-GEF]

What is an "arrow style" locK?

[Squelchtone]

What is an "arrow style" locK?

An Arrow lock is made for the United States of America Post Office and it is a restricted double bitted lever lock. There are laws against owning the key for a private citizen.

from the USPS website:

Arrow Lock:

A special type of brass and steel security lock installed in street collection boxes, storage boxes, apartment boxes, banks of apartment house mailboxes, cluster boxes such as neighborhood delivery and collection box units, and other postal mail-receiving receptacles. The name of the lock comes from an image of an arrow stamped below “U.S. Mail” on the reverse side. A special arrow lock key is used to access the lock.

This google search shows the Arrow keyway and an Arrow key as the first results: https://www.google.com/search?q=usps+ar ... 4APB3oHQAQ

[Squelchtone]

Flickr is down right now. bad panda!

[PhoneMan]

Lol Squelch! And yes you have it right for the Arrow lock description, except they are made BY the post office in house! (or at least were a few years back)
The arrow lock is the ONLY lock/key I know of that it's illegal to own a key, as it's government property, as well as being made by them. There might be a law for the Medeco key as well, especially if it's a restricted USPS exclusive keyway, which it probably is!

[PhoneMan]

Still no idea on a keyway? I'm going to say it's most likely USPS exclusive, or US Govt. at the least.

[Drewsterkao]

Complete noon here so excuse me if I sound ignorant but yes that key way is restricted to usps however can EASILY be made by milling off the tiniest amount of metal from the bottom of the key. They are made up of only a single pin in each cylinder with a hole a varying locations along the pins to interact with the side bar. If you look closely they have a little metal square where the slider for the m3 would normally be so If I am correct (please everyone let me know if I' am not) it is a 4 pin medeco biaxial cam lock.