Opening a 1900 Mosler Cannonball Safe

[Jmosler]

I have a 1900 Mosler Cannonball safe. The combination was lost in shipping by the auctioneer. I have been assured that the safe opens. The dial spins freely both ways, and I can feel the wheels picking up. I need some help on whether this is 3 wheel or 4 wheel and how to get this beautiful beast open. Thank you, Jeff

[Squelchtone]

you posted this everywhere else except for the This Old Safe area.... I moved it for you.

[Jmosler]

Thank you. This is my first time posting, so I was confused as to where I should post. Are you able to help?

[Squelchtone]

I can try, but first thing's first, a photo or two would really help out, manuals don't exactly exist for 115 year old safes, so its good to see some photos of the door, base, hinges, relative size, a close up of the dial, any handles and knobs, etc all in good detail to be able to pin down a model and then look up what kind of lock with how many wheels that safe normally came with from the factory.

Does the auction house not remember if it was 3 or 4 numbers to the combination? I guess it's a mute point now, but you'd think they would have it on file and not just on a piece of paper taped to the safe.

To show us photos, upload them to your Flickr, Instagram, Photbucket account, or to http://imgur.com or http://tinypic.com and Paste the links in here.

Have you manipulated a safe lock before, you seem to know enough about picking up wheels and counting them. If this is a first for you, safe manipulation (cracking) is no easy task, and not as easy as you might see in a movie where they hear clicks and open the door in 5 minutes.

Can't wait to see the photos, I like old Mosler safes.
Squelchtone

[Jmosler]

Thank you so much. Here are some pics, and thank you so much!
http://tinypic.com/r/2rrp3ci/8
http://tinypic.com/r/315hgy1/8
http://tinypic.com/r/2ikpevr/8

[Squelchtone]

Good luck with this, it wont be easy.. you need to press Showtime to find a copy of the combination, otherwise you're either going to spend the next 3 to 12 months learning safe manipulation in order to open a 4 number combination Mosler 5H friction fence lock, or you're gonna pay $500-$1000 for a safe technician to drill it and scope the combination.

Look all over the body of this safe to see if some lazy soul used a pencil to write the combination somewhere inconspicuous.

Try this for me, turn the dial all the way around 5 full revolutions clockwise, and stop at 80. Now, turn it to the counter-clockwise to 20 (not too slow and not too fast) and let me know where you feel a little bump in the road. You may have to go back to 80 and back to 20 a few times to feel it.

Squelchtone

[Jmosler]

Hi there. The bump is always at 3. It is pronounced. I am assuming this is the contact point. No pencil markings anywhere. By the way, I am the great great great grandson of Gustave Mosler (founder of Mosler Safe Co). That is why this safe is so dear to me. I will not drill this original Mosler lock. I am determined to open up this beautiful piece of family history.

[tomasfuk]

That sounds great! I'll send a PM to you.