by Jacob Morgan » 17 Jan 2017 22:39
The National Locksmith Guide to: Safe Deposit Box Service, by Robert Sieveking, copyright 1996, no ISBN, 82 pages, 5 1/2" X 8 1/2"
Contents:
1. History of the lever lock
2. Lever lock design and construction
3. The double nose lock
4. The single nose lock
5. Opening and servicing overview
6. Security Rules
7. Before you begin
8. Reparable vs replaceable
9. Changing safe deposit locks
10. Key change locks
11. Cutting safe deposit keys (space and depth keys or code machines)
12. First steps
13. Opening the box
14. Repair the door
The obvious use for the book is to help educate one to begin servicing and opening safety deposit boxes. As usual for a Sieveking book it is well organized, the photographs are sharp, and it is written in a straightforward, workman like manner. Having read about safety deposit boxes in the usual sources (e.g., Phillip's Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing, and an article in the Locksmith Ledger), it strikes me how those sources only scratched the surface. Going to open a box with nothing but a nose puller might work, or it might fail to open a now badly damaged door that can not be replaced. At a bank that now thinks the locksmith is a complete idiot. This books takes things a few steps beyond the introductory chapters in other books. Where the book is perhaps lacking has to do with it being about twenty years old, it may be a touch out of date on some developments?
A less obvious use of the book, where the book might be of interest to a hobbyist, would be its fairly thorough treatment of lever locks. They are fascinating locks and this book goes over them well, not just a high-level overview but the nuts and bolts and even how to cut keys by code, etc. Incidentally, Sieveking's preference for cutting flat keys is an HPC 1200, but he notes that a Foley-Belsaw 200 with either space and depth keys or just space keys (using the built-in micrometer) does well at the task too.
The problem in both cases is the cost. The going price for this book is over $40. That is expensive for an 80 page book. Perhaps there is a book on lever locks from the UK that would be a better buy for someone interested in such locks? For a hobbyist with an interest in lever locks that is about one dollar per relevant page, and note that Sieveking's book on lock picking and impressioning has a more in depth treatment of picking and impressioning lever locks than this book. This book does not really cover non-destructive entry. Banks actually prefer destructive entry of safe deposit boxes, well gentle destruction. Banks do not want these locks picked and there are reasons for that. At any rate, if one wants to go into safety deposit box work it might be worth it, but for a hobbyist it is very pricey for such a niche topic. A hobbyist might get further by buying $40 worth of lever locks and learning about them firsthand. Picked up a used safety deposit lock myself at a junk store several months ago for $3, although having this book at the time would helped to figure out a nuance of the lock (it was a single nose lock that used a prep key that was missing). A used copy of this book showed up on eBay for not much money last month and that might be the best approach to acquiring the book.
