Antique Mosler Safe

[Scubasteve762]

Hello! I got a safe for free with my house and it is open but locked. I am going to refinish it at some point. Does anyone know if this Mosler safe would be 3 or 4 numbers in the combination? Would it be LRLR? I read some other pertinent threads but the back of the door on this one looks different than the others I’ve seen. Not sure what is up with the oddly bent piece of metal holding the silver plate on, others seem to be screwed on there.

[GWiens2001]

The "oddly bent piece of metal" should not be there. It shouild have a screw with a tapered head. It looks like someone pushed a cotter pin into there and bent it over to hold on the back cover of the lock. Pull it out, twisting it counter(anti) clockwise to remove it. If you have the correct tap, clean up the threads, then put in a screw.

With the cover removed, you can see the wheels and components of the lock. Then you work out the combination.

Good luck and congrats on your new safe!

Gordon

[MartinHewitt]

Hi! Behind the cover in the door is the lock. It should be a Mosler lock. The lock has probably a round cover with the wheel pack. You can count the number of wheels when you remove that. The approximate numbers should be marked on the wheels with a fine line. The dialing direction should be (L)RLR. We can tell you more when you show us photos of the lock.

[Scubasteve762]

So far so good, I got the piece of metal out and the lock out. Thanks! Also for a bit of a challenge the combo is written on the bottom of the work bench near it, but it’s encoded somehow.

[Safecrackin Sammy]

Looks like mid 1920's by the serial number.

It would have been a heavy duty safe for its time. Rare to see that many steps in the door/frame.

Nice find!

[MartinHewitt]

I don't know this lock. From the looks the last number should be dialed left.

The L and R should be the dialing direction. The last digits of the four blocks are 4, 3, 2, 1. That could be the position of the number in the combination or the number of rotations. I think the position is more likely, because 4 is L and 1 R. So you could try 5xR to 87, 4xL to 63, 3xR to 42, 2xL to 64 and then R to open. You can also stop after the 64 and remove the wheel pack (curb) to look at the positions of the gates.

You can also look for the mark on the top wheel. If fourth number is 64 there should be a mark at 64 or nearby.

PS: You can also try dialing the other way. 5xL to 64, 4xR to 42, 3xL to 53 and 2xR to 87. Then remove the wheel pack and have a look. Sometimes dialing direction are reverse of the best way.

[Squelchtone]

I would skip trying to decode what's written on the bench and look at each wheel to see where on each wheel the line is pointing, that will tell you the number of the combination.

There should be a clip that pops off the hub or axle the wheels are on, when you can remove the wheels and put them down in the order you took them off. Do not mess up that order.

You can also change the combination at this point, but it may be better to figure out what the wheels are set to and learn how to dial it before making any changes.

Once you get the 4 numbers figured out, let us know and we can write up the directions for dialing it.

watch these 2 videos:




Squelchtone

[Scubasteve762]

[MartinHewitt]

Looks like 5xR to 10, 2xL to 70, R to open. As always you can check the wheel pack after dialling. Depending on how well that lock and dial has been mounted the actually combination can be slightly of.

PS: From the wheel pack I guess it to be an S&G lock.

[Scubasteve762]

Thanks so much, it worked! Now that it’s functioning I can start cleaning it up. It’s a shame the exterior is so bad, I’d love to see what the original pin stripping looked like. I’ve been sanding little spots here and there hoping to find some hints under the black spray paint but no luck yet. Also included a pic of the drilled rivets for the interior lock, I’m hoping to find another one used somewhere.

[MartinHewitt]

Great!

And sorry, I forgot to point out: Always test the locking and unlocking at least five times before closing the safe door!

[MartinHewitt]

Found your lock.

https://keypicking.com/viewtopic.php?p=96617#p96617

[GWiens2001]

Looks like 5xR to 10, 2xL to 70, R to open. As always you can check the wheel pack after dialling. Depending on how well that lock and dial has been mounted the actually combination can be slightly of.

PS: From the wheel pack I guess it to be an S&G lock.

Yes, four wheels, but three numbers are the same number (10).

I find that the numbers on these hand change safes can be slightly off from what the number actually is. But it is usually close.

Gordon

[Safecrackin Sammy]

That thing almost looks like it has been in a fire at one point the way the paint looks.

Keep in mind when refinishing that there probably is lead in the paint on that. Take precautions. And to get it to a smooth finish is going to require a lot of bondo as the steel they used wasnt as finished as what you see now.

I love the smell of bondo.....

[Scubasteve762]

Yes Bondo does smell amazing! Weirdly. Not only is this paint lead but around some of the joints I scraped actual lead filler out. I’m going to use an air sander on a section tomorrow and see how it comes out.