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help with a round door Mosler

Forgot how to dial the combination on that old safe? Think you got the right numbers but the handle is stuck? What safe should you buy? Ask your safe questions here!
Forum rules
You are posting this in This Old Safe, a public area of the forum.

Safe manipulation discussion is allowed, but safe drilling or other destructive entry is only allowed in the Advanced - Safes and Safe Locks area.

If you are a guest of the forum and have a safe you need to open, but you do not have the combination, we cannot tell you how or where to drill it.

help with a round door Mosler

Postby guffey-426 » 27 Jun 2020 18:04

I recently got this round door Mosler. It has been a derelict barn safe since 1965 when it was retrieved from a bank basement. the dial is missing and the front plate in the door is broken. It is quite rusty. I wondered if anyone here has been able to open one of these in this condition. I will try to post photos but am pretty worthless when it comes to this.
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby GWiens2001 » 27 Jun 2020 18:15

Without pictures, we can't really advise anything as we would be unsure of what model you are specifically referring to.

If you look at the dark blue buttons to the left of your screen, second group down (Lock Picking Information), the second button down in that group is How to Upload/Attach a Pic. That should help you. :wink:

Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby Safecrackin Sammy » 27 Jun 2020 18:29

It is not unusual on a lug door to pop the dial and remove the crane to get down to the actual door in a penetration attack opening.

Its not something a novice would do, but a few pics would help for guidance on how to proceed.
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby guffey-426 » 27 Jun 2020 18:38

I am having trouble creating an Imgur account I actually sent some photos to Squelchtone last evening and he said he can post them tomorrow I
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby guffey-426 » 3 Jul 2020 17:17

I thought I would add some information. I also will try again to register with the photo host site I ended up disassembling the door and it was rusted fast. I finally got it broken loose and reassembled the door. the serial number is 1653 If some one wants to give me an email that can post the photos I will send them, I am not sure what happened to Squelchtone? I will need some parts to put a lock back on it.
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby guffey-426 » 3 Jul 2020 17:49

Image not sure I did correctly
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby guffey-426 » 3 Jul 2020 17:59

Image with door unstuck and reassembled I wonder if the broken part that holds the lock might be available?
Last edited by guffey-426 on 3 Jul 2020 18:12, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby guffey-426 » 3 Jul 2020 18:11

Image I thought I would add this photo it is open and I have the combination
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby GWiens2001 » 3 Jul 2020 19:04

Any broken parts will need to be made by a machinist. Doubt anybody stocks those.

For that safe you pictured first, have a friend who had one of those in his safe shop. It was an amazing piece of engineering. Too bad the one in your pictures is so rusted.

Gordon
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby guffey-426 » 3 Jul 2020 19:21

Image here is a photo of the number stamped on the door that number seems to be on most of the parts the broken lock mount is what looks like cast iron The rest is pretty good except for the paint could you guess the age
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby GWiens2001 » 3 Jul 2020 21:05

It goes back further than the list I have available., but my list is incomplete.

Gordon
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby 00247 » 3 Jul 2020 22:50

What you have there is a large frame Mosler Screw Door Bank Safe. It could date as early as the 1880's to the early 1900's. The number you displayed is the "body" or production number. All door parts and body parts will be stamped with that number as all parts are hand fit and needed to be kept as a set. The true serial number would be stamped on a nickle plated dome (seems to be missing) that would be mounted on top of the center door pivot. That number could be looked up in the Mosler serial number ledger which would tell the manufacturing year.

The front "trap" door that is broken had the combination lock mounted to it. That is a cast piece which could be repaired if you have the other piece. The lock is a Yale/Mosler 5H friction fence lock that is unique to that safe design. The lock only locks the trap door and moves a bolt into the rotating inner assembly. Easily defeated by simply disassembling the door cover, if you know where to find hidden fasteners. The true security of the safe is in the interior time lock which is a Yale Triple L three movement piece. The door and body of the safe are made from laminated burglar proof steel which is drill and explosion proof. That along with the tight wedging screw door made it resistant to nitroglycerin attacks.

The external rust is not a problem. To restore the safe it will need to be blasted anyway. The big plus about it is the door threads and inner threads are in good condition. Those are the hardest parts to refresh if rusted. Most of the original graphics can be made out and could be replicated. That design is common among Mosler screw doors.

I previously documented the restoration on a similar safe although it was a double door model on keypicking.com. Unfortunately, that thread has lost all pictures since the tinypics.com hosting site was discontinued. If you need detailed information you can inquire through this thread or by a private message. Ya gotta love those old Mosler Screw Door Safes.

Image

Image
You call that a safe? Let me show you a real safe...
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Re: help with a round door Mosler

Postby GWiens2001 » 3 Jul 2020 23:01

Beautiful restoration job. Looks incredible!

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