Handle for a 1920 Mosler safe

[parishadmin]

https://ibb.co/C7y0kf4
https://ibb.co/BtThqDD

We had a break-in. The thieves tried to get into our 1920 Mosler with no success BUT they did break off the black handle and the bolt securing it to the safe door. Anyone know where I can purchase a replacement Mosler safe handle in the USA?

See photos at links above.

Appreciate your help.

newbie to the group.

[00247]

If the threaded part of the handle threads into the handle base then I would remove the broken off part and thread what you have left back in if it is not bent. It looks like there are enough threads left. To remove that piece, it can be drilled and an easy out used or better yet, place a larger nut over it and use a MIG welder to tack the nut to the piece through the hole in the nut. Then simply wrench it out.

If the end is bent on the handle one should be able to straighten it with some heat and creative persuasion.

Is that handle all one piece? Some have the hex piece so that it slides over the threads with a decorative nut on the end.

[Squelchtone]

l like 00247's suggestion to repair that part.

Mosler went out of business in 2000, and even then that handle was already an 80 year old part, not exactly something they had right on the shelf to sell someone

There is no place these days to just call and buy a replacement handle like that.

If you do not have a local safe technician or welder or handy man, you could probably send the handle assembly to this person to repair it for you or machine some replacement parts to match:

http://precisionlockandsafe.net/MachiningSafeRepair.html

You could also go to the Facebook Safe & Vault Collectors group, upload those photos to show them and ask if any of them have a spare handle to sell you. The members there have squirreled away boxes of safe parts over the years, so they're a good resource if someone is looking for a unique part.
https://m.facebook.com/SafeAndVaultCollectors/

Or you can try my personal favorite, hang out on ebay for a few months looking for a spare handle. Sometimes they pop up for sale, but you may end up in a bidding war and pay hundreds of dollars for a rare safe part.
I found a similar looking handle that no one purchased, but it is not quite like the one you are looking for:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/384792284581/

Good luck,
Squelchtone

[bitbuster]

If the threaded part of the handle threads into the handle base then I would remove the broken off part and thread what you have left back in if it is not bent. It looks like there are enough threads left. To remove that piece, it can be drilled and an easy out used or better yet, place a larger nut over it and use a MIG welder to tack the nut to the piece through the hole in the nut. Then simply wrench it out.

If the end is bent on the handle one should be able to straighten it with some heat and creative persuasion.

Is that handle all one piece? Some have the hex piece so that it slides over the threads with a decorative nut on the end.

How about the central Minnesota safe parts hoarder you made a visit to a while back? I know you had your own agenda when you made that trek but did you perhaps see anything similar? I realize there was a lot to take in. I can't find his number. Maybe pass it along to parishadmin. Just a thought.

[GWiens2001]

l like 00247's suggestion to repair that part.

Mosler went out of business in 2000, and even then that handle was already an 80 year old part, not exactly something they had right on the shelf to sell someone

There is no place these days to just call and buy a replacement handle like that.

If you do not have a local safe technician or welder or handy man, you could probably send the handle assembly to this person to repair it for you or machine some replacement parts to match:

http://precisionlockandsafe.net/MachiningSafeRepair.html

You could also go to the Facebook Safe & Vault Collectors group, upload those photos to show them and ask if any of them have a spare handle to sell you. The members there have squirreled away boxes of safe parts over the years, so they're a good resource if someone is looking for a unique part.
https://m.facebook.com/SafeAndVaultCollectors/

Or you can try my personal favorite, hang out on ebay for a few months looking for a spare handle. Sometimes they pop up for sale, but you may end up in a bidding war and pay hundreds of dollars for a rare safe part.
I found a similar looking handle that no one purchased, but it is not quite like the one you are looking for:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/384792284581/

Good luck,
Squelchtone

That handle you found on eBay looks like the correct handle to me, Squelchtone.

Gordon

[Squelchtone]

That handle you found on eBay looks like the correct handle to me, Squelchtone.

Gordon

It's super close, some minor differences where the handle meets the chrome part.. is it me or is that a key hole in the front of it for locking it out by disengaging it from the part that goes into the safe door?

Might be worth reaching out to the seller and use it for spare parts, but I think like 002247 said, the original one looks repairable, the Bakelite on the ebay one looks in rougher shape.

Squelchtone