- MOSLER SAFE MODELS ANTIQUE HOW TO
- MOSLER SAFE MODELS ANTIQUE SERIAL NUMBERS
- MOSLER SAFE MODELS ANTIQUE CRACK
If the paint is too plain or worn out to be attractive, they can be restored or customized to suit your taste.Ī small antique safe could be your adult version of a piggy bank, or a visible reminder of that special savings goal. There are both key and combination lock models.įinding small antique safes for sale with good original paint is difficult so they don’t sell cheap. Some units have real wheels underneath, some have fake wheels, some have little feet and some sit flat on the ground. Several have handles on top so maybe a poor salesman did have to lug them around on a regular basis. They typically weigh from about 70 to 100 pounds – a thief could walk away with one, but at least he couldn’t run with it. Some folks claim these are salesman’s samples but most were actually sold to be used for storage of cash and jewelry in a home or office. They are too small to be very functional, but cute as decorations or conversation pieces. Most of these safes are from about 13” to 18” tall. I have been collecting small antique safes for a long time, but I have been informed that it is time to thin out the collection. This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged antique safes, gun safes, Safe locks on Januby Tom Ziemer. If you plan to keep your gun safe, or any kind of safe, in a garage, ask a safe expert for advice. We recommend using a Dry Rod, Golden Rod or even a light bulb inside gun safes to moderate temperature swings. Some kind of heart source inside the old Diebold would have minimized damage by keeping it from getting so cold. Gun vaults left in unheated environments can be damaged the same way. This kind of moisture is also bad for safe locks.
MOSLER SAFE MODELS ANTIQUE CRACK
Just like freezing water trapped in tiny crevasses will crack the surfaces of rocks or concrete, it will crack old paint. But when temps plummeted again the paint was further damaged. That water by itself will slightly damage the beautiful artwork. Warm damp air created so much condensation on the cold safe that water was running down the safe’s surface. Our snow all melted in about two days, making the air very humid. Likewise, when temps quickly warmed up to 55 degrees, it took time for it to warm up again. It took days for this 4000# antique safe to drop completely down to these temps. We recently suffered through a cold snap during which night time temperatures went below zero every night for about a week. Pictured is a beautiful, but very massive, antique Diebold Safe. Got it back out the same way when he moved.Safes and gun safes left in unheated garages or buildings are subject to problems with condensation when weather suddenly warms up. I got a bigger one down in a friend's basement with just two guys after removing the door and using 2x10s on the stairs. Apiece of 3/4" plywood would help distribute weight also. Without the door you should be able to roll it around and if you're worried about floors just put down some 2x10s down to distribute the weight. If there are no bearings just clean and grease the hinges. When putting the door back on simply stick all the balls back on the lower race with clean grease. The door hinges may or may not have little ball bearings in them so put something like a big sheet of paper under the door when you lift it off so you can find all the little balls. The body is basically sheet steel over walls made of steel bars and concrete. This takes a lot of weight off since the door is the only part with thick steel. The little acorn tops on the hinges unscrew easily. Regarding getting it into your house, the door comes off easily just by lifting it up when open.
MOSLER SAFE MODELS ANTIQUE HOW TO
I got mine from a used safe place and the guy taught me how to do it in five minutes. It is easy to open the dial mechanism to change the combination to whatever you like.
MOSLER SAFE MODELS ANTIQUE SERIAL NUMBERS
Note that serial numbers beginning with 30,000 are used on safes being manufactured at Orangeburg, SC and no longer include “dash” numbers.Ĭool safe, looks just like one of mine.
Prior to 1946, the numbers were referred to as “handle” numbers - usually stamped on the handle of the safe. After that there are pretty good records, including original combinations.įrom 1946 through 1989 all serial numbers were suffixed with a dash and an additional number(s) which indicated the number of a specific unit manufactured in that lot group (i.e., 12345-52 = the fifty-second unit built under lot number 12345 during 1956). That means it was made before 1886 and no records remain before 1886. The "Handle Number" on that safe looks like 41685.