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8 Attachment(s)
Mosler Vault Restoration
Does anyone have suggestions on who to contact to on the east coast to restore these Mosler vault doors? In addition, does anyone have suggestions on removal and installation at another location. Is there anything I can do to by myself now to begin to remove the rust without damaging the vaults?
Thank you,
Cordell
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Naval jelly is probably your best bet to remove the rust. It is a preparation of phosphoric acid combined with an agent to make it stick to the metal. Just follow the instructions on the tin.
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vault door
The scale of the rust looks to be very heavy. If you can chip the rust off and there is a mark or more rust that's problem. If you want i look at the door if it's in my area. Enjoy Tim
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Try to find a company that does soda blasting (like sand blasting but more gentle). Such a company did fine work for the Kansas City Public Library.
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Good suggestion by wylk. The quality of the metal will determine the final out come. If the metal has pitted it will be difficult for the finish to be as original so some compromises may have to be accepted. A test in a few inconspicuous spots with a 3M EXL wheel in #2 fine in a cordless drill will reveal what the surface will be like and what might be accomplished.
High quality metal can be resurrected quite well but it is a labor intense project for one with deep pockets (if hired out) or iron will and stupidity (me). A project of that scale... aye-yi-yi!
Which brings up the question. What products did the safe/vault manufacturers recommend for maintaining the surfaces to prevent rust. What modern products do you guys in the trade use? Of course, stable temperature and humidity are key also.
Even the rust on this door project was challenging and took many days.
https://www.antique-locks.com/images...7/smd6qw-1.jpg
https://www.antique-locks.com/images.../2n16pfd-1.jpg
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It is a shame as the corrosion on them does look to be pretty bad.
The potential end results are down to the achievable surface finish on the steel depending how bad the flaking/pitting is as Tim says, and has little to do with the actual quality of the metal.
Whereas the surface finish will dictate the end result for painting and especially when electro-plating, those old doors and frames weren't generally electro-plated, painted or lacquered like the safes, and they usually got extra special 'finish attention' so that 'what you see' really is 'what you get'.
If the intentions are for static display only, then that should make things far easier for you, and lend more options, as they could be blasted/ground etc and then lacquered, or painted, but that's if they don't need to be operational, ie the doors not being forced tightly into the frames by the pressure/clenching mechanisms, the action of which will abrade applied paints or finishes.
I guess you're not really going to know properly until you get stuck in and establish just how bad that corrosion is.