Cast steel safe

[Timbo]

Hi Darryl,
I think the mimimum keysaw blade you can get is 1mm. Anything else will just snap on the pressure of cutting. I have cut many warded keys with these saws and found 1mm is fine for 99% of keys. If you can't get a keysaw, get in touch and will talk about options.
Tim

[Chris Belcher]

That is a nice piece of restoration and key making
SKS, where you got the key blank from, sell Key saws and blades.
Regards

[Russell Stoner]

Hi Darryl

Here's an interjestion re its original make. If by chance the name Carron, or letters CIW are stamped anywhere on the body/door/back pan. then... i have your answer.

CIW stands for Carron Iron Works, of Falkirk, Scotland. Carron took the name from the Carron River. They formed in 1759 & opened their steelworks on 26th Dec 1760. Carron were the largest steel producers in Europe & had a workforce of 2000 men. They were at the backbone of the Railways & shipping industry & used to make short range cannon for the navy. If you've heard of Carronade of cannon, it was said or still may be said when cannon were shot one after the other.
Carrons also made strongboxes between 1820-1880's in the same/similar design to yours.
An image can be seen on www.safeman.org
Carrons eventually went into liquidation in 1982. They still trade today making Taps for kitchens...

Hope you like the history lesson.
Russell
Withy Grove (Leeds) Ltd
t: 0113 2721441
www.wgsafesonline.com

Thank you... That reply was such a great help!

I'm an Engineer and searched for everything I knew of, but key saws! They look like small broaches?!

I Looked under;
Abrafiles
Saw files
Needle Files
Riffler files
Swiss files
Coping saws

Most of which just are not small enough. Struggling to find anything under 1mm

[darryl.k]

Hi Russell,

Thanks for the info, sounds interesting. Unfortunately I have looked every where and there are no markings what so ever. I can only guess going by the rough workmanship that it was just a mass produced generic safe and no one has marked it or bothered to put their name to it, who knows?!?

I did see one on Ebay with a similar style recently and another with an identical escutcheon, but the seller's didn't / couldn't convey any info to help me. So the search is still on.

I have now finished the undercoat and trying to decide on a colour... not too sure what to go for?!?

[Russell Stoner]

Hi Darryl

Stay true to the original colours.

I sold off a dozen of my old safes to a guy up north, i've seen 3 of them on ebay today, they look good...but.. now look like modern safes. Arrrrrgh....

You just cant beat originality!

Regards
Russell
Withy Grove

Any comments guys n gals?

Hi Russell,

Thanks for the info, sounds interesting. Unfortunately I have looked every where and there are no markings what so ever. I can only guess going by the rough workmanship that it was just a mass produced generic safe and no one has marked it or bothered to put their name to it, who knows?!?

I did see one on Ebay with a similar style recently and another with an identical escutcheon, but the seller's didn't / couldn't convey any info to help me. So the search is still on.

I have now finished the undercoat and trying to decide on a colour... not too sure what to go for?!?

[darryl.k]

Russell - I want to go original colours, but I don't know what they were. The green and gloss magnolia paint that was on it, definitely were not original. So I'm going to get the British Standard colour chips out and find some old vintage colours. Green, brown, dark red???

I often look on Ebay and see old safes painted up, I really don't like them. They often say refurbished, although I don't consider a slap of paint in non original colours refurbished. Not to my taste. I hate the thought of the seller just selling them to the scrap metal merchant if they get the money they want for them! Old safes will be a thing of the past if they keep getting scrapped :-(

[Russell Stoner]

Hi Darryl

If the original was a red base colour, i would suggest a sort of brownyred/dirty bergundy for the exterior & a victorian white to its interior. Vick white is like a white with a tinge of cream..

Russell

Russell - I want to go original colours, but I don't know what they were. The green and gloss magnolia paint that was on it, definitely were not original. So I'm going to get the British Standard colour chips out and find some old vintage colours. Green, brown, dark red???

I often look on Ebay and see old safes painted up, I really don't like them. They often say refurbished, although I don't consider a slap of paint in non original colours refurbished. Not to my taste. I hate the thought of the seller just selling them to the scrap metal merchant if they get the money they want for them! Old safes will be a thing of the past if they keep getting scrapped :-(

[NatSafeMatt]

ya can't beat the originals....anything else would be de-facing. Right down to the OIL paintings and 23KT gold leaf gilding...NO DECALS!!!...lol.

[darryl.k]

I have now removed all the paint from the old screws / bolts which hold the inner plate and lock onto the door. They are so roughly made (which is great!) you can see all the old marks where they have been held and formed. Even the heads have been centre punched to denote which hole they go in 1, 2, 3 and 4! The smaller screws hold the lock into the draw.

I cannot match the thread to any standard thread sizes and really wanted to run a tap down the holes to clean them out. I think back then they may of hand cut their own threads; that is another black art that even I would be testing my engineering skills to the limit.

[darryl.k]

I have taken the escutcheon off although unfortunately it is incomplete. This shouldn't be too much of a problem as I shall make the missing brass part that I guess slides up and down?!?

It has very distinctive lines scribed round the edges. I have the spring that pushes the lever back and the original screws to attach it to the front of the safe.

Does any one know what it would of looked like and how the mechanism works? My knowledge is quite poor around escutcheons.