Welcome to our world exploring the Historical, Political and Technological aspects of Locks, Keys and Safes

Results 1 to 2 of 2
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    1,485
    Country: United States

    Default Offset Round-Door Bolt Patterns

    Most round vault doors use a bolt pattern that includes bolts that are vertical and horizontal, or 12:00/3:00/6:00/9:00. However there are a few where the pattern has been rotated by a half-bolt; using the clock analogy, instead of one at 12:00 there are two, at 12:15 and 11:45 (for a 24-bolt door), and so on.

    While these are not rare, they are at least unusual. The only maker who seems to have done this a lot is Herring-Hall-Marvin though they made plenty of "conventional-pattern" doors as well. Fichet, Tann, Lips, and even Mosler built some doors with the offset pattern; probably other makers too.

    I don't see any particular advantage for one over the other. With the offset pattern you'd need friction-reducing mechanisms on every bolt; see for example the separate thread "Hollar Round Door Vaults" (http://www.antique-locks.com/showthr...t=bolt+bearing). With the straight-up pattern this is a moot point for 2 of the bolts but they are likely to still scrape a little and lose some of their glamor :-). It may have been a simple matter of convenience so that the operating shaft was at 3:00 (or 9:00), as can be seen in the first and last images below.

    Here is a small gallery of offset doors, most of which have appeared in other threads:

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Savannah GA.jpg 
Views:	23 
Size:	1.28 MB 
ID:	10457Click image for larger version. 

Name:	fichet - vault at the Société Générale on blvd Haussmann 2.jpg 
Views:	18 
Size:	39.1 KB 
ID:	10458Click image for larger version. 

Name:	John Tann Bank of Greece 1933-1935.jpg 
Views:	18 
Size:	74.2 KB 
ID:	10459Click image for larger version. 

Name:	LipsDoor1.jpg 
Views:	17 
Size:	374.9 KB 
ID:	10460Click image for larger version. 

Name:	1963_mdoor.jpg 
Views:	17 
Size:	177.2 KB 
ID:	10461

    As always, comments/observations are welcome.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    1,755
    Country: Wales

    Default

    here's another 2 for ya
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	RVD1.jpg 
Views:	15 
Size:	141.9 KB 
ID:	10465 Click image for larger version. 

Name:	RVD2.jpg 
Views:	15 
Size:	37.6 KB 
ID:	10466

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •