Restoration of a Diebold Banker's safe style "E"

[Jerzy]

I recently acquired a Diebold safe with a time-lock door and two small combination vaults inside. I presume the safe dates from about the 1890's. All mechanical components including the triple timer, work perfectly. The exterior is obviously quite aged but the original pin-striping and gold leaf is still quite beautiful. My question is: is restoration generally recommended, or is the original patina a more desirable look to collectors, and for general value.

[00247]

Please post a picture. If the lettering and striping are quite good I would leave it as is unless the rest of the paint is terrible. Nice originals are hard to find. It can take a lot of effort and money to restore one to high standards and few can match the nostalgic aura of an original.

[Jerzy]

Yes, the majority of the paint is quite bad. I will post some pictures when I figure out how. Seems the resolution is too high.
If I decide to restore, I intend to be as accurate as possible to it's period appearance. Nothing worse than a super shiny antique in modern urethane paints. I intend to use acrylic lacquer, which even though newer than the period, and now difficult to come by, will, I think give the best results. I also intend to use a talented pinstripe artist.
Does anyone know what material was used for the door seals on these old safes?
Mostly, I need to find a nickel plating outfit that knows how to replicate and etch the elaborate patterns on some of the brackets and main door wheel.

[Jerzy]

here are some pictures

[Jerzy]

A few more pictures

[00247]

Nice safe! Thanks for sharing pictures.

I would go with a single stage acrylic enamel instead of lacquer. That way you can add a hardener and the paint will be much more durable than a lacquer which tends to be more brittle. With out a clear it will look nearly identical. It will chemically cure and if you want can be color sanded and buffed to get whatever quality finish you desire. I know what you mean when some safes are buried in clear. I still appreciate them as they are beautiful and there is no better way to protect the art work.

On one of my Moslers the metal was etched and then nickel plated. The nickle plating is quite thin and if your pieces have a heavy etch (texture) I would think it is done the same way. Most good automotive chrome shops also do nickel plating and do nice work, though pricey. Hopefully the inside plating will polish up nicely. That safe will be an enjoyable project.

Just be glad you don't have any of this...

[Doug MacQueen]

I know pretty much nothing about painting, but as far as what was used back in the day, there are other areas in which you could check, such as steam engines, early machine tools, etc. On one of the nickel plating jobs I had done, the plating shop did say there was an older type (color wise?) of nickel plating which they could do. Acid etching is something I have been looking into and may try it out this summer with Matt Lamborn, a safe restoration painter. I don't remember the gasket material as being like leather unless it was soaked in something first. Hard to the touch, but not so hard I couldn't dig my fingernail into it. On the varnish, spar varnish would be a possibility.

[Jerzy]

Thank you for the info. All great help. I will continue with my research in those areas.

[00247]

You might enjoy these pictures on Mark Frank's wonderful site...

http://www.my-time-machines.net/diebold_3_movements.htm

[Brian Smith]

Restored one of these once. The seal material is heavy red felt normally. For body work, the filler was water putty. If you go to repaint this thing it has to all come off and be refilled with Bondo. The old stuff will absorb any new finish, and every crack will show, if not immediately, soon. Take no short cuts. The primed wheel carriages make it look funky, so you will have to at least replicate the finish there. The right plater can strip the old off and redo the plating, keeping the etched areas like original. DON'T let them sand or buff it off! Nickel and satin nickel are the best bet, chrome is too automotive. Quick-dry enamel is the closest you will come to original finish. All that artwork is done by hand, find a good pin stripe artist, and use lacquer thinner to take that modern latex off without ruining the original finish... usually. Have fun!