Why 3 Doors/Compartments?

[kwoswalt99]

It looks like a heavy duty icebox.

[bighammer]

It looks like a heavy duty icebox.

It does, but with a combination dial. It's still sort of cool looking. Sort of a different looking safe with the exterior hardware & links. It seems to be more of a decorative thing, since they don't lock. (I don't think) It's a more typical locking bolt inside the door edge that takes care of that.

[wylk]

It seems to be more of a decorative thing, since they don't lock. (I don't think)

You are talking about what is called the pressure system or pressure bars. These are used to force the door into the frame very tightly before locking. This was popular for a long time as a deterrent against burglars dripping nitroglycerine into gaps between the door and frame in the hope of blowing the door open. On good safe and vault doors it even made the door water tight as protection against flooding.

[bighammer]

Aha, very cool. So there is a purpose. Thanks for that info.

Was it a short-lived feature or novelty? I haven't seen many safes that have them.

[wylk]

Was it a short-lived feature or novelty? I haven't seen many safes that have them.

I don't have a good idea of when pressure bars were popular on safes but I think it was a fairly long time. They mostly appeared on "bankers' safes" which were largely for burglar protection rather than fire. Here's a Diebold ad from 1879 --



Pressure systems were very common on vault doors until, perhaps, around the 1960s I think.

[bighammer]

That seems to fit. I was a little surprised when I looked inside this one, that it was just a layer of steel, and not the huge, thick walls of something made to withstand heat. It gives a lot more space inside with thinner walls.

[bighammer]

I might go take another look at it. They're asking $800 for it, and I really don't need another safe. Looking is free, right?

[T Davison]

The safe in question is a Dieblod made around Feb 1 1870 to May 23 1871. The anit-dynamte was made 1885. The dating is done on the lock that I see in the safes. This could have been used inside a bank vault or larger safe as a compartment dividers.
There could be two Peerless models lock used.
1 Anit-Dynamte with this lock you can feel a gear train and hear the gears of the offset system.
2 This lock feels like a normal combo lock with out the gear train feel and sound.
Both of these locks where made around the same time.

[bighammer]

Upper feels normal, lower has a geared feel.

Thanks for the info! I'm picking it up in the morning.


Now, for that 12 step program for impulsive spending on really old, really heavy things....

[bighammer]

Holy cow, it's a lot heavier than the owner said! I could tell right away when I wheeled my floor jack under and pumped it. He said 5 or 600, but it's got to be twice that, easily. He seemed surprised that I showed up alone, but that's how I roll.

Balanced on 2 floor jacks, with his partially crumpled dolly underneath as sort of a stabilizer, we rolled it out into his parking lot. I felt bad that we were hearing ceramic floor tiles shatter as we wheeled it out. He said they were getting replaced at some point, and always covered with a rug.

I got some scraps of wood under and picked it up with my forks. I had a feeling it might be too much in the bed of the truck, so I just strapped it on. I drove the tractor back onto the trailer, then strapped it down. With my Kubota and flat bed trailer, it was a pretty easy move. It will be in my garage for a bit while I work on it. I took off the lower pressure bar to give a bit more space to spin the dial.

Am I crazy to be thinking of polishing (maybe replating) the bright stuff, and an automotive-quality paint job? That's down the road a bit, but I keep picturing a 1st class restoration on this. Maybe I really do need help.