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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    72
    Country: Italy

    Default My new old BAUCHE safe

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    20160905 074559 zpsxraix22x 1


    Today I bought an old BAUCHE safe at an antique shop. It was not cheap but I haven't seen another one like it. I've seen combo locks like this in a book or website but never in person. It works like a charm and has the two original keys.


    Cheers :)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    1,754
    Country: Wales

    Default

    That's a beauty femurat, always loved those compact sized French safes. Between Fichet and Bauche and their amalgamation theres many versions over the years, I could never understand why our British manufacturers never offered something similar. They crop up for sale on the continent but rarely seen here in the uk.

    Incidentally Fichet Bauche continued to make a 'modern version' like your safe right up until recently, called the 'Richelieu'.
    They had an M2b keylock and a modernised 3 gear version of the combination like yours has. Looked just like a modern version of it but with 3 gear tubes on the door instead of 4, and of course they were without the fancy escutcheons!

    From memory they carried the French a2p rating, and were offered alongside the euro rated Carina's and Karat's etc. they were finally discontinued when they introduced the 'Complice'.

    Great to see an old pre FB model like yours and it looks good condition too, got to be a good find that.
    i bet you will also have fun pulling it apart if you haven't already started on it! :-)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    72
    Country: Italy

    Default

    Hi Max,

    thanks for the comment and info. I'm quite busy right now but I plan to disassemble the lock to see how it works. I'll post pictures when I do it.

    Cheers :)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    72
    Country: Italy

    Default

    20160915 190756 zpsfkifzhwj 1


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    So while I wait to have time to move it into the house and disassemble the lock, I went ahead and measured the safe. It's 43 cm wide, 29 cm deep and 26 cm high. I put it on my bathroom scale and I thought it may break it! It didn't. It was not easy to see the indicator but seemed between 60 and 65 kg.


    Enjoy a few more pictures ;-)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    42
    Country: United States

    Default

    Much better pics on this forum

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    1,754
    Country: Wales

    Default

    Looks great from the door shots- is the lower (bottom) locking bolt chamfered with a latch action?

    That was a nice feature found on certain Bauche and Fichet models, yet another one that British makers never adopted!

    In a commercial environment it's actually a very useful feature to have. Fichet-Bauche continued it on certain models- even on relatively big cash safes like the Chatel and Enterprise until at least the late 1980's.
    extremely useful in busy cash handling offices where the safe is constantly being accessed and the full 'lock up' isn't needed until close of day.

    Often wondered who came up with the idea first!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    72
    Country: Italy

    Default

    Yes, the lower locking bolt has a latch action. It's a useful feature.

    My guess on why it didn't spread is because it can cause a lockout. You know, many people store the second key inside the safe, and temporary put the key inside the safe while it's open. If you accidentally close the door, you can no longer open it since all of your keys are inside the safe.

    Cheers :)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Bulgaria
    Posts
    686
    Country: Bulgaria

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    There should be a toast at every meeting of locksmiths to "The man who keeps his spare key in the safe. Long may he continue to do so". They provide work for locksmiths throughout the land.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    72
    Country: Italy

    Default



    Finally I had time to dig out the safe from the garage. Here I am dialling it open for the last time before disassembling it. Now the locks are on my work bench and the body is at a car body shop. I got quoted 250 euro to get it sanded, primed and painted medium grey.
    I'll disassemble and clean the locks myself, but decided to leave the paint job to a professional.

    Cheers :)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Devon UK
    Posts
    3,117
    Country: UK

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Huw Eastwood View Post

    That was a nice feature found on certain Bauche and Fichet models, yet another one that British makers never adopted!
    Often wondered who came up with the idea first!
    George Price had the models which were latch locking, where the lock was mounted in the frame and the handle too of course.

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