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Thread: Yale time lock

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Default Yale time lock

    Yale & Towne time locks are often mounted with rubber washers to help isolate any shock from closing the safe door from affecting the time escapements. The rubber washers are always flattened, hard, and dried out. If one is replacing a missing time lock they are often missing when a replacement is found.

    I searched long and hard for a suitable replacement but they always seemed to be the wrong size or thickness. I finally stumbled upon a vibration isolating product for the sound industry that was exactly what I was looking for. The ISOLATE-IT! brand product is a Sorbothane material that seems to be somewhere between rubber and silicone and comes in different densities (Duro) depending on need. I chose the 1” OD x .450 ID x 70 Duro which are .190 thick. While a slightly smaller outside diameter, once the time lock bolts are tightened they squeeze out to near the original size. The thickness ends up very close also, my time locks lined up perfectly.

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    Both my Mosler safes were missing time locks and each used the Yale & Towne Triple L model. There are a number of different designs of the Triple L and both Moslers used the style that has the snubber bar that connects to the safe door linkage that comes out the left side near the rear of the case. There are two styles of this time lock that have the keyhole for the door cover in different locations. The earlier style has the keyhole at the top right of the door. My 1891 Mosler Screw Door double door used this style.

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    The later style has the keyhole on the lower right side of the door. My 1915 Mosler Screw door has this style.

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    I am not sure when Yale made this change in design but I have found the same to be true in other safes that were similar in age to mine. When I found my time locks I had 2 with the keyhole on the lower right and only one with the keyhole at the top, opposite of what I needed so the double door had a mismatched set.
    Recently, an earlier Yale with the keyhole at the top turned up on Ebay. In nice condition, with the original time escapements in numerical order, in running condition, and with the original door key and winding key. A nice find.

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    Another thing to keep in mind is that Yale time locks use an odd bolt for mounting. It has 16 threads per inch (TPI) but has an odd diameter. A standard 3/8 bolt uses 16 TPI but the Yale bolt is just under 7/16 in size. It is best to find a time lock that has the bolts included or some would have to be made. Here is a standard 3/8 bolt on the left with the Yale bolt on the right.

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    Today I changed out the incorrect time lock on the double door so that gave me a chance to take some pictures of the rubber washers. Hopefully it will help out someone else wondering what to use.

    The 1891 Mosler Screw Door double door now has it's final piece in place.


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    Last edited by 00247; 13-02-18 at 03:27 AM.

  2. #2
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    Default

    I bet those new washers will last several lifetimes.

  3. #3
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    I'm a little skeptical of the utility of the rubber washers protecting the time lock from slamming the door. In this case the door stops suddenly and the momentum of the time lock wants to keep it going inwards but it is restrained by the bolt heads which are fairly solidly screwed into the door itself. The washer does nothing in this case except perhaps damp out subsequent rebound and oscillations.

    On the other hand if somebody tries to blow the door with explosives attached to the door face, the door (and the safe) will very suddenly be driven backward. Here, the time lock and case will be driven against the inside face of the door (or more accurately the door will be driven towards the time lock) and the rubber washers can absorb the impact and redistribute it as a lesser impact over a longer time period (milliseconds).

    So it seems these would be more anti-dynamite measures than door-slamming protection.

    Or, are there also washers between the bolt heads and the inside of the case?

  4. #4
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    A little more info on the way the time lock is cushioned against both situations. The internal table, that the time movements are mounted on, has compression springs on the table mounting studs, both fore and aft of the table. An interesting anti dynamite 1880's? patent I ran across had the time lock set up in such a way, that the concussion force would reposition the time lock case to block the boltwork itself.

  5. #5
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    Here are a couple pictures showing the suspension system Doug mentioned inside the Yale time lock. The slotted thumb screw centers the assembly between the two springs when tightened.

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    I would guess the cushion washers on the mounting bolts give a little extra protection. When one considers the weight of the Mosler screw doors (about 500 lbs each on the double door), how easily they swing on the large crane hinge, and how easily they can be bumped onto the door jamb or inner threads when the operator does not align the door properly, any help for shock control is welcome. With the door opened daily or multiple times a day when in service at a bank, that adds up to a lot of potential jolts to the safe. The doors also clunk quite a bit when the closing rotation is started and the threads initially mesh. By the looks of the beat up threads and door jamb it would seem carelessness was the order of the day.


    I mentioned the odd bolt that is used for mounting the Yale time lock. I didn't have much to do today so I made one on the lathe. My machining skills are improving and it turned out great. The new one is on the right with the original in the center. Note the left bolt is a bit shorter. It is from the National safe which does not use the isolation washers under the time lock because the time lock is connected directly to the combination lock assembly and both are bolted solid to the door.

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    Last edited by 00247; 14-02-18 at 03:57 AM.

  6. #6
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    I am reminded of the rubber grommets used when fixing a glass plate. I suppose any cushioning has got to be an advantage.

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