Chubb Detector 6 Lever Safe Lock

[mercury]

I recently acquired the two Chubb locks pictured below & have a few questions about them.

They were rescued (not by me) when a bank branch in Western Australia was closed down & were apparently from a safe. There is one left handed and one right handed lock.

They are obviously 6 Lever Detector locks, but I am curious as to which pattern they are. From what I can see, appear to be the Definitive Patent pattern, but I am no expert!

I am also curious about their age. The fa that they show the 128 Queen Victoria Street address tells me they were made after 1877, when they relocated there from 57 St Pauls Churchyard.

The serial numbers stamped on the bolts are hard to read, however I am certain that one of them reads 1464079 the other is 146?083. From what I understand, this should facilitate dating them.

As is clear from the photos, the locks could do with some cleaning. They are slightly rusted in places & very dry - definitely in need of some lubrication.

I would like to know how I should go about cleaning them. I am not looking to do a big restoration job on them for now, but would like to at least clean away the rust and any debris & then lubricate them.

There is some patchy pale beige(maybe once gold) paint on them, I would like to remove it if possible, or failing that just clean it. If it is quite straightforward, I would like to know how to remove it.

To give an indication of their condition & the degree of rusting, I have shown the one in the worst condition almost totally dismantled.

The lock that is pictured intact is in better condition. There is almost no rust whatsoever.

I collect antique locks, and therefore I will not be selling these locks, however I would be interested in their approximate value. I know that the Chubb Detector locks are collectable, but from what I can ascertain, these are of the most common pattern & nowhere near as rare or sought after as the earlier versions.

Finally, when reassembling the lock, do I put the levers on their post & then try to wrangle the comb of springs into place, or do I secure the springs in place first & then manoeuvre the levers into place - both seem awkward.

The tolerances in them are just amazing, especially the close fit of the gates & fence!

Any information about these locks and help regarding restoration would be much appreciated!

Thankyou,

...Mark