old Marvin Safe

What is your interest? Are you a do it yourselfer, or are you in the trade?

I have just purchased this old safe. curious about it, like to change combo. not in the trade but enjoy varied interest.

thanks Lyleb

I'd suggest calling a safe and vault man to change the combo, and check for wear. I've done a bunch of safe changes -- and I've also gotten called several times to figure things out when someone else locked himself out of a safe.

Seriously, this isn't the kind of thing to learn over the internet. It can be done, and if you're super duper lucky you might get away with it. But it's quite a risk. Why risk getting locked out of your own safe?

Seconded. "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand." Pay someone to (a) do an inspection and preventative maintainance so you know it's starting in good condition and (b) teach you how to do a combo change (assuming it's a key-change lock; if you have to ask, I don't think you're ready to deal with a hand-change lock).

Good investment.

hey, its a NICE safe,,, however, if you goof, this is like doing surgery on yourself..wuups.. goofs can be a real hassle..

and in some cases, you 'might' do as you want, and it actually worked, for a few times... but, if it did fail then, when you have to call someone to come drill and repair, all your 'good deal' is gone out the window.

--Shiva--

none that I know that you can buy being a member of the 'public' tho.

--Shiva--

If your lock is the old Yale with 3 brass wheels attached to the backing plate and driver attached to spindle which is R L R L till stop to open which usually has a silver dial: Then as soon as you take off the backing plate which is steel or iron you will see that the wheels are lightly pressed to the hub(s) each hub has teeth and notches that correspond to teeth and notches in the wheel. The wheels are clearly marked with numbers and hash marks. Each hub has a hash mark. To change the combo align the hash mark on the hub with the numbers/hashmarks on the wheel. The hubs are retained to the stationary center post by a snap ring. Remove the snap ring and take apart the wheel pack paying attention to how it all goes. The wheels are lightly pressed to the hubs take care not to mar them or bend them up when you remove them from the hubs. The best method will be to support the wheel around it's entire circumference and gently tap the hub out with a non-maring tool which preferable will contact it around it's circumference. The rearward most wheel in the lock i.e. the one closest to the backing plate is the first one dialed. The wheel closest to the front of the lock and the driver i.e. farthest from the backing plate is the last one dialed. This is a simple durable lock BUT try the combo at LEAST 3 or

4 times before closing the door. If ANYTHING doesn't seem right find out what the problem is BEFORE you lock the safe.

It's a hand change lock. If it's the one I'm thinking of he probably has not taken the back cover off or he would have already figured it out.

Others have given you some of the info you need. But as a part-timer/high-end hobbyist myself, safework is one of the things I Really Hesitate to recommend most amateurs attempt without some hands-on training, simply because the consequences of making a mistake are so expensive.

I'm willing to tackle safework, but I know where the pitfalls are and I know what my limitations are, and I'm *EXTREMELY* cautious about it. (A job which would take a pro fifteen minutes may take me an hour and a half as I sanity-check ever single step.)

If you want to go for it, do so. But please DO take the advice about blocking the door so there's absolutely no chance of it closing while you're working on the lock, and testing the new combination repeatedly (and having anyone else who's going to know it try it, as a cross-check that you aren't just making a consistant mistake) before you remove that barrier and close the door.

And as I said, I honestly believe this is something which is best demonstrated the first time, and that it's worth considering having someone do a preventative maintainance pass on the lock if you don't know how old it is and when it was last inspected. (Parts can fail over time, and it's a lot easier to fix them BEFORE they cause a lockout...) Others may feel differently, of course.

This is the info I was looking for. Thank you very much for taking the time to pass it to me. do you have any suggestion on where (internet or book)to find info and parts on older safes? I would like to get specs for this safe.

Thanks Again Lyleb

One thing I forgot to add here is that as I recall the hubs are designed to be pushed loose toward the numbered/hashmarked side of the wheel i.e. push the hub out from the back side of the wheel toward the front. There is a groove cut around the outer circumference of the hub into which a retainer fitted into the inner circumferance of the wheel engages to keep the assembly pressed together. It's designed to come apart and go together only one way. The back side of the hub is chamfered. Hand pressure should actually be adequate to push it apart so try that before you try to tap it out if you tap it apart do so gently it doesn't take much force if you are doing it the right way. Sorry for the omission it's been awhile since I have worked on one of these old locks.

Do you have a model number or any additional information on the safe?

For books and general parts you might want to check ebay and similar sources.

Also when you change the combo do NOT forget to put the brass washers back in the wheel pack. They are held stationary between hubs by the center post. Failure to put these back in WILL cause a malfunction/lockout when the wheels/hubs drag one another out of position as the combo is being dialed. You also might want to clean and lightly grease the contact surfaces. The type of grease is not critical on these so long as it's light weight. Use only a little bit so you don't attract dirt to the mechanism. Keep it only on the contact areas. You don't want a blob of grease bridging the gap between wheels and causing one to drag the other.

the only #'s I can find are painted in gold on right door they are "51399" under that is "322 1/2" outside dims. are 3'd x 5'w x 6'tall it's massive! This is a double door safe, with inner plate doors, then pie safe and lockers, and locking drawers. The inside is ornate with paintings and gold leaf all around, the outside has 2 coats of paint over original.can't wait to see what's under there. your info has been very helpful.

thanks again

the only #'s I can find are painted in gold on right door they are "51399" under that is "322 1/2" outside dims. are 3'd x 5'w x 6'tall it's massive! This is a double door safe, with inner plate doors, then pie safe and lockers, and locking drawers. The inside is ornate with paintings and gold leaf all around, the outside has 2 coats of paint over original.can't wait to see what's under there. your info has been very helpful.

thanks again