locked out mills machines!!

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locked out mills machines!!

Postby mrvito » Wed May 06, 2015 4:41 pm

i have a 59 mills high top in which i have misplaced the keys to the original lock i also have a 38 1/4 top bursting cherry in which i have the key to the original lock but it is jammed what to do? i have treid the local locksmiths but they cant open them with out drilling them out? no amount of lubricant will un stick the castle front lock please email me @ junkpartz@aol.com
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Re: locked out mills machines!!

Postby mechanic » Thu May 07, 2015 7:01 pm

To remove the back door without drilling the lock you will need to break the wood base at the groove that the door sits in, unless the last seam is after the cabinet bolts making it a bit easier to crack. Once removed you should be able to pull the door bottom a couple inches out. Use a flashlight and a long metal shaft or screw driver to release the bonnet latches so the bonnet and door come off together. Now lay the door flat and carefully remove the lock backing plate, once loose the lock should fall off and release the bonnet. Beats drilling and you can repair the wood base afterward.
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Re: locked out mills machines!!

Postby Midcoast Vintage » Thu May 07, 2015 7:44 pm

The tip given above can be accomplished WITHOUT breaking the base more often than not.
Many times i have used a heavy screwdriver, or, a small crowbar slipped under the door as near to the center as possible (you can't go dead center due to the lip at bottom center of the door), and, slowly / gently push down, and, 9 times out of 10, you will be able to pop the bottom of the door out of the groove in the wood base.
you should then be able to slip your hands and fore arm up inside the machine, and with a little wiggling back and forth, work the bonnet latches toward you, and, remove the back door and bonnet without damaging anything.
DO NOT force anything, as you do not want to put pressure on the pin from the top casting that goes into the bonnet.
If you ever have to break into a gooseneck, you can break the reel glass, and go in with a long screwdriver between the reels and unscrew the screws holding the lock plate and lock on to the back door.
glass is cheaper than a lock.
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Re: locked out mills machines!!

Postby JPCass » Sat May 09, 2015 7:46 am

I'm not a really experienced slot guy, but I have a lot of experience getting apart rusted and frozen equipment by drilling out fasteners, and occasionally even getting into something past a lock....

On the older Mills Silent machines that I've worked on, my first thought would be to drill out the bolts that hold the front castings on - or more specifically, drill the heads dead-center (achieved by making a starting hole with a pointed chisel, maybe after filing a little spot flat) with a drill larger than the bolt diameter, until the bolt head came off, and then punching the bolts into the case - and then it seems to me the castings should come right off, and you should have access to finish the job. Along the lines of what was mentioned previously, those bolts, though they're probably originals, are still easier to replace than an original lock.

It's not as clear to me, partly since it's been a long time since I've tried to take the sides off a case (though I will again soon, on my Extraordinary restoration), but I think there may be bolts or screws you could drill the heads off on the bottom of the case, and that would allow you to loosen or remove the base enough to get the bottom of the door out. Or am I wrong about that?

Good Luck,




JP
Restored Mills 5c Extraordinary "barn find", long gone - now restoring 1934 5c Extraordinary Gold Award with original World's Fair reel strips
Restoring early Mills 5c Firebird (large coin view window)
About to take on a Mills 5c Vest Pocket
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