by 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