Cleaning an old Diebold Safe lock

Tear down and cleaning of an old Diebold safe lock

[@bigmike7352]

Do you have a pic of the front of the safe? I have one of these trying to brake in. Lost combo. Lol

[@detornodoes]

Sorry, the safe was at the customer's location and I did not take video or photos on site for their privacy.

[@alanevans5353]

what kind of cleaner do you use for this? is a break cleaner acceptable or would that be too harsh for the brass? I have an old safe that I would like to clean myself. I also have gun cleaner that might be gentler if that would work, or would I need to buy a specific cleaner for it? additionally do I need to lubricate the mechanism at all?

[@detornodoes]

I would say the gun cleaner would be your cleaner of choice. What I was using was similar to the PTFE version of WD40. Do not use regular WD40 as it doesn't dry and will attract dirt. If you use gun cleaner you can then take some gun oil 1-2 drops on a clean rag and a quick wipe. You want just a slight film on the wheels, not a lot of lube is required. Depending on what type of set up you have, it might be a hand change, if it is be careful that you don't push the center section out, unless you want to change the combination. If it is a key change you can be a little rougher with the wheels with out fear of accidently changing the combination. (future video) ****Once clean and reassembled test the combination with the safe open several times before ever closing the safe.**** Once you are satisfied that the combination is working correctly close the door and test one last time before walking away.

[@alanevans5353]

Thanks for the feedback! I've got another question. The backmost tumbler is a little damaged, and bent about a 16th of an inch at the gap. Is that something that I need to replace, or will it be okay as long as I'm not too rough with it?

[@detornodoes]

If it is damaged, I would not run it. If it is an antique, parts will be hard to find as well as expensive. Something modern just replace. Or you could try to find something similar on Facebook marketplace, people sell them cheap or give them away just to get the heavy boat anchor out of their way.

[@jimmyrock9257]

What spray cleaner did you use?

[@detornodoes]

What I liked to use is no longer made, so I used a WD product. You want to use a dry lube product.

[@jesserodriguez639]

Hello sir, i have that not so modern lock lol. Was wondering if you know if slot on drive cam is fairly square? Mine has a angle on slot and having hard time to engage.

[@detornodoes]

Yes it should be fairly square. There may be some rounding of the edges but there should not be a taper. If the drive is failing I would not recommend keeping it in service as drilling the safe is much more work than fixing it while open. If you know a machinist, they might be able to make one or braze material on to repair yours for you or you might find a donor lock some where on the internet. ( I don't have a source for repair parts) If parts are worked on or replaced make sure you test the combo, with the safe door open, several times to make sure it is working correctly before closing the door!

[@jesserodriguez639]

@@detornodoes thank ,you there there is a large taper . I tried brazing to no avail. Can’t find much on this locks.

[@detornodoes]

I have never attempted to braze , however, it should only be brass or bronze. The wheel pack that I had showed was taken out of service due to several of the flys being cracked and not consistently dialing correctly. I was able to very gently dial it open one last time and prevented having to drill the safe.

[@jesserodriguez639]

@@detornodoes I did it I brazed a piece and squared gate, only thing is now is it is off by 3 digits. I set all wheels to 40 but have to land on 43 to open. Any input would b great. Thank you so much. Glad I found you. You steered me in n right direction

[@detornodoes]

So since you stated that you set the number to 40, I am assuming that you have a center change lock ( where you pop the center out and put the tick mark on the number that you want) vs a lock that needs to a change key. I find that they rarely are accurate. If it is a center change you could just move the tick make it work for 40 or just have the combo work with 43 or you could attempt to adjust your braze to land on the correct number. Again make sure that the safe dials consistently to retract the bolts before you ever close the door and lock it!!

[@oldfarthacks]

On some future video, can you show how the combination change happens inside the wheels. Can one of the wheels be taken apart to show that action?

[@detornodoes]

I can with a more modern lock as well as the wheel pack that I had shown when I was showing the difference in size. I did not have a key for the old diebold.

[@chompnormski]

I grinded down a long Allen wrench in the shape of the letter “D”. Dialed the combo, put the tool in through the wheel holes (from the back) twisted the tool 90’ maybe (which unlocked the wheels) dialed a new combination and then twisted the tool back to its original location. Wa-lah, combo changed!

[@detornodoes]

@@chompnormski That is one way to do it. If you shape your home made key wrong or turn it too far or not far enough, you run the risk of damaging the wheel pack. If it is your own lock I say have at it; but for me, with a customers property, I would not risk it.