Milner strongroom door.

Gregdownunder

Hi all,
I hope I have come to the right place to ask a couple of questions .
I have a fullsize Milner strongroom door which I think came out of an old post office or sum such.
I do not have a key however I removed the back panel and the lock so getting a key cut should not be a problem.
The void behind the door was empty of its fire retardant and had been painted in some sort of black creosote ,presumably to stop rust.
The lock was gummed up and a little rusty however it has cleaned up nicely.
Can someone confirm its a type B lock?
It has a few markings which I have photos of, do these mean anything?Date?
Not sure if the door has a serial number too but I have yet to find one.
It has 8 levers if that matters.

The second question relates to the actual door itself.
When it was removed from its brickwork the frame has been bent somewhat out of shape.
It should straighten ok however this would be a lot easier if the door was removed from the frame first.
It has large single pins top and bottom which appear to be part of the door.
These pins fit into a large boss on the bottom and top of the frame.
As it appears these bosses are riveted on only do you think it possible to grind the heads off the rivets and possibly remove one?
This would then allow the door to be removed,reinstallation could be done with a spot of weld and once the door is concreted in place there is no way it could be taken off again.
I can take pictures of the door if that would help.

Thanks in advance,

Greg.

Dean Nickel

Pictures of the door will always help. Welcome aboard.

Gregdownunder

Right,
Picture one shows the riveted boss,two and three the housing for the pin which is attached to the front of the door.
Pic four shows the twist in the frame.
Another option would be cut around the pin housing,but I am not sure if the pin is attached to this of the door proper.

Doug MacQueen

Greg, yes you could remove the rivets with a die grinder and cutting burr but I don’t think that is the way to go. It looks more like a job for a large oxy-acetylene torch. If the areas that are out of square can be identified, they can be heated to a bright cherry red and straightened. Not a simple job but definitely do-able. You might want to hire a professional welder to do the heating if you are unfamiliar with this type of job. Doug

Doug MacQueen

PS. And while you have the torch there the rivets could burned out if you want. Doug

Gregdownunder

OK, I have managed to straighten the frame other than a small amount of twist which can be taken out when installing it,thanks for the advice.
I have found the number AG4795 on the top of the frame(same as the lock minus the “B” prefix) and the number 13813 on the top of the frame but to the left.
Would I be correct in assuming the door was made in 1890?

Thanks,

Greg.