Ely Norris cannonball safe

Texaschilli · 2016-01-06T21:51:35+00:00

6 January 2016 Dear Mr. MacQueen, Thank you for your offer of assistance. I am not a mechanic. I once pulled the heads and did a valve job on my car, but that was a 1973 Levi Gremlin and was 40 years ago. I can field strip an M1 Garand. This is my first and only safe besides a gun safe. I have wanted a cannonball for many years and found this one on Ebay and purchased it from a gentleman in Albuquerque New Mexico. He has several. He included what he said were the original operating instructions that came with the safe. I have followed those directions and set the timeclocks several times with the door open as you suggested. All three clocks run down and the bolt motors retract just fine. Everything appears to work fine. What I am seeking guidance on is how to go about prepping the safe for bead blasting or sand blasting. Can I take the timelock unit out by simply removing the four brass or bronze screws that seem to be securing it? Or will a lot of other parts jump out like the old snake in a can trick? I would also like to take off the bolt tripping lever and the back cover plate of the safe door to paint the door. And on the front the dials slide off the spindles but can I remove the 3 screws holding the plates the dials cover? How much trouble is it to just take the door off entirely? Or is that wise? My main desire is to get the timelock mechanism in a safe place and then get the body of the safe cleaned up. Is “bondo” ok to use as a fairing compound? Thank you for any guidance. Jody Sims a/k/a Texaschilli

Texaschilli

Yes. I said that. My cousin is an amateur photographer. He can never get a divorce or his wife would get all his Nikons.

I have combination change instructions and another page of how to operate bolt lock for yale 361.

The paper is old and dark brown. Hard to make a copy and fragile.

Texaschilli

Doug MacQueen

I don’t have an original copy and don’t remember who I got these from but they should do. Included is the first page of patent drawings for the key change mechanism used in the 101-½. I have been unable to find a patent for the earlier version.

David Hovey

Good stuff Doug! I have a smaller version of this Ely with the 101.5 - Y361 and have been searching for original paper work.

Thank you,

Texaschilli

25 March 2015

Here are cellphone camera photos of a document included with the cannonball safe I purchased.

Can anyone tell me why there are two lock cylinders if the combinations have to be the same? The change key I have fits both lock cylinders.

I also have the bolt motor instructions if anyone is interested.

Texaschilli

25 March 2016

This bolt motor winding key came with my Ely Norris cannonball safe that has a Yale Y361 timelock.

Could anyone tell me if it might by chance be an original Yale key, or where I might get one? It has no markings of any kind.

I would also like to have an original doorkey and clockwinding key. Wish in one hand and . . .

Texaschilli

David Hovey

Texaschilli wrote
25 March 2015

Here are cellphone camera photos of a document included with the cannonball safe I purchased.

Can anyone tell me why there are two lock cylinders if the combinations have to be the same? The change key I have fits both lock cylinders.

I also have the bolt motor instructions if anyone is interested.

Texaschilli

Thanks so much for posting the original Yale lock instructions! I have been looking for those for a long time.

I would enjoy seeing the bolt-motor instructions as well.

My 101-½ utilizes the same change key for both lock cylinders was well. (KA keyed alike) Two wheel packs, hence two lock cylinders. The top and bottom combinations do not have to be the same.

[unknown]

Texaschilli

26 March 2016

Here is a photo of the time lock instruction sheet.

I cannot figure out the part about how to reset the bolt motor spring if the bolts are released with the door open. I can’t find any keyway on the Yale timelock on my safe.

Texaschilli

eubelden

Hello

I am interested on one cannonball safe. I saw you bought one from a person in Albuquerque who have more cannonball safes.

Can you send his contact info? I´ll like to write / call and ask if he want to sell another safe.

thank you

Eugenio

Texaschilli

11 July 2016

I am about half-way through a “restoration” of my Ely Norris cannonball.

I have had trouble with the door being very very difficult to open. Once it rotates a little it is fine, but that first inch or so of movement I have to really bang on the handle and apply a lot of pressure to get the door started.

There is no rust on the locking lugs.

I have removed the cradle / crane from the door and there is no rust there. I can oil it or use a white lithium grease like I use on my M1 Garand when I put the cradle / crane back on the door, but there was no rust when I removed it.

I need some advice on what is binding up the door for the first bit of movement.

Texaschilli

00247

On my cannonball and screw door, the adjustment of the door is critical.Just a touch high or low or side to side (if adjustable on yours) will cause it to bind when it draws tight. The last little bit is always tough anyway as the door is wedging to prevent nitro from being used. Polishing the threads is helpful and a light coating of lube, standard light oil, synthetic, or dry Teflon, will help. No lube until the painting is done!!! A wax for metal tools such as table saws may help also. Again, after paint.

Texaschilli

20 July 2016

I saw instructions on how to adjust an Ely-Norris cannonball door posted some time ago. I cannot locate now.

Does someone remember the name of the thread?

Thanks,

Texaschilli

6 August 2015

I have an Ely Norris cannonball with dual outside locks. Yale 101 ½ I believe. The safe body is number 3393 I believe. The number is on several components.

The timelock is a Yale Y361. The number on the brass door of my safe’s timelock case is 1418. The three clocks are sequentially numbered Y4506, Y4504, and Y4505.

There seems to be a portion of “American Genius” posted online that says the Y361 was manufactured starting about 1908 and that some 3,000 were made of which about 300 survive. That text shows pictures of case No. 991 with movements Y3259, Y3260, and Y3261. It suggests this case is circa 1915 I think if I am reading it right.

Doing the math, my case #1418 is 427 units later so with three locks per unit the range of my clocks would be 4640–4642 so my clocks are about 50 cases out of order.

Can anyone tell me when my safe was made? Am I correct that if could not possibly been manufactured before 1908 as that is the year Yale started making the Y361 movement? And if the American Genius article is correct my safe was made 427 Yale Y361 timelocks after No. 991 circa 1915?

Texaschilli

4 January 2017

I have an Ely Norris cannonball. I have the body all prepped and primed and sanded and ready for paint.

I have the cradle off the door and mostly sanded and primed.

Could any one give me some pointers on the pros and cons of dissembling the cradle or door yoke? And what to look out for and how to take the yoke apart?

Texas Chilli

« Previous Page