My graal milners at home ! need informations

stephane

Hi, i am a very lucky man today : i finally found my graal milners after an epic 24hrs travel in Uk with fantastic people. that was exactly what i researched : big bolted door with the original transfert and “jeweler” interior amenagement (wood drawers with velvet carpet) i don’t have the original key but a new one. there is #7035 on the up front left and #187899 on the up front right.
i will be happy if an expert could told me what’s the year of this beauty.

merci beaucoup

safeman

i will be happy if an expert could told me what’s the year of this beauty.

merci beaucoup[/QUOTE]

Stephane,

Congratulations, a real beauty.

This is a Milner List 3 which, from the lock number was made between 1881-1882.
This square bodied safe was made up until 1919 at which time Milner started to bend the ¼" steel bodies from a single plate.

stephane

thank you very much for the detail and fast reply. do you have an advice for the treatment ? keep it as this ? external resto with original color or fully customized ? i really like the interior so don’t want to touch but the external don’t match with my home. i don’t want to do a “sacrilege”

safeman

stephane wrote
thank you very much for the detail and fast reply. do you have an advice for the treatment ? keep it as this ? external resto with original color or fully customized ? i really like the interior so don’t want to touch but the external don’t match with my home. i don’t want to do a “sacrilege”

Stephane,

Of course it’s up to you, but personally I would just give it a good clean to remove any loose dirt and then give it a coat of egg-shell varnish on the outside.

[unknown]

stephane

Ok i will consider seriously but some area are fully rust, anyway i will wait before attack. another point : do you have any ideas or example of embase to rise this safe and look matching ? i prefer and it’s useful when safes are closer to eyes, attached a photo of a Bauche that i fully customize with a Fichet embase, and to tell true i don’t use the Fichet one : to much down.

safeman

stephane wrote
Ok i will consider seriously but some area are fully rust, anyway i will wait before attack. another point : do you have any ideas or example of embase to rise this safe and look matching ? i prefer and it’s useful when safes are closer to eyes, attached a photo of a Bauche that i fully customize with a Fichet embase, and to tell true i don’t use the Fichet one : to much down.

Stephane,
As regards the rust, one possibility is just to remove it with a wire brush before varnishing but it that leaves it too unsightly then you then repaint the body but leave the door in the original finish.
I attach an illustration of some old safe stands from the 1920’s. These are hand made by carpenters of very sturdy timbers. I would estimate that your Milner will weigh almost 500kgs.

[unknown]

Huw Eastwood

Well done Stephane your Milners looks great well worth the travels I’m sure,love those chunky List 3s. By the way your Bauche and Fichet are stunners, the French definitely had the edge when it came to those ornate compact models 🙁inlove):

Chubby

An alternative is to build an attractive brick plinth. Of course this is only suitable if you have a solid floor. Take the plinth up to the height you want. Attach some steel to the under side of the safe, so that it projects downwards. Fill the plinth with a weak mix of concrete and then settle the safe on top of it. If well done, it will look very good and the base fixing will enhance the security of your safe.

Of course make sure the safe is sited where you will want it to remain permanently!

stephane

Thanks guys for advices, i certainly go on in wood as safeman join attached. sure antique french safe a very good to work on : alone i am able to do what i want to move them and stairs aren’t a problem. and easy to find here ! some months ago i found a very old “raoult” in center of Paris ! 1 time by month there is here “the monsters” people place on the sidewalk all big things they don’t want. then i found it : crazy french !

stephane

to safeman : when you tell “egg-shell” varnish do you mean that’s the finish look between shine and mat ?

attached the lost safe

Chubby

A nicely made wooden stand will look good. Make it as strong as you can!

Eggshell is between gloss and matt.

stephane

Thanks chubby for details. does it possible to find original miller’s key blank or something very close ? mine is an awful plated.

Chubby

There are authentic blanks available. You would need to consult an English locksmith to get one.

Get your safe refinished as you want it, then get a stand made in quarter sawn oak. After that, worry about an authentic key!

safeman

stephane wrote
Thanks chubby for details. does it possible to find original miller’s key blank or something very close ? mine is an awful plated.

Stephane,

May I suggest that you contact this company https://www.d-r-lock-restoration-and-repair.com/

You will have to send then a working key and they will either attach a genuine Milner bow to the key or cut an entirly new key to the original pattern.

Hope that this helps. They do excellent work.

[unknown]

stephane

thanks for all goods informations ! i will explore all them and take time. don’t want to ruine my beauty.

safeman

stephane wrote
thanks for all goods informations ! i will explore all them and take time. don’t want to ruine my beauty.

Stephane,

In case you want to have your key restored by D.R.Lock Restoration, I attach a sample of their work on which an original Milner Bow has been brazed on to the shank of an ‘awful’ key.
The joint is barely visible.

[unknown]

stephane

Thanks safeman for photo, i can homemade this key the only difficult is to have the old style lettering style hammered
do you have an idea if this is possible to buy this font style ? What’s the name of this tool in english ?
thanks

stephane

safeman

stephane wrote
Thanks safeman for photo, i can homemade this key the only difficult is to have the old style lettering style hammered
do you have an idea if this is possible to buy this font style ? What’s the name of this tool in english ?
thanks

Stephane,

Steel hand letter stamps or type stamps.

[unknown]

stephane

Thanks, What’s the size of lettering « milner’s » on original keys
thanks