Antique time lock with pictures.

[Riyame]

That time lock was made around 1900 to 1910. This is an estimate, based on the age of the bank it came from and on the art etched on it.

The slot on the lower side is blocked until the time is up. When one or more of the movements reach 0 hour, the dial(s) move a mechanism that opens the slot, allowing a "bar" attached to the boltwork to enter the time lock. Even if the comb lock is opened, the boltwork will not retract until the slot is cleared. I have seen time locks with 4,5 and 6 movements. Love the way things were over built, Metal was cheap and so was labour.

People sometimes ask: -Why? Why a time lock? Why is this on the door?
Even Bank people don't always know.
Nowaday, they mostly prevent after hours "inside jobs" but originally, time locks were invented to discourage kidnapping.
Bankers would sometimes be woken up from their beds by robbers and kidnapped, then, forced to open the Bank and the safe...
Banks would put signs up, telling of the timing device in their safes, instilling confidence to their patron and warning would be robbers.
Cool stuff!

Good call on the bullets in the back ground, a bit of everything, minus 1...
...I was vacuuming the living room when I picked up an object with the vacuum's power head. It rattled in there for a couple seconds then......POWWWW!...I immediately turned the vacuum off, my wife was like: "WTF was that???"...
...Then, I realized what I had picked up, as the familiar odor of gun powder reached my nose.
It was a .22LR. I looked everywhere and I can't find a hole, not even in the vacuum. All I can find is where the explosion occurred, singed hair on the rotating brush and blackened burnt plastic, but it still works fine.

M.

Ahh, so I was a bit off on the correct usage. I have one like it but without all the nice engraving

And with the .22 it didnt have enough energy to drive the bullet though anything. Once the bullet popped out the force just went to the sides and the vacuum sucked up the casing and bullet.

[Altashot]

We want pictures, Riyame!!!

That's exactly was I though about the bullet...Since it was not chambered, the energy likely split the casing and it opened up like a fire cracker.
Sure scared the hell out of my wife and I. Not all of them are live rounds, but they were all moved to a safer place.

M.

[Riyame]

Alright, I will make another thread so I don't hijack yours.