Exacta lock picking

[brigham]

Woodscrews can often be eased by holding the point of a red hot poker on their heads for a while.

[pennymachines]

Yes, that's a good one. The heat causes the screw to expand, loosening the grip as it cools and shrinks. It might also weaken the bond by burning the wood slightly.
A spot of E-Z Grip on the driver tip can also help. It gives that extra bit of traction, preventing the tip from skidding out of the slot.

Nevertheless, if the screws are small and very rusty, chances are the head's going to snap off whatever you do, making extraction much trickier.

I gave my brother a set of lock picks one Christmas and lock picking became a post-Christmas party game. I pulled a bunch of assorted locks without keys from the workshop. Some of the younger members of the family proved very adept, but my skills were middling. Practice certainly helps, but I haven't tried a Zeiss.

An alternative is key impressioning, described here:



However, with Zeiss locks you also have the problem of locating a suitable key blank. We explored that in some depth here: Locks for a Beromat /Gunther Wulff wall machine
Also see Archive/Services for some relevant links.

[nosmit]

The back is now off. Everyone of the 18 screws put up a fight, a chisel and mole grips proved to be the best tool. It was quite exciting lifting the back off to see what 50 years of being locked away had done. The insides look complete, with the cash box inside and reels spinning freely. However there is a lot of what looks like white powder/fungus to be cleaned off before I see if it works. Thanks again for everyone's advice.

[arrgee]

Before and after photos would be good to see, nosmit.

[nosmit]

Here are a couple of before pictures. I now have the mech out of the machine and, although the reels spin freely, the mech is jammed rock solid. Degrees and lubricating hasn't made any difference. I'm looking at maybe an anti-tamper device.

[treefrog]

Ah, I recognise that machine. Did it come from Bedfordshire?

[nosmit]

Yes it did, along with one other, the unusual Perspex and Formica Bryans Clock.

[treefrog]

Yes, I did consider myself. They wanted the lot cleared, but wanted too much money in my mind. The Clocks were really odd. I love ’60s Perspex stuff, but not sure about them. They looked like the bezels had been bent as well. The other German based Perspex machines just looked too crude to me, so I walked.

[nosmit]

The Clock did look a sorry state. I took a punt, as it looked unusual, and I like the sixties arcade look. Two week's of gluing cleaning and fettling, the only thing I had to replace was the minute hand, as it fell off in transit. Even the back door flattened out, after being left under the mat in my living room. It is a 12 Win Clock with serial number 205 stamped on it. The 12 coin win could never have been won as the slot adjustment was closed.

[badpenny]

Your photo of The Exacta is too small for my eyes, ears, nose and throat.
All I can distinguish is it's missing half of the track that runs the coin from the coin entry down to the gate.

If you want to get a lot closer and even take it out of its case we might spot the problem.

BP

[treefrog]

Your photo of The Exacta is too small for my eyes, ears, nose and throat.
All I can distinguish is it's missing half of the track that runs the coin from the coin entry down to the gate.

If you want to get a lot closer and even take it out of its case we might spot the problem.

BP

Looks complete to me. It is one of those British replacements made for English penny, much thicker bulky item and stronger, often seen on British conversions like Romas. See below:

Nosmit, it has polished up really well... I am jealous now.

[tallstory]

Don't think it's an anti tampering device - probably the handle mechanism is jammed. It would be best to take it apart and clean and oil it - that should reveal the problem. Hopefully nothing is broken.

The Regina machines I bought, which have the same mechanics, also had this mould inside. A spray with white vinegar sorted it out (with the mechs protected or removed of course).

[badpenny]

Your photo of The Exacta is too small for my eyes, ears, nose and throat.
All I can distinguish is it's missing half of the track that runs the coin from the coin entry down to the gate.

If you want to get a lot closer and even take it out of its case we might spot the problem.

BP

Looks complete to me. It is one of those British replacements made for English penny, much thicker bulky item and stronger, often seen on British conversions like Romas. See below:

878F8565-D2A1-4EFB-86E8-42F9D887FD1C.jpeg


Nosmit, it has polished up really well... I am jealous now.

T'was the additional ridge at the bottom that did fool me, I thought it was the coin runner

[tallstory]

Now you have the back off (well done) you can get at the Zeiss locks. You should see the serial numbers stamped on the side - both lock are usually the same. The upper one is the serial number that identifies how the key is cut and the lower one is the key blank reference number.