I'm looking at an AE120B that is missing the key for the upper lock. Are these all keyed alike like the 29S locks in AE three slots, or is this something that will just have to be drilled?
Try looking though this thread, might be some help there.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?board=112.0 (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?board=112.0)
Each operating company had their own upper housing keys so it will be a long shot to find a key. I have three different keys just for BCTel 120A/B and Protel Payphones. Occasionally a coin acceptor would start spitting coins out the side and they would lodge in the upper lock preventing the key from turning it so we couldn't get in to remove the stuck coins and fix the acceptor.
We would remove the lower instruction card and drill a hole about 1/4" in the top right corner where the card would hide it afterwards. Then we would use a long skinny screw driver or the always handy piece of #10 ground wire through the hole to the area around the lock and lever to knock the coins away from the lock.
The little lever has a single screw through it into the lock. If a bit larger hole were put in the housing so a nice heavy slot screw driver could be inserted, I can't help wondering if the lever could be broken off of the lock since the back of the lock is just pot metal. You would have to get the right sized screw driver in there so that you could twist it to snap the lever off.
Having an open 120B beside you would make it easier to figure what you are doing. I have lower housing locks with one key for these phones but don't think I have any extra upper housing locks. When you don't have an upper key for these the best thing is to leave the lever off the upper lock so that just the T-Key will open it.
Terry
Quote from: AE_Collector on February 04, 2017, 08:46:46 PM
When you don't have an upper key for these the best thing is to leave the lever off the upper lock so that just the T-Key will open it.
That's how my retired BCT 120b came. I'm looking for a coin box and lower lock for it, if you still have some in your junk bin?
-Ray
Yes I have some lower locks with only 1 key each. These were destined for scrap since a collector lost a ring of keys. The office back up key was used to access the lower housings, and the locks replaced with new ones that had the normal two keys. I have some coin boxes around as well. Send me a PM.
Terry