Safes, Vaults & Security

Basebal21,

Yes, you are correct that it defeats the purpose. There are hundreds of safes on the market which are untested and easily compromised which is why buying a safe that has been tested for burglary resistance by a certifying agency is important. Fedlock is a good company and can likely provide you with a small vehicle safe. Just YouTube the model you're interested in and see if it is one of the commonly compromised safes.

Micah Welch, CMS, CPS

Well that was depressing. I found that video. If anyone is interested, search youtube for a video called "Security on Sale Gun safe Prying video". I have my safe bolted to the floor, and sideways in a closet for limited front access, but still.

Anyways, more safe cracking questions! Are you registered with the gov't, and do the police ever come talking to you when there's a high profile safe theft? How many actual safe cracking calls do you go on in a month? Do you have a specialty, like does a colleague say to a client "oh this is an El Dorado class unit, I thought you said El Durango. We gotta call in Micah!"

to the forum Apex... glad to have your expertise here!

Broken -Coin

Diamond bits are used but not as often as other bits. It's unlikely you would have a need for it and the technique defiantly has a learning curve. Move it wrong and all the diamonds are gone. Your bit is still sold today for about $30. You could use it for glass or tile if the need arose.

Micah Welch, CMS, CPS, CS&VT

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, Apex Safes.




Your comment on the lack of maintenance on the locks concerns me. I have a safe from the 1960s which has never had any kind of maintenance.

What would your recommend?

Greetings:

I have a couple of questions that popped up on another forum concerning refurnishing old safes that were purchased used.

1: Repaining a used safe how long does the paint have to cure before it would be safe to either put coins in or to use for that matter? Does it matter what type of paint that is used?

2: I am looking to purchase an older safe that is probably from before the 1900's. The kind you see in the westerns. Do these safes have any type of fire protection? The safe is limited to left-right movement only and weighs approximately 600 #'s empty. Are they still workable for storing coins. I'm told that the combination is 4 numbers.

3: My safe has what is called a glass relocker that is supposed to prevent the safe from being opened if the glass is broken. If that is so, can a locksmith either get the safe opened should it be drilled and once it has been drilled can it be fixed to prior condition or should the safe be replaced?

4: My safe at work has a electronic lock, if the controll pad goes bad can a new pad just be put in place and if so, can a thief just put a new pad on and open the safe up. Or is there more to it than what I've described?

5: How often should either a keypad or dial combination lock be serviced?

Cool thread. Thanks for posting and answering questions, Micah.

What are your thoughts on AC power inside a safe? Currently I have an LED tape lighting solution set up in my safe and I fished the low-voltage power supply (xformer is outside the safe) through one of the bolt-down holes and that's working great for me. I know I've seen some safes with actual AC outlets in them, and that appeals to me for running lighting, dehumidification, etc. What are the risks and caveats? I stick my portable electronic devices in there when I leave the house and it would be nice to be able to charge them in there.

Also, how do you feel about running a NAS device in a closed safe? Some folks here don't think it's a good idea due to possible heat generation/build-up, but I think it's a decent solution for data protection.

Finally, say your safe is not already equipped with a power source. What's the best way to retrofit? Use a bit like

Ghostrider,

1) I'm a safe expert and a coin novice so I can't say for a fact. It likely depends on the metal of the coin as well. The smell of the paint would fade in a couple weeks when left open after painting so a guess would be a few weeks.

2) Most cast iron safes from that period have fire protection but send me a photo to verify. These safes we the among a small handful that survive the California wildfires many years ago when the fire dept couldn't get to the homes in the mountainous areas. Nearly every modern made gun safe and their contents were completely destroyed. Drywall insulation vs. concrete or refractory cement based safes is a clear choice. The testing parameters of modern safes doesn't include many real life scenarios like storing you safe in a garage with combustibles. This shoots a normal house fire above normal temperatures and greatly shortens the minutes of fire rating.

However, these safes were made before the invention of electric drills and grinders. Some models are very strong and were made for bankers and jewelers but confirm from a reputable source before you buy. One man can roll a 600# safe by himself so set the wheels inside a 3' square 2x4 frame and fill with concrete.

3) If in the event your glass is broken, you'll need someone who has exact internal knowledge of that safe. Have them show you a photo and explain their plan of attack. Safes are always openable and repairable without destruction if the person knows what they're doing. Some safes are so strong or unique that the local guys can't open it and a traveling safecracker needs to be called in.

It wouldn't hurt to do an inspection and service to ensure your relockers are activated. Some safes have at cotter pin or other device installed blocking accidental firing in transit and many are never removed, leaving security less than 100%.

4) Some keypads are replaceable from the outside, others require safe access but no safe can be opened simply by putting another keypad on without knowing the code. The important electronics are inside the safe and 99% have a non-volatile memory.

5) Safes and dial locks should be serviced every 12 months with regular use, every 18 months with light use (1-5 openings per month) or every 6 months for heavy use safes like McDonald. Electronics can't be serviced outside of inspecting cables and keeping screws tight but the safe itself should be serviced based on above.


Micah Welch, CMS, CPS, CS&VT