Usually there's a wire under tension holding Dead bolts. The wire holds pieces of glass and heat sensitive strip. Any hard knocks or heat and the Dead bolts will fire.Two things to be careful of with old safes.
Glass plates in the doors were very common. Trying to break into it caused the glass to break and all the bolts to shoot into place.
Even worse some had booby traps. Often an early form of tear gas which decomposes over time into hydrogen cyanide
Yes exactly hence the name.Interesting it’s called anti Lance, wasn’t thermal lancing employed by bank robbers in the 1960/70’s
There used to be loads broken apart down the railway lines out of town. Always seemed to be a lot of work for what could be emptyFor years I used a big safe for coin from my Launderettes that had been subject to an 'attempt' Mr Burglar had used an angle grinder on the back, got through the 1/4" steel plate on the top edge and one side, and opened it like a sardine tin, only to expose the ferro-concrete core underneath. This seems to have defeated his angry grinder and he gave up.
I just hammered it all back and full penetration arc welded it.
Still use it now, but just for documents as it's semi fire safe.
I did have a small one in one of the shops, bolted to the concrete floor. It was stolen in it's entirety - they must have used a humongous crow bar to break it away from the floor as they made quite a mess. Sadly for them it was empty - the cash was in a floor safe under a mat in the same room
I often think of them struggling to get it free, lug it off somewhere quiet, spend ages smashing it, only to find it empty - gives me a warm inner glow
At work I used a 600V (ex London Underground?) electrical cabinet, as a key safe, it had Danger electricity stickers on it, came with 6" tails so I drilled some holes in the wall and set them in, looked the nuts and no one, however thick would break it open, my insurance co inspector asked where my BS 666611889977 key cabinet was and I showed him the electrical cabinet, he passed it fit!For years I used a big safe for coin from my Launderettes that had been subject to an 'attempt' Mr Burglar had used an angle grinder on the back, got through the 1/4" steel plate on the top edge and one side, and opened it like a sardine tin, only to expose the ferro-concrete core underneath. This seems to have defeated his angry grinder and he gave up.
I just hammered it all back and full penetration arc welded it.
Still use it now, but just for documents as it's semi fire safe.
I did have a small one in one of the shops, bolted to the concrete floor. It was stolen in it's entirety - they must have used a humongous crow bar to break it away from the floor as they made quite a mess. Sadly for them it was empty - the cash was in a floor safe under a mat in the same room
I often think of them struggling to get it free, lug it off somewhere quiet, spend ages smashing it, only to find it empty - gives me a warm inner glow
Same feeling I had when my house got robbed....they found the keys to my Honda prelude and the plan was to fill it with my stuff and head off into the sunset....would love to have seen their faces when they realised it had no battery...must have been a sight....still gives me a warm feeling when I think about itI often think of them struggling to get it free, lug it off somewhere quiet, spend ages smashing it, only to find it empty - gives me a warm inner glow
Two things to be careful of with old safes.
Glass plates in the doors were very common. Trying to break into it caused the glass to break and all the bolts to shoot into place.
Even worse some had booby traps. Often an early form of tear gas which decomposes over time into hydrogen cyanide
Usually there's a wire under tension holding Dead bolts. The wire holds pieces of glass and heat sensitive strip. Any hard knocks or heat and the Dead bolts will fire.
No way of opening with the keys, they operate a different set of bolts.Out of interest how does the rightful owner then get back into the safe, or is it a case of the correct key just resets it?
The tealeaves can't get the stuff inside but neither can the rightful ownerNo way of opening with the keys, they operate a different set of bolts.
Ive opened up the back plate on the door of a few. The wire holds the bolts via a trigger seer, once the bolts have shot, I think its tin opener time