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Help

Information about locks themselves. Questions, tips and lock diagram information should be posted here.

Help

Postby Dragoon119 » 14 Apr 2014 12:29

Alright, I'm a hobby novelist and have recently written myself into a corner. You see my two main characters have been tossed into a British Bank vault around 1913-1914. They can not call authorities because they are about to be framed for a bank robbery when the guards arrive at the vault to remove millions of pounds worth of gold bullion in about one hour. They have to escape to pursue the real culprit who tossed them in their with some help from bank members secretly working with him. I would like to know how to break out of a bank vault within an hour with only a cellphone, one broken the another working, two-three bullets, some common house keys, and miscellaneous items. I've watch documentaries on bank vaults but none have shown how to get out if you are trapped inside. At first I thought they could create a fire and when guards open the vault they would simply rush out. But I learned that the Bank vaults did not have ventilation holes until after 1920 which is much later than my setting. They probably could make an explosive but these vault door hinges are solid steel and two-three bullets worth of gunpowder is not going to do anything to that. So I'm at a loss. :cry:

Before anyone notes that cellphones where not around in 1913, the main characters are not from that timeline.
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Re: Help

Postby Dragoon119 » 14 Apr 2014 15:13

I've looked into emergency release latches and etc but am unsure if those were implemented in the early 1900s at all. I keep seeing glass on the back of the bank vault doors revealing the locking mechanisms like the intricate mechanics of a pocket watch only much larger and heavier, so I'm wondering if my characters would have to break that ( If the glass isn't reinforced or extra thick), to get to the mechanisms to eventually open the door.
Could any of the pieces of an ordinary smartphone help the characters open the door? Like an app that senses the vibrations of the wheel as one of the two turn for the combination?... Hmm, theirs and idea but then their are most likely guards that would be very surprised/inquisitive of two teens stepping out of a vault in weird clothes with small black devices.
Anyhow, another question, during the period 1913-1914 which shape of doors were the regular shape of the era, between round doors or rectangular normal doors.

Come on guys I'm trying to write a book that doesn't just throw a screwdriver and hair pin together to make an impregnable fortress of a door built under many hours of care and dedication open as if it where your neighbors shed.
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Re: Help

Postby GWiens2001 » 14 Apr 2014 23:28

There should be an access panel on the back of the door to service the vault lock(s). Take the back cover off the lock and manually turn the wheels until the gates line up with the fence.

As for the cell phone... maybe they could take a "selfie" of themselves breaking out?

Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
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