Starting to restore a safe

[Squelchtone]

Hey Gordon I know how you can cut that weight in half!
Simply remove the door, heh heh
Just trying to help ya out Man

Not half. The door 'only' weighs about 500 pounds (227.25 kg).

Gordon

Have you considered using a flat bed tow truck service? I see safes chained to the middle of a flat bed occasionally as people move houses or businesses. Their winch is also made for pulling entire cars, so dragging a safe on cardboard or plywood up to the flatbed should be no problem. Probably run you $100 bucks to get it moved to your place and dropped in the driveway.

just a thought,
Squelchtone

[GWiens2001]

Been thinking the same thing, Squelchtone. Great minds and all that. Once it is put at the front of my garage, have a 2 1/4 ton floor jack that I can use to put it in position.

Gordon

[Squelchtone]

Been thinking the same thing, Squelchtone. Great minds and all that. Once it is put at the front of my garage, have a 2 1/4 ton floor jack that I can use to put it in position.

Gordon

Here is a safe I saw today when visiting the local tow yard. I was there on an unrelated matter, and saw it in the parking lot.



The owner has the combination. His flat bed truck moved it, so you can see the size they can handle without any problem.

Squelchtone

[GWiens2001]

That safe is gorgeous!

Bet the owner is not installing it on the third floor of an apartment building!

Gordon

[billdeserthills]

I was at Harbor Freight yesterday and I noticed they have some raisable table-type jacks with a 1,000 lb capacity for about $225. They are equipped with wheels and I would think you could use one to remove the door and then the body of your safe. If you don't feel too guilty you could even return the product, after using it, plenty of folks seem to do this, I had an old girlfriend who would use tools and then return them, I would be too embarrassed to do it, though. If questioned she would immediately begin raising her voice as she described the poor quality of the tools she wished to return, until it seemed that every customer inside the store could hear her. I saw it happen several times and it always caused me to try to shrink into the nearest wall. She always got her money back and fast too.

[GWiens2001]

I was at Harbor Freight yesterday and I noticed they have some raisable table-type jacks with a 1,000 lb capacity for about $225. They are equipped with wheels and I would think you could use one to remove the door and then the body of your safe. If you don't feel too guilty you could even return the product, after using it, plenty of folks seem to do this, I had an old girlfriend who would use tools and then return them, I would be too embarrassed to do it, though. If questioned she would immediately begin raising her voice as she described the poor quality of the tools she wished to return, until it seemed that every customer inside the store could hear her. I saw it happen several times and it always caused me to try to shrink into the nearest wall. She always got her money back and fast too.

Have a floor jack rated for 4500 pounds, so that would easily get the door to lift. But keeping it from tipping, even with table type jacks, would not be a lot of help. But it will make moving the safe, at least on a concrete floor, fairly easy.


Gordon

[74TR6]

I just found this thread, so I will revive it again; hope no one minds.

Any updates or progress? Any chance of more pictures or measurements? As for moving it the distance you mention, I have had good luck with a tilt bed trailer. I have a 5' x 10', single 3500 lb axle, 15" wheels, not the little 12" or 8". Bed is 2x8's and I add a 2x10 runner for the wheels of safe to rest. A good come-a-long will load the safe. Have moved several that are a bit larger than that one appears--and likely heavier. Recently, when thinking of buying a medium sized cannonball style, I talked with owner of roll back wrecker, he agreed to move it for $50 to $75 if I did the rigging to load

[billdeserthills]

I was at Harbor Freight yesterday and I noticed they have some raisable table-type jacks with a 1,000 lb capacity for about $225. They are equipped with wheels and I would think you could use one to remove the door and then the body of your safe. If you don't feel too guilty you could even return the product, after using it, plenty of folks seem to do this, I had an old girlfriend who would use tools and then return them, I would be too embarrassed to do it, though. If questioned she would immediately begin raising her voice as she described the poor quality of the tools she wished to return, until it seemed that every customer inside the store could hear her. I saw it happen several times and it always caused me to try to shrink into the nearest wall. She always got her money back and fast too.

Have a floor jack rated for 4500 pounds, so that would easily get the door to lift. But keeping it from tipping, even with table type jacks, would not be a lot of help. But it will make moving the safe, at least on a concrete floor, fairly easy.


Gordon

You'd be better off with some 1 1/2" pvc pipes sized to fit under the safe and a helper

[hag3l3]

this may be a little strange sounding to you.
but growing up on the farm, there was an old safe out in the woods rusted up.
i took the tractor and hauled it over to the creek; then dropped it in. next summer pulled it out, and the rust was pretty well gone.
set it on fire then cleaned it up. uncle and his friend did all the safe work: greasing and what not. it still is used in the house to this day.
the moral to this is, water puts rust on, water takes it off...
hope this helps

[GWiens2001]

I was at Harbor Freight yesterday and I noticed they have some raisable table-type jacks with a 1,000 lb capacity for about $225. They are equipped with wheels and I would think you could use one to remove the door and then the body of your safe. If you don't feel too guilty you could even return the product, after using it, plenty of folks seem to do this, I had an old girlfriend who would use tools and then return them, I would be too embarrassed to do it, though. If questioned she would immediately begin raising her voice as she described the poor quality of the tools she wished to return, until it seemed that every customer inside the store could hear her. I saw it happen several times and it always caused me to try to shrink into the nearest wall. She always got her money back and fast too.

Have a floor jack rated for 4500 pounds, so that would easily get the door to lift. But keeping it from tipping, even with table type jacks, would not be a lot of help. But it will make moving the safe, at least on a concrete floor, fairly easy.


Gordon

You'd be better off with some 1 1/2" pvc pipes sized to fit under the safe and a helper

PVC pipe with a 3000-3500 pound safe? Have doubts that the pipe would be round by the time the safe is completely lowered onto the pipe.

Anyway, there are wheels on the safe. Not that they roll at this time. Anyway, either this week or next week the safe will finally be getting here. My wife allowed me to spend the money for a tow truck to get it home after all this time.

Gordon

[GWiens2001]

FINALLY!!! The safe is here at my home at last! Only took 10 months. But now there can start to be some updates. Took a number of pictures, which will post soon. But there will be a few here.

The safe may be a bit lighter than previously thought. The weight range is likely in the 2700 to 3000 pound range. Let's see how good Squelchtone's Google-Fu is. How about some details, Squelchtone. Femurat say you Google-Fu no good, Mister Admin. (Not really, but it works).

The safe - quick pic of the front.



Open



The door interior



Detail of the dovetailing of the plates in the door frame



Detail of the dovetailing of the plates on the door





Hinge patent



Serial number (?) on the door handle



The door handle itself. Note - 5 3/8: from spindle center to handle center



Upper hinge



Lower hinge



Lock lug handle



Wheels



Wheels and brackets that hold them. Yes, those brackets are half-inch thick steel.



Underneath the safe to show brackets.



Dimensions:

39" (98cm) tall
27" (67.5cm) wide
23 1/8 (59 cm) deep *** plus 2 3/4" (7 cm) for the hinge

The lock (luckily it was removed a couple decades ago and stored inside the shop).

The Dial - missing the center cover





Index mark



Back of the lock body - yes, this is much larger than the standard lock body these days. 4 1/2" long, 3 3/8" tall, 2 1/8" deep. Lock bolt height 1 5/8" by 3/8" thick.



Inside the back, holding the drive cam. Yale gear drive friction fence lock.



Four wheels plus the drive cam.





Comparing the size of lock for this safe (on top) to another Yale gear drive friction fence three wheel lock.



Bodies.



The wheel packs



Oh, the smaller lock was thrown in today as well.

So Google-Master Squelchtone,

1. What Hall safe model is this, approximate date of manufacture, and weight?
2. What is the model of Yale safe lock from the safe?
3. What is the model of the smaller Yale safe lock? (Already know the answer to this one, but gotta do it!)

How long is Squelchtone gonna let Femurat diss his Google-Fu?

Gordon

P.S. - Would have used fgarci03 or ARF-GEF to challenge your Google-Fu, but they are not here enough to have fun with you.

[Squelchtone]

Oh, the smaller lock was thrown in today as well.

So Google-Master Squelchtone,

1. What Hall safe model is this, approximate date of manufacture, and weight?
2. What is the model of Yale safe lock from the safe?
3. What is the model of the smaller Yale safe lock? (Already know the answer to this one, but gotta do it!)

How long is Squelchtone gonna let Femurat diss his Google-Fu?

Gordon

P.S. - Would have used fgarci03 or ARF-GEF to challenge your Google-Fu, but they are not here enough to have fun with you.

Well, I'm busy at work, but I'll try to help answer your questions.

1. They didn't have exact model numbers like you and I go buy a DVD player or mountain bike these days with a specific model number, but it was known as a Banker's Safe, date is going to be 1873 (from your photo) to 1892 (company changes at Hall's) that I can best tell, and it is too old for me to have any documentation of how much it weighs.

2. That's not the original lock that came with that safe. The original lock was a complicated thing which had time lock hook ups and 5 wheels. It was called The Premier and had a 70 number dial. Not sure of the exact model number of the bigger lock.

3. I'm gonna guess that smaller lock is Yale OC-5 or a Yale 0402.


Since I have not passed the test, I offer this http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -home.html and return back to running Cat-6.

Squelchtone

[billdeserthills]

I'm thinking he coulda showed the x-ray to a local locksmith and had the key cut by code for less than the landlady charges

Congrats on getting the safe home, I don't envy you the work it'll take to clean it up though
I love those interlocking plates for the door seal, I wonder how good they were for fireproofing?

[femurat]

How long is Squelchtone gonna let Femurat diss his Google-Fu?

Well, actually he did pretty well this time

[Squelchtone]

How long is Squelchtone gonna let Femurat diss his Google-Fu?

Well, actually he did pretty well this time

you know, I've never banned a moderator before, yet alone 2 in one day!