Cannon 40FBG Hard Plates

[30HARRY]

I have drilled this safe due to a defective electronic lock/keypad and I now have a question for a more experienced locksmith.

The three hard plates in front of the lock are mounted in a pocket that is welded to the inside of the door and the lock then mounts on this pocket.

My question is "are these hard plates replaceable"? Or can they be rotated inside the pocket in order to present a new clean hard surface to the next potential drilling? The problem is that the "pocket" is welded on all four sides so I can't get to the plates easily to determine what can be done with them. Since my drill point was slightly below and to the left of the center of the plates, assuming the plates can be rotated or "flipped" is to use an angle grinder to grind off the top edge of the "pocket" and then either flip the plates 180 degrees vertically or horizontally and then plug the hole in the door.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Harry

[Squelchtone]

Hi,

Sounds like you're on the right path with rotating the plates. Would you be able to share a well lit photo of the welds and the pocket construction? (upload them to your favorite online photo hosting site and then copy/paste the link to here)

Thanks
Squelchtone

[30HARRY]

It looks like I can get the top of the pocket off without too much trouble but the question is, "is it a waste of time/effort"?

Here I have the new lock already mounted but I can take it off easily if the plates are removable/replaceable/rotatable.

[GWiens2001]

Does it look like the drilled hole would be in a different place if the plates were rotated? Am assuming the spindle goes through the hard plate. If so, would you need to re-drill the hardplate for the spindle?

Gordon

[billdeserthills]

Just bash a taper pin into the hole and mount the new lock over the hole
if you really want you can cut the taper pin in two and put a ball bearing in the middle

[Raymond]

Rotating the plates is a legitimate action. So is just plugging the hole and getting away quickly. I do not remember the brand name but one safe I worked on had a screw threaded through the back layer of the pocket that pressed the plates up against the front layer. Loosening the screw allowed the plates to be removed and rotated and replaced and then tightened back down. While the plates are out of the way repair the holes in the case.

I saw one repair where a short, hardened, sheet metal screw was put into the holes of two plates, point facing out, and then the plates were slipped back in. The front was then filled with JB-Weld. (Try drilling onto the point of a screw.)

Your method of repair can
1. Make the next drill easier.
2. Make the next drill harder.
3. Make you wonder why you made the job so difficult if you have to drill it again.

[30HARRY]

Rotating the plates is a legitimate action. So is just plugging the hole and getting away quickly. I do not remember the brand name but one safe I worked on had a screw threaded through the back layer of the pocket that pressed the plates up against the front layer. Loosening the screw allowed the plates to be removed and rotated and replaced and then tightened back down. While the plates are out of the way repair the holes in the case.

I saw one repair where a short, hardened, sheet metal screw was put into the holes of two plates, point facing out, and then the plates were slipped back in. The front was then filled with JB-Weld. (Try drilling onto the point of a screw.)

Your method of repair can
1. Make the next drill easier.
2. Make the next drill harder.
3. Make you wonder why you made the job so difficult if you have to drill it again.

I guess I'm just overthinking the problem. If I make it too hard to ever drill again, if needed, then the safe could be useless when it is opened. Flipping the plates just seems like the easiest method to put it back in "like new" condition. The easiest way to quit would be just to JB weld a drill bit in there. Drilling into a drill bit would be pretty hard. I may just do this.

Have you actually seen the plates removed from a safe? I wonder why Cannon didn't just leave the top off the "pocket" so a person could EASILY flip or rotate the plates after drilling. Doing nothing just leaves the safe that much easier to open in the future with the hole through the door and plates.

Thanks for the response.

Harry

[Squelchtone]

I wonder why Cannon didn't just leave the top off the "pocket" so a person could EASILY flip or rotate the plates after drilling.

If I were a bad guy, and knew this of the construction detail, I could tip the safe over if it isn't bolted down and hopefully spill the plates out, then drill without having to bother to penetrate hardplate, but most bad guys aren't that savvy, they'll use a crowbar on the door or bash on the dial with a hammer or try to cut the hinges off which we know doesn't get you into a safe.

Squelchtone

[cledry]

I wonder why Cannon didn't just leave the top off the "pocket" so a person could EASILY flip or rotate the plates after drilling.

If I were a bad guy, and knew this of the construction detail, I could tip the safe over if it isn't bolted down and hopefully spill the plates out, then drill without having to bother to penetrate hardplate, but most bad guys aren't that savvy, they'll use a crowbar on the door or bash on the dial with a hammer or try to cut the hinges off which we know doesn't get you into a safe.

Squelchtone

The spindle would prevent that though. Even an electronic lock the wire would prevent it.

[Squelchtone]

I wonder why Cannon didn't just leave the top off the "pocket" so a person could EASILY flip or rotate the plates after drilling.

If I were a bad guy, and knew this of the construction detail, I could tip the safe over if it isn't bolted down and hopefully spill the plates out, then drill without having to bother to penetrate hardplate, but most bad guys aren't that savvy, they'll use a crowbar on the door or bash on the dial with a hammer or try to cut the hinges off which we know doesn't get you into a safe.

Squelchtone

The spindle would prevent that though. Even an electronic lock the wire would prevent it.

Lol. Foiled my perfect plan!

[30HARRY]

The spindle would prevent that though. Even an electronic lock the wire would prevent it.

Lol. Foiled my perfect plan!

Let's just face it, you wouldn't make a very good bad guy.