Opening a Sentry safe

[OKLibrarian]

Me too, but they wouldnt like it. Every time I watch the show I spot about a hundred inconsistencies, bad assumptions and not particularly good science. But I enjoy watching it for some reason.

"Jamie wants Big boom!"

I've no delusions about their scientific rigor, but it's still a hoot to watch. (though the last few months they've seemed to be running out of myths to bust) DH will occasionally suggest an alternative methodology for a given test that would be more accurate. Inevitably it wouldn't make as good TV as what was actually done, and/or would bust their budget.

 

[dmpi]

Not as good as CFB's story ... and no pictures .... But worth the read. The last property I bought had a Meilink safe on the property. Thing had to be a 4 foot cube. Property was bank owned for years so I assumed some thieves just dumped it. Called the police with the serial number to see if it was stolen ... nothing. Called the company and learned that the model had a programable combo.

Called a lock smith who explained that Meilink safes are picked from the inside. For $500 and a notarized letter claiming ownership, he would drill a hole in the door and reach inside with scopes and pick the lock. Sooo I figured it might be nice to have if it worked... but I need to move it. Put my appliance dolly on it and tried to rock it back on the dolly ... didn't budge. I am over 200 lbs ... swinging ALL my weight on the top of an appliance dolly and this beast doesn't move an inch. At that point I knew it was scrap metal ...but WHAT's INSIDE?

I had hired a crew to rehab the building. So I said to the contractor, "I owned it, you open it; we'll split the contents." Sooo he said to the crew " open it on your own time we share 1/2 the contents." Many days - and a jack hammer - later, I am told the only thing in the safe was Service Merchandise credit applications and empty jewlrey boxes (I was working at mega corp when they cracked it open).

Talking to the crew after the safe was fork lifted into the dumpster I learned that it was made up of layers of metal and concrete. The center chamber was just a 1 foot cube. The weight was an obvious deterent.

Sounds like you ran into a "real" safe! Most likely a TL-30 safe that weighs +3000lbs. I always wanted to get a real safe for my home, not that I have anything of great value. I just like safes. My perference would be to get one made out of solid steel rather than an composite (concrete + steel). Composite safes have walls like 8" thick, steel safes would only have 1 inch think walls. This gives you a lot more room on the inside.

 

[happy2bretired]

My husband wanted a safe in our new home...anyway I think that was his intention. A long time ago he purchased a bank vault door and had it stored in his father's garage. When we built this house, he wanted that vault door installed in our basement, as the entry way into the little room that was under our basement steps. My husband and our builder got as far as moving the portion that the door attaches to...I don't know what it's called. It was a heavy sucker. At that point they gave up. So now, I have this wierd looking rusty monster of a doorway that is probably 12 inches deep in my basement. In case we ever have an earthquake, I have a place to go.

 

[Dreamer]

CFB,

I can't imagine what you were like as a little boy. I bet you gave your parents a run for their money!!

Saw, pry bar, wine and sunglasses. That is too funny!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I spent a lot of time in the emergency room, was well known by our family physician, and took a lot of stitches.

Most of these events were usually precluded by a speech telling me not to do something, which I ended up doing, which ended in the injury.

That sunglasses/dark thing was a lame Blues Brothers reference. But I couldnt find my protective glasses, so the sunglasses had to do during the parts where metal bits were in the air.

 

[TromboneAl]

Two quick comments...

If you fasten your safe to a floor, and drill holes in the floor through the carpet, cut the carpet around the hole first. Otherwise the drill bit may grab a carpet thread, and pull out a whole row. That is, as you drill, you'll see a little line zip across the carpeting as the thread is rolled up on the drill bit.

If you forget the combination to a three digit luggage combination lock, it doesn't take long to go through all 1,000 combinations to find the secret number.

 

[Wheel]

Recommendations for a home safe?

Did a search on "fire safes" and this is the closest thread, so here goes.... does anyone have a recommendation on what size/type safe to buy? Our really important documents are in the safe deposit box at the bank, but we need something to store/protect the stuff we keep in the house. Appreciate any help and advice!. Thanks!

 

[OAG]

Most any will work but bigger is better. Two things to look out for is dampness inside (if "airtight") which leads to mildew and mold and they need to be bolted or chained down to be safe. Personally, I would get a steel box maybe made at a sheet metal shop and use a good sized padlock. There is enough air circulating from the seams and a good lock will deter all but the really determined crook.

 

[clifp]

Did a search on "fire safes" and this is the closet thread, so here goes.... does anyone have a recommendation on what size/type safe to buy? Our really important documents are in the safe deposit box at the bank, but we need something to store/protect the stuff we keep in the house. Appreciate any help and advice!. Thanks!

What ever you buy just make sure you don't tell CFB where the safe is. I think he is going to audition for a part in Oceans 16.

I missed this thread, the first time what a riot

 

[poboy]

Aha, I have stumbled upon the secret "how to be a cat burglar thread."

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Jeez and I thought I did a "...and now for the rest of the story..." on this one.

The keys finally turned up during the summer, some months after the OP was written. I had made a keychain of keys up for Gabe to play with a couple of years ago, and the first handful of generally unused keys that I grabbed from the magic box o' keys included the safe keys.

I see that in the OP I was also being gracious to my wife. I actually didnt know where the keys were because I'd never locked the safe and had no intention of locking it; it was for fireproofing only. When she went up to the old house (where the safe was still hanging out) to get her documents, she decided that the first step to opening an unlocked safe was to spin the combination lock, which of course causes the previously unlocked safe to lock. This was a "twofer" lock too...it required turning a key and then keying in a combination into the keypad. I had a pretty good idea where the paperwork with the factory combination on it was, and found that...but the location of the "wont ever need these..." keys remained a secret until last July or August when Gabe whipped out "his" set of keys and I saw the round key hanging on it.

DOH!

 

[harley]

Unbelievable! This forum has absolutely everything!

I have been out in the garage for the last couple of hours trying to rip apart a Sentry safe whose handle has broken. We have two, and I don't think this one has anything important in it, but there's something rattling around in there, I'm retired and can do whatever I want whenever I want, and I like to destroy things.

The reason we have two is that we bought one (years ago), but it was defective. I called Sentry and they said they'd send me a new one. After a couple of weeks I hadn't seen it, so I called again. Three days later I came home from w*rk and there were 2 150 lb. safes sitting at my front door. I called Sentry again, but for some reason they didn't want to pay to ship the extra one back. So, two safes. I set them up redneck style, one on top of the other. I did put the broken one out with the trash and somebody hauled it away.

Anyway, we moved and when we got to the new place I couldn't get one of them open. The handle broke. So I stuck it in the garage for a couple of years. I dug it out the other day and decided to see how hard it was to break into.

Hard! Very hard! I sawed through the hinges with a hacksaw, and started peeling back the metal cover. So I'm happily sitting there digging out all this chunky white drywall-y looking stuff when DW strolls by and says "I hope that isn't asbestos."

So a quick but thorough shower later I'm on the computer trying to see what it is. The Sentry site doesn't specify the material that I can find so I head over to Google. After a couple of friendly and helpful lawyers telling me what to do after I get Mesothelioma, the very first hit is this thread. Good old CFB! Not only do I discover I'm probably not going to die of that particular cancer, but I figure out what I'm doing wrong. I don't like Chardoney, but I think my Macallan single malt should do the trick.

I'll let you know if I actually find anything in there. Hopefully I won't destroy the contents in the process.

 

[clifp]

This thread really should be stickied. I am looking forward to Harley's Geraldo Rivera moment as he opens the safe to discover that what is inside is the paperwork for Variable Annuity contract long ago rolled over

 

[NW-Bound]

Unbelievable! This forum has absolutely everything!

Really! Everything?? But I still have not seen any credible thread here telling EXACTLY when to "buy low and sell high".

Anyway, your post calls for some pictures of said safe. And what is that white stuff then?

 

[harley]

Really! Everything?? But I still have not seen any credible thread here telling EXACTLY when to "buy low and sell high".

Anyway, your post calls for some pictures of said safe. And what is that white stuff then?

I'll take some pics tomorrow. As far as the white stuff, I had it pretty much right when I said wallboard-y. It's gypsum, according to Telly in post 15.

As far as the investing, I'm sure ONE of the thousands of posts made on this topic is right. Just pick that one.

 

[NW-Bound]

So you opened the safe, as reported in a post in another thread. What was in the safe? The enquiring mind needs to know.

 

[harley]

Nada. Just like Geraldo. It was fun tearing it apart, though. I got to find out how they are made, had a little drama with the asbestos scare and now get to hump the dagone heavy thing to the landfill. The rattling sound from the inside that I thought might be some of our stuff turned out to be the package of bolts they include so you can bolt it to the floor. Also the desicant packages they include (for some reason).

Now I have to figure out something else to do with my copious amounts of spare time. Hmmm...the legs on that table look uneven.

 

[NW-Bound]

Ah, so that's how a retiree spends his typical day.

Reminds me of one of my summer exploits when I was 14-yr old. We had a refrigerator that went kaput, but my father had not gotten around to get rid of. So, one summer day, I decided to see what the inside of the refer compressor looked like. I spent a day with a hacksaw to cut the top of that compressor off to satisfy my curiosity.

In my life, I have taken many things apart. I am getting old and have been slowing down though.