Remark

This blog started with an old safe I bought with unknown content and combination. It describes the process of opening, finding the origins, contents and mechanics of the safe.

The posts are closely relate to each other and should probably be read in chronological order. Therefore, if you are visiting this blog for the first time you might want to start reading with the oldest entry and work your way back to the present time.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Closer inspection of the safe

The safe is 50cm wide, 70cm high and 51cm deep. At the top left it says in golden letters:
Herring Hall Marvin Safe Co.
Hamilton Ohio



At the bottom of the door there is a sticker with the same information:



Underneath that there is a plaque that says:
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc
Inspected
Locking Device
Group 1 No 114275




On the top hinge is a serial number:
15542



The combination dial has 100 positions, the knob shows HHM (for the make).

Right from the dial are two drill holes. Drilling into the locking mechanism is a common way of opening a safe. The combination disks can be aligned visually or the opening triggered manually. For this reason some safes have cobalt plates embedded near the lock which is very difficult to drill and requires specialised equipment.

The right hole is only shallow. The left one is about 40mm deep but does not penetrate the locking mechanism. I don't think these holes were successfully used to open the safe.



In the base of the safe a section has been cut out. The outer hull has been cut away, the insulation (concrete) has been removed. Another metal layer beyond that has been cut out and bend to the side. Behind that there is a sheet of metal, which in my opinion, has been put there from the inside to close the hole.



I think somebody got into the safe this way and probably managed to unlock the safe through this hole from the inside. This means if there were any drawers or compartments in there, these would have been damaged in the process. Of course I don't know when that happened, but I don't think I will find great treasures (maybe a business card from a locksmith).
This is the safes weakest point at the moment. The metal sheet could easily be cut away.


1 comment:

  1. i have the same safe and im trying to figure out how to get into it too. any luck at getting into it? my dad passed away and this was in my basement.

    ReplyDelete