Anyone with knowledge of safes?

[CZ7922]

My house has a wall safe which was here when I bought it. The previous owners told me they hired a locksmith who agreed to accept a fee only if he was successful in getting it open. Apparently he had no luck. The home was built in 1950, the safe is a Meilink - 1 hour fire test. I did a google search on Meilink safes, and it came back as FKI Security Group. I emailed them and was provided the number for their combination department. They said they could provide the factory assigned combination with a serial number. She said the serial number would be on the knob/handle or near the hinges. I have taken the safe out of the wall and insected all sides (top/bottom/back). The only number I can locate is 613 on the handle, but the lady at FKI says that is not a serial number.

I apologize for straying slightly off topic, but these boards seem to be a great resource and pretty much my last hope. I can't really hear anything inside when I shake the safe, so unless there are some shares of IBM inside it's really no big loss . Any help would be appreciated.

P.S. I do have the ability to post pics if that would help. Just need to figure out how on this site.

 

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[jeff of pa]

By ALL MEANS, Post Pics. Hopefully that way MABY Someone Will Notice It & help Quicker.

 

[histoplasmosis]

Pictures would help id it.

 

[cedarratt]

If you can post a pic I might be able to help. There are several ways to get into a safe depending on what type and if you ever want to reuse the safe.

 

[MiddenMonster]

My house has a wall safe which was here when I bought it. The previous owners told me they hired a locksmith who agreed to accept a fee only if he was successful in getting it open. Apparently he had no luck. The home was built in 1950, the safe is a Meilink - 1 hour fire test. I did a google search on Meilink safes, and it came back as FKI Security Group. I emailed them and was provided the number for their combination department. They said they could provide the factory assigned combination with a serial number. She said the serial number would be on the knob/handle or near the hinges. I have taken the safe out of the wall and insected all sides (top/bottom/back). The only number I can locate is 613 on the handle, but the lady at FKI says that is not a serial number.

It all depends on whether you want to use the safe in the future. If you do, then you have to take care when opening it, though it can be repaired. If you don't plan on using it after you open it, drill it. A 50 year old wall safe it probably doesn't have a drop bar. If you drill it correctly and the hole is standard size you can replace the dial unit. Also, if you can see the hinges you can get a cutting torch and remove the door. But if you do that I'd get a video camera and tape it as if you were breaking into something. Makes great footage to show your friends later. Tell them it was from your last trip to Chicago...

 

[czman]

Hello CZ.. your safe will have 2 to 6 door locking pins depending on the brand...You can cut these with a saw with a carbon blade like we used on the railroad to cut rails...You can rent one anywhere, and it will cut those pins like they were butter.

 

[diggummup]

CZ-It looks like you have several options to choose from.So lets get that camera out and bust her open,post some pics. Good luck!

 

[corncrasher]

CZ7922
you certainly have more patience than me! I would have had that out in the shop and dismantled in a matter of moments after finding it.

 

[CZ7922]

Thanks to all for the replies. I seem to be struggling a bit with posting pics as this is my first attempt. I am not having any luck posting them as attachments (they are .jpg files which the site says are okay). I will continue trying to post pics. In the meantime I want to thank everyone for their insight.

FYI - I don't necessarily need to reuse the safe, but it is a wall safe and therefore takes up a 13" x 11" portion of my bedroom wall. I would prefer to maintain the safe's functionality since it might affect my home's resale value.

Please stay tuned for pics, I'm trying. Any pointers are welcomed.

 

[gldhntr]

do you want to sell this safe ? as is. if so I may be interested. let me know

 

[histoplasmosis]

If you trying to post pictures just make sure they are under 128kb in size. That should work. If you need to resize them try a program called infranview its free and pretty easy to use. Otherwise you can try hosting the photos on www.imageshack.us and just post the links from that site.

GL

 

[Dinkydick]

All this talk about safes brings a story to mind.

About 45 years ago a friend of mine (who owned a dive shop) located a sunken ship named "Niagara".
The vessel somehow burnt and sank in Lake Michigan. My friend found the melted ship's bell and later located a large safe which was laying on its back with the door closed. My firend thought of all the money that would be inside the safe so, he hired a boat with a winch and cargo net. Sliding the massive safe onto the net was a huge job. Once the safe was in the net the winch brought it to the surface. As it was rigged the winch vessel could not bring it aboard. They towed the safe to shore where he hired an auto wrecker to lift the safe from the water. When he had the safe over land he told the wrecker driver to lower the safe onto the back of the truck. It landed with the closed door side down. My friend could not wait any longer thinking of the riches inside so he decided to cut the back of the safe open with a torch. Once the back was removed he reached inside the burnt wooden shelves only to find a solid brass door knob. Once he got the safe to a place where he could unload it the closed door swung open on it's own accord. It was unlocked all the time.

Moral of the story. Had he taken time to really look the safe over he would have probably been able to sell it back to the manufacturer. Instead he ended up with an un-useable historical safe and a brass door knob. He even took the door knob over to a jewler to see if it was gold.

We really gave it to him after that.

Dinkydick

 

[CZ7922]

Here are a couple pics (I hope).

The logo in the upper right reads:? Line 1 - "1-Hour Fire Test"...Line 2 - "Better Protection"...Line 3 - "Meilink"...Line 4 (mostly illegible) - first three letters are "S-T-E" and last three letters are "A-N-K"...Line 5 - "Toledo, Ohio, USA"

The knob says "Meilink - Toledo, Ohio" with the number 613 above Meilink.

GLDHNTR - I would not be inclined to sell it mainly because it will leave a hole in my wall.? I'm guessing your offer would maybe cover the cost to patch the wall.? Then again, maybe I'm wrong.? You did see above that the safe seems empty when I shake it?

Thanks again for all the input...

 

[CZ7922]

Re: Anyone with knowledge of safes? (PICS ADDED)

Sorry about the pics being so large.

 

[MiddenMonster]

I would not be inclined to sell it mainly because it will leave a hole in my wall. I'm guessing your offer would maybe cover the cost to patch the wall. Then again, maybe I'm wrong. You did see above that the safe seems empty when I shake it?

I say drill it! Get an electric hammer drill, chuck up a 1/8" bit and drill the dial. You may have to secure the dial so it doesn't spin as you drill. Once you've drilled through, chuck up a 3/16" or 1//4" bit and do it again. Slowly work up to larger bits until the dial breaks apart. When you get the dial drilled out you can work the mechanism and open the door. Examine the contents of the safe, remembering to set aside my cut of the loot. Then order a new dial unit and have a locksmith install it for you and set the new combination. Kill the locksmith so he can't come back and get in your safe. Go out and get yourself a large picture that will more than cover the wall area where the safe is installed. Run a full length hinge up the left or right side of the picture and secure it to the wall so it swings like a door. Now your safe is hidden--unless that picture was an original Picasso or something...

 

[kenb]

Drilling it may work but it cant be that easy, I say BLOW it open, if nothing else it's alot more fun

 

[histoplasmosis]

I say drill it too. Worst case buy a new dial.

Other than that how many numbers are on the dial?

 

[MiddenMonster]

Drilling it may work but it cant be that easy, I say BLOW it open, if nothing else it's alot more fun

If you have a good sized hammer drill it's not a question of difficulty. It's more of a question of patience on the order of a wood worker or metal worker milling material down to a specific size or shape. It may take you close to an hour to get through, but if you use HSS bits (high speed steel) and don't drill at high RPM's it's not a problem. The are only two problems I can see from drilling: 1. If the dial hole isn't a standard size for modern dials you will have to look for one, assuming you want to lock it again. If not, you can fabricate a handle that will work the catch mechanism, but not lock it. 2. For some strange reason this particular wall safe has a drop bar. If it does, and you drill the dial out the bar will drop down into a slot and lock the safe in such a way that it has to be cut open. It will be ruined. I still doubt that a 50 year old wall safe will have a drop bar, but since you've already contacted the manufacturer, you can call them again to find out.

If you're feeling spy-like you can get hold of a stethoscope and try to listen for the clicks. If you have kids this might be a good pastime activity for the family, and just cracking it open will be a thrill, even if it is empty. If it doesn't pop in a couple of hours you can go back to the destructive methods. I'd also call the manufacturer to get the spin pattern (3 spins to the right, stop on x, 4 spins to the left, stop on y, etc.) if you use a stethoscope.

Since it's not open yet we can all have some fun guessing what's in it. I'm guessing that all you will find in the safe (since you can't hear anything rattling around) is the paperwork for the safe itself, and probably the original combination. If the dial is designed so you can change the combination yourself you might also find the key to unlock the tumblers. Don't try to change it yourself. Call a locksmith and let him change it for you. Then refer to my previous post about locksmiths...

 

[cedarratt]

first off if you pick it up can you here something in it. I bought a wall safe at an auction for 10 $ cause I could here something rattleing around inside after getting into it I found that it was just a washer. The best bet I would think would be to drill out the dial. Cutting the hinges wont help cause it may have a drop bar or a top bar on it. the only other thing that I can suggest it cut in to it from the back with a hand grinder, this way you can have it repaired by welding it or brazing it back together later. But be sure not to get it too hot for it will burn and paper or money inside.

 

[MiddenMonster]

Unfortunately I will not be able to give out drill points on this forum but I could e-mail you the information. Why? even tho I'm a pirate I'm a nice guy!!!! ARRRRR

No, you're a nice locksmith. A nice guy would post not only the drill points, but the factory set combinations, as well...