F Whitfield "The City Safe"

[Chubby]

For years one leading manufacturer used to claim that their interlocking bolt corners were in themselves an AED. I suppose they were, in a way.

The point is if someone has used explosives, or oxygen cutting equipment, is likely to come across big problems unless they know exactly what to do. I have seen doors blown almost double, which have not yielded, where the design was sound. I have seen a banded Milner (I think) not unlike yours, where the bad guys had ended up trying to mely through the door and gave up when they ran out of bottled oxygen.

A well made safe with 3 or 4 way boltwork is generally a fairly tough cookie, despite what you might see in the movies!

[Steve48]

For years one leading manufacturer used to claim that their interlocking bolt corners were in themselves an AED. I suppose they were, in a way.

The point is if someone has used explosives, or oxygen cutting equipment, is likely to come across big problems unless they know exactly what to do. I have seen doors blown almost double, which have not yielded, where the design was sound. I have seen a banded Milner (I think) not unlike yours, where the bad guys had ended up trying to mely through the door and gave up when they ran out of bottled oxygen.

A well made safe with 3 or 4 way boltwork is generally a fairly tough cookie, despite what you might see in the movies!

Having spent a life time in industry, and used what would be thousands of miles of welding rods, both oxy and stick. Plus burning gear and indeed smithing. It never fails to amuse me to see what the movie makers consider to be realism....and just how blatantly wrong it so often is. But at times it is also that they don't want to teach criminals via a film......... and that's food for thought too.

Steve

[Chubby]

I think you are ascribing motives to movie makers, which simply aren't there. They get it wrong, because they get it wrong. They want a spectacle rather than an accurate representation of truth!

I must have seen tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition fired. Many of these have struck metal. Never, ever, have I seen a single one strike a spark. Generally the stuff is jacketed in copper, so how would it spark? (I know some modern rounds are steel jacketed). Yet in the films the rounds almost invariably strike sparks.

I could go on, but the thread is already OT and I apologise to the op for hijacking it.

[Steve48]

As we went a bit off topic I thought one last photo prior to coach painting the body.
So finally it is rust treated inside and out, still upside down so the top is another story.


I am hoping to go away for a break, so don't expect it to be suddenly finished.

[Steve48]

Well its been a while, but as promised the safe is finally finished. Coach painting something this heavy only adds to the normal amount of time it takes, and of course I had to wait for the right person to do the sign writing.


So that is the door and frame as it was in the 1880's and it looks fabulous, I truly am chuffed with the result. I commissioned a local sign writer Stephen Blackwell and I would hearilty recommend him to anyone needing a quality craftsman.

https://signsandpainting.co.uk/

The safe is currently still on the cradle I made for it. After much deliberation I decided to make a decent one with period wheels as moving this is a trial, but that is something beyond the scope of this article.



So there we are it is done, yes at long last, and I wont be doing another one.

All the best, Steve.

[safeman]

Congratulations.

I can only repeat what I said before ;
"you've done the safe proud".

[Cepasaccus]

I can very well imagine, that that safe looked exactly like this when new. This is how IMHO a full restoration should be done. Great!