Welcome to our world exploring the Historical, Political and Technological aspects of Locks, Keys and Safes

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  1. #11
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    Oct 2009
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    There have been several different removable dials seen in safemaking going all the way back to when the combination lock evolved from the lever lock during the mid 1800's. There were numerous examples of wheel locks with removable key dials. In modern times the US made Star and Major round doors had removable dials. There are also many examples of removable dials seen on bank quality locks but these unlike the Star and Major were not intended to be removed by the user. If the cannon movie is the one I remember it was based on a true story. Regarding the water filled method twice in my career I have opened safes that had been filled but unsucessfully opened with explosives. Both of these attempts occured prior to the DeNiro movie ,can't remember the name, where that method was sucessfully used.

  2. #12
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    Nov 2005
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    Star safes have a removeable safe dial. So on some it is standard.... then the user can lose it. LOL.

  3. #13
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    Back to Hollywood, in the original comedic Casino Royale, there is a wall safe with doors on both sides of the wall, so of course two characters (in gorilla suits) simultaneously manipulate both doors without knowing about the other gorilla. Has anybody seen a wall safe with two doors like this?

  4. #14
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    Not a wall safe, but I know of at least one big, bank safe made by Hobbs with a door on opposite sides, it was used to pass cash securely into a vault or similar arrangement. No pictures alas.

  5. #15
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    Dunno if it counts, but I have seen an arrangement at a bank where there was a small space in the thickness of the wall with a safe-like door on each side. It was used for stuff that the courier brought/collected at night. Secure, but not really a "safe" I suppose. The last time I went past it was a shop but the two doors were still there.

    l

  6. #16
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    That was used like has been said as a secure pass. It will not allow you into the safe but it will allow you to leave or pickup something that is going it or out of the safe like armor car deliveries or pickups. I don't think that would be used anymore as there have been much better practices.

  7. #17
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    Aug 2007
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    Can anyone remind me of the name and actors of a movie made about 1980? where a young boy who liked to hang around a magic shop was forced to manipulate several safes for the bad guy? This was the best representation of safe opening I have ever seen. It took time and showed him penciling on his graphs.

  8. #18
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    hm... can't remember a movie like that, sorry! But I also have an old movie in mind (I think 80s) where there was a family that cracked safes... I can't remember the movie though and it was not one of the popular ones.

    Anyway... I have to agree with Halflock that the most realistic safe opening took place in "The Italian Job" (the new movie). Where a woman drilled a safe but nearly hit the glass from the emergency lock system.

    But you all forgot one real cool safe in your Hollywood safe history... The vault room from Die Hard 1 and the attempt to open it. It is very realistic if you look at the time you need to drill a moderate and well armoured vault door. Okay... in the End there are no drilling holes and the computer screen of the driller is very futuristic.. also the electromagnetic seal is kind of unrealistic. But the door that opens differently then others and the realistic surroundings are just cool;-);-) :-P

    I wonder if this vault room really exists....

    Greetings, Dicey

  9. #19
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    Dec 2009
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    I just saw parts of "The Bank Job" on TV, I need to catch the beginning. Interesting portayal of a safe deposit vault being robbed via tunneling and a thermic lance. A few scenes of what appears to be a real vault door, and at least one safe, but not much. I suspect the depiction of the smoke from a lance was underdone, and would have been a much bigger problem in reality. But the movie is based on an actual theft.

    For those who enjoy David Suchet as the detective "Poirot", the character "Vogel" in the movie is done by Suchet.

    Jim

  10. #20
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    In a confined space it would have been a big problem. The smoke can be solved with a portable air cleaner. But in the movie they would have also had a carbon monoxide problem too.

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