Found an old "safe cabinet" near my 'retirement home' and while I realize in no way, shape or form it's a good "gun safe", I like its 'oldness' and it would be a lot more secure (I think) than a locked closet.

Can any of you tell me more about this thing? They're asking $550, and say they can't get the combination lock to work.

well, it's not gonna work well if you can't open it LOL.

Wonder whats inside, could be gold, could be a Geraldo moment...

Asbestos. Avoid.

Allen random question were you ever on the GunBroker forum?

I would pass. Like others have said, if there is any insulation in it, it could have asbestos. Also, if it doesn't open, there is no telling what is wrong with it and trying to get parts will be a nightmare let alone what it will cost to get it open. For a little bit more than that price,(add maybe $100-150 depending on your area), you could get a smaller Liberty safe that has a warranty, won't have anything that might make you sick and will last a good long time without any issues.

I came across an old safe a few years ago, family building, it was mostly free. I don’t have the details here, dated to the late 1800’s I think, fireproof, VERY heavy.

I cleaned it up, put some industrial wheels on, painted it. I then hired a locksmith to drill it, figure out the combination, then open it. I forget the cost, he was here less than two hours.

The drill hole was filled then painted over. There were papers inside from the 1940’s, nothing special. I think it is a ‘Diebold’ safe, yes, that’s it. It’s built like a tank.

The locksmith guy said most don’t have anything of value inside. The only ones that do are known, like when gramps passes & no one knew the combo.

I am not a locksmith, but have dealt with old safes a number of times.
If they say the lock "doesn't work", it could be possible that they are not doing the proper sequence for a Yale lock.

Also, I have learned to check with a bright flashlight all over the casing of the safe for writing. Many people in the past would write the combo on the safe bottom or back with a pencil. There are also default combinations that were used in those days for transporting safes which you should always try before anything expensive.

quote:

Originally posted by Ox190:
Allen random question were you ever on the GunBroker forum?

I'm on GB but I don't think I've ever been on the forum.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
Asbestos. Avoid.

That's the only assurance I need to stay away!!

For the asbestos to be a problem, wouldn't the walls or whatever have to be breached? Then again, one of the pictures has some other lockbox looking thing that appears to be bolted to the roof of the cabinet, so it must be breached.

I did a little digging. Looks like The Safe Cabinet Company made this thing between 1902(?) and 1926. After that, the company was known as Safe Cabinet Laboratories. They did use asbestos in the walls as they are more of a fire-proof box than anything.

The cabinet is already open, and I found the dialing sequence for the model of Yale lock that's supposed to be on it. Something like 4 turns right, 3 left, 2 right, the left til it stops. Seems like my mom had a small fire safe that worked like that.

Thanks for the info!

I think the asbestos issue is more along the lines of what are you or your family going to do with it when you or they no longer want the safe?