Safe Cracking

Anyone got any ideas how to break into a safe?

There’s a rather large, locked safe in our cellar, with a key that has a tag which states “Cellar Safe” on it, but it doesn’t turn. I’ve WD-40’d the lock to no effect. I’m rather curious about the contents…

Any ideas?

angle grinder to the hinges or if its cast iron drop it off the roof

Maybe…. its locked from the inside.

Explosives. Just make sure you only blow the bloody door off, though.

or if its cast iron drop it off the roof

Daft question, but have you tried turning the handle?

Other than that, angle grinder to the back. Cutting just the hinges probably won’t open it as you’ll still have the deadbolts to deal with.

You need a stethoscope. I don’t know what you do with it, but safe crackers in films always have a stethoscope

If you can turn it on its left side I’d cut through the two tabs that the hinges locate in

* Drill hole in top.
* Fill with water.
* Weld hole closed.
* Put in freezer (or outside).
* Wait.

Probably best to delay filling it with water until AFTER you’ve lifted it out of the cellar. Also, it won’t work as a safe any more.

Thermite.

I do a bit of lockpicking – just as a hobby you understand – and it’s certainly possible to pick that kind of lock. But if the key that’s meant to be for it isn’t working I’d go for the lock being seized.

If we’re assuming that you have the right key and the mechanism is jammed the I reckon destruction is your only option

Lemon juice

Have you shaken it to see if there is anything inside?

Actually, theres no point destroying the contents out of curiosity as to what in there, and theres no point opening it if theres nothing it there.

Drill a hole in the top and hire an endoscope

can I just say how appropriate the OP’s username is for this thread.

If only he’d had to swim through sharks and scale a cliff to get to it.

Spray lock with wd40 take rubber hammer to lock area and
It should free off the lock.

This is one of those scenarios where you know there will be nothing of any value inside it but a little part of you hopes against hope that its stuffed full of gold Krugerrands or the like!

I wouldnt’t drop it, you could break the priceless ming vase safely stored within.

Am i the only one thats thinking woodburner here? 😀

It’s about 2 1/2 foot high, 2 foot wide and I can’t even move it, let alone lift it up three flights of stairs before using it to destroy the patio, so I’m ruling that one out.

Thermite / dynamite etc, a little risky give the above and the fact it’s sitting in the foundations of my house.

Freezer is too small.

Lemon juice?

Don’t have a stethoscope, nor access to a friendly doctor.

Might squirt some 3in1 into the lock tonight and see if that frees anything up. The thing to the left of the key looks like it could have been a handle at some point but has broken off. I haven’t been able to get it to turn, but will attack that again this evening.

get proper penetrating fluid, not wd40 or 3 in 1.

Not sure how to get in ( have you got a plasma cutter ?) but when you have, you need to make it into a woodburning stove, it’s the STW way.

get proper penetrating fluid, not wd40 or 3 in 1.

Like what?

A colleague thinks that liquid nitrogen is the way forward, but I don’t think Robert Dyas stocks it.

this sort of thing;

meesterbond – Member

get proper penetrating fluid, not wd40 or 3 in 1.

Like what?

PlusGas if you can stil get it, then having left it to soak, liberal use of a proper sized hammer around the lock (without damaging it) to shake the lock compnents free from each other

Wow. All these years I’ve been using amateur penetrant.

(That sounded a lot less wrong in my head)

I’ve been using amateur penetrant.

like professional penetrant but the camera’s a bit shakier?

waswas that stuff really works – itsa staple in landrover repairs 😀

plus gas better but plus gas $$$$ and reality is that the high penetrant does a good enough job 😀

this sort of thing;

You can buy it in Anne Summers

We had a safe at my old work, where you had to turn the handle, then the key. Might be similar?

Stop playing with it.
Oxy_propane cutting gear.

Cold chisel and lump hammer start at a back corner the steel if in sheets can be peeled back then once you have got it going a sledgehammer. Aprox 8 hours work for two strong men.

You have the key and it won’t turn so I assume the lock is seized and therefore unpickable . Try a massive dose of wd40 then add a long strong lever to the key and gently turn and unturn repeatedly you want a fraction of progress back off more than you gained then forwards a bit more and repeat if it starts to work strip take the key out oil or grease reinsert and carry on in the same way .

All these years I’ve been using amateur penetrant.

Was he from Thailand?

I vote for thermite. Or det cord. Both the above would ruin the safe for use as a log burner later on though.

Pictures/video of the explosion/end result though

Handle is important – the key just opens the lock mechanism, you still need to turn the handle to move the deadbolts. So get a pair of mole grips on that and try turning, with or without turning the key as well.

Great thread!

Molegrips on the handle… check.

I’ll set the video camera up so I can record the moment I become rich beyond my widest dreams (or ever so slightly disappointed, whichever’s applicable).

Heat will help the penetrating oil do it’s thing too, so if you have a hot air gun it’d be worth alternating through soaking the lock with penetrating spray, heating it up as hot as you can and belting it with a rubber mallet. If nothing else the hot smells and steam/smoke make the whole process look more exciting.