How to properly repair a drilled safe.

One of the most common questions I get asked about safe drilling is, "is this going to compromise my safes security." And it's a fair question. I would also want to know that the place my valuables are secured is... well... secure. I often tell people that a properly repaired safe is usually stronger than it was before drilling began, depending on a couple of factors.

We start by going through all troubleshooting measures first. Even if the client tells us they have done all of this themselves. It never hurts to do it again. In many cases, I've begun troubleshooting and found a non-drilling solution. After verifying that drilling is the next step to resolve the problem, we get straight to work.

This is the safe I was working on in this case. A liberty gun safe with an electronic lock. The keypad has already been removed for the photo.

After taking careful measurements, marking and prepping the door for drilling, I hook up my rig and get to it. The drilling process doesn't take very long with the proper tools and a short time later, I'm in. The hard plate from the factory is 3/8 of an inch thick. This is pretty standard for Residential Gun safes. In the next picture you can see the hard plate through hole. This is the hole where the cable or spindle get through the door to where the lock is mounted.

The round pin where the metal is a different color is where my hole was drilled to open this safe. This point is different depending on the safe model and the lock used. That pin is my repair. A tapered, hardened steel pin. It is over an inch long and is installed from inside the door, preventing it from being removed from the outside. It would be possible to drive it inside, but the lock will cover it. If the lock is driven off the door in a modern safe, it will deploy a relocking mechanism which will securely lock the door and require that the safe be drilled again. I don't recommend doing that. Drilling for a relocker is typically much more frustrating than drilling the lock.

Outside of the door, after the repair is completed, the evidence that it ever happened is nearly invisible. More than that, the safe now has over 1" of hard steel protecting the lock rather than the 3/8 of an inch before beginning the process. This will make it much more difficult to drill again if that ever has to be done. That said, lock failures are relatively uncommon and I've never had to drill the same safe a second time.

If you do ever need a safe opened, I recommend that you ask your safe tech to explain their repair process. I've seen more than a few safes that were not properly repaired after they were opened.

-Dan Bailey

Should you consider a continuous hinge for your storefront?

Storefront doors are ubiquitous. If you've been to a plaza anywhere in the country in the last 50 years, it's almost a certainty that you've encountered a pivot mounted, aluminum frame door installed in the entry way. The pivots are mounted in pairs, most often. One top and one bottom. This is a picture of the top pivot on a door like I'm telling you about.

These pivots are pretty durable. Most manufacturers of these doors choose pivots for their ease of installation and adequate strength. But, I think that will be changing over the next decade and the continuous hinge will become commonplace. When pivots do degrade, the most common means of discovery is that the door literally falls right out of the frame. This is an obvious problem, because that's not what a door should do. The implications to your liability are more subtle and far worse. What if this happens to a customer? What if it's a customer's child? You could find yourself wrapped up in a lawsuit and have to replace your very expensive door.

The solution is a surface mounted continuous hinge. One long hinge from the top to the bottom of the door. They are lightweight, extremely durable and they have the bonus function of creating a seal on the hinge side of the door. Here is a picture of one that's been installed. It's difficult to see because they are well designed and blend right into the original frame.

The final consideration is cost. Surely, this advanced hardware must be expensive, right? Well, not necessarily. While the parts cost is certainly much higher for the hinge vs a set of pivots, changing pivots is much more labor intensive. By the time it's said and done, you'll spend almost the same amount to replace the pivots as you would to upgrade to a much more durable solution that removes the liability risk in nearly all circumstances.

They are not limited to storefront doors either. They can be installed on steel, wood, fiberglass and even some residential doors. This provides a viable option for commercial doors with damaged frames, broken hinge mounts or sagging hinges that are causing the door not to close smoothly or easily.

If you are considering a continuous hinge for your business, facility or home, we would love the opportunity to quote you for this upgrade.

-Dan Bailey

Helping in the midst of tragedy.

There are a handful of common reasons that people need a safe opened. Among them is the aftermath of a tragic circumstance. The death of a loved one is always horrible and it's only the beginning of the hardships. Estate planning, funeral proceedings, legal action and more will all be upcoming after the fact.

In some cases, the process can be made a little easier when the safe holding important documents, resources or other valuable assets, can be accessed to retrieve those items.

One such case I dealt with recently was with this Winchester gun safe. The contents belonged to the father of my client and he was named recipient in the will.

I verified the relevant information, began by pulling the dial and prepping my rig to the door. "RSC" containers are relatively standard in design so this, being one, is a straightforward operation. I confirmed the information and began the drilling.

In a little under an hour, I had this one opened, repaired and set the new combination so the safe could be returned to use. The client was thrilled that the whole operation left no visible indication that it had ever been done and he didn't have to find somewhere else to store the contents.

I was asked not to photograph the contents of the container, but stay tuned, because I'm sure someone will be amenable at some point.

Thanks for reading, and I will be posting ongoing work on my socials. These will be video and image (without compromising sensitive information) so go over there and check it out.

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