Custom Safe

[MAC702]

Very practical! Keep us posted!

[SteelonSteel]

Cool project. I have been kicking the idea of welding up a firearms strong box for the back of the police car. A little peace of mind.


i am considering a slide out drawer though as it will be horizontal.

[clint738]

Finally figured out get my dropbox photos to show up directly in the forum without having to click on links and jump back and forth from different pages.

Here is the vertical down hill joint I did last. Getting to where I'm pretty pleased with the Mig now, but have to keep reminding myself to stop welding or the project will be warping like crazy.... Never had that problem with stick since well... you run out of stick.



Down hill Mig 18.4V 265ipm on 3/16" corner joint. About half way through the weld I thought I was welding too wide, so narrowed my joint to impart less heat on the box. Was pretty impressed with myself that I kept the width pretty consistent both on the wide and then the narrow sections.

Now that I have the issue with the door, if I do cut the welds off the hinges... it is a LOT of weld to cut. I'll get a pic when I next get a chance.

[ryanjones2150]

You're in a tight spot....first on the hinges, I'd say you're probably right on them being skosh off. Cut them off and redo them. I normally say everything is fixed with a hammer, but I don't think that would help you in either of these cases...<br />
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Can't advise you on how to handle your wife, brother. You know what's best on that. I would just finish the safe how I wanted to finish the safe. I think it's a cool project and I'd like to see how you make that lock mechanism work.

[clint738]

Will not be powder coating it. Just spray paint out of a can. While the company I work for does powder coating, I don't have that ability at home and would hate to find out what it would cost me.

Finally getting the welds how I like them. Guess I'm just getting use to the machine again and to welding in general again.
Down hill Mig 18.4V 265ipm on 3/16" corner joint. About half way through the weld I thought I was welding too wide, so narrowed my joint to impart less heat on the box.

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/m3cagagkv...q-HLUmPFPMsfGa

Was planning on using five 4" x 1/4" flat straps to engage and lock the door behind the door frame. 3 on the sides and 1 top and 1 bottom.

Had planned to use a gear rack drive like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Martin-R2020X...ords=gear+rack

https://www.amazon.com/Martin-TS2025...2QDZKFNX10V7QA

Was planning on something like this for the lock. This places has everything you need for your own safe.

http://mbausa.com/s-g-titan-direct-d...kage-complete/

Was even thinking about adding 1 or possibly 2 relockers. Already have some 5/8" rod and got some springs now.

I have 2 new problems now.

#1 - I may not have gotten the barrel hinges on perfectly aligned and now with them welded solid and all the welding around the inside of the box for trim, the door is hard to open past the midway point. The door opens fine until around 80 to 90 degrees it is tough, then once past the hard spot it gets easy again? Trying to figure out the best way to fix this since my wife already asked, "is it always going to be this hard to open?" ... (bashes head against wall)...

#2 - My time working on this is limited to only Saturdays and part of Sundays... however the wife is getting impatient and wants this finished so I can then finish her pantry. She's wanting me to simplify it and finish it sooner rather than putting in all the locking mechanism stuff I'm wanting.

So i'm torn between finishing it the way I want it and knowing it is secure. Or making it a simpler lock box with maybe a master lock on the exterior and then putting the so called "gym locker" from my first posts inside of this box...?

[ryanjones2150]

I don't think the flat bar will be as strong as the round stock unless it's some pretty skookum flat bar. But any sort of string box with moderate security will keep most unwanted access at bay. <br />
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Plan to send it out for powder coating when you're done? Any plan for fire rating? <br />
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What lock are you planning to use. I wonder if you can even buy a locking mechanism for a safe....probably can. I've never looked.

[clint738]

Progress from Last Saturday... Door has hinges tack welded and the door is fully cutout and opens and closes.

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/x4k32yj8m...qGx7JC4zNpE6ua

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/u6kcue5un...pc5eFiQ_E0agxa

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/7eiocxxdg...OTwgng0BL5H-Ua

Hope to put 1/4" flat strap trim on the interior frame so the door can shut against it. Plus will stiffen up the door frame some for added pry resistance.

Haven't found much in the way of rod material that I could use as moving dead bolts. So thinking about using some flat strap as the locking bars instead of round rod like pretty much every safe seems to use.

Any thoughts for or against using flat strap as the locking mechanism to engage behind the door frame?

[clint738]

Starting to cut the door out enough to weld on the hinges. It's slow going with a grinder and cut-off wheel, but it does make very clean cuts.

[clint738]

Progress.... Saturday by Saturday...

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/vkcvapjqd...SK4oliq6DYXY2a

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/q3p1k5e8l...WoThtRJ6Uc3n3a

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/v2h917gjc...wumlyCdAHBgWYa

[clint738]

This makes me want to go look at my safe a little more carefully.....
Or not. I'd hate to add another project to the list.

I tried as long as I could to not open up the panel to look inside, but the rivets on the hinges told me I better look closer. So sure enough, just little tack welds holding the rod guides in place.

[BlitzWelding]

This makes me want to go look at my safe a little more carefully.....
Or not. I'd hate to add another project to the list.

[ryanjones2150]

It's pretty much a strong box. If you bolt it to the floor, it should thwart most break ins. Burglars aren't looking for a challenge, they'll lazy. Of course someone has had their safe broken into. Which is why I say MOST burglars. <br />
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Many traditional safes also protect against fire. I t doesn't happen often, but I have salvaged a few safes from houses with substantial fire damage. I can't speak for the condition of the items inside though. <br />
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One great defense for a narrow gun cabinet like that is your ability to hide it.

[clint738]

Wow no offense but at first i thought it was a gym locker

Sort of was my thoughts as well, like I'm not putting anything more than a cheap shotgun in that. Certainly nothing valuable. They have a few qualities that make them unique like really deep box and narrow, so positioning it under a bed or in a closet is easy to keep it out of sight. But I'd never feel like it was safe from a guy with a framing hammer and a screw driver.

The charge a LOT for it too, but their storage system has no equal out there. You can fit a TON of stuff in one. So I figure I'll build my own, with improvements and buy one of their storage system adapters for my own.

[clint738]

My first thought for something easy, if there is enough flange around the door edge:

I have seen those somewhere (can't recall store) but I liked the idea of nothing visible to cut. I thought of adding a small pipe sort of like a tunnel to get to the key access point. Then taking the real key and welding an extension piece on it. The further the key access is recessed the more difficult it would be for someone to even pick the lock.

[clint738]

What are you going to do for the locking mechanism? How thick is the door going to be? 3/16-1/4" solid door is very hard to pry open.

I'm going to make the body and door out of 3/16" plate. Going to put 1/4" reinforcement just inside the body as the door stop and for the locking bars to engage against.

For the locking mechanism, I'd really like to do 1/4" steel strap as locking bars with a solid dead bar on the hinge side.
Having a hard time locating assortments of gears I can use though.

Thought about also using a Sargent and Greenleaf electronic lock and solenoid.... or just building my own since safe electronics is stuff done in like freshman electronics classes.