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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: capn on November 16, 2013, 09:03:12 PM
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I just bought this small safe at an auction. I love it, but when I got home I realized there was some "sand" at the bottom and I thought it might be from concrete inside, but now I'm thinking it could be asbestos. The front has "Fireproof" hand painted on it.
If I clean it up, is this dangerous to have in my bedroom or to use?
Could really use your guys' help.
Thanks!
(http://i43.tinypic.com/25yyrrb.jpg)
(http://i43.tinypic.com/fbl2xt.jpg)
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It is only dangerous for you iffen someone thinks you got a lot of cash money stashed inside of it. Other than that "NO", clean the inside, paint it and use it.
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Cogar is correct !! Asbestos is only dangerous,,if the particles are fine enough to breathe over an extended period (years) !! That is why the people affected are workers that have been exposed to airborn particles !! This other stuff is hype !! I have played in attics with asbestos as a kid, helped install it and rip it out many times, and probably torn Johns Manville siding off enough houses to kill me if all that were true !! I am 64 and quite healthy !! Currently lawyers are the ones benefitting from all this BS !!!
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Don't worry...those old safety boxes were NOT filled with asbestos. They used a "Gypsum / Cement Plaster" mix to provide the fireproofing. Gypsum is a common ingredient in your everyday shampoos.
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OK, cool. Thanks guys!
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Do any of you guys have any recommendations for a high quality, safe clear coat or sealant I could use inside the safe without hurting the value?
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Or, it could be very dangerous if you are Wyle E. Coyote..... :)
(http://www.acmelocknsafe.co.uk/pictures/WileSafe.gif)
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This is not a very secure looking ,.."safe"...the lock is external...and by the looks of it...it would have had a padlock.,furthermore,it is designed to be encased in a wall, or floor...as for hurting its value....what value....
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Love these old wall safes! It is interesting that it requires a separate lock!
You can just lightly sand the inside and spray with any clear coat or repaint with any color you desire.
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This is not a very secure looking ,.."safe"...the lock is external...and by the looks of it...it would have had a padlock.,furthermore,it is designed to be encased in a wall, or floor...as for hurting its value....what value....
I've seen this exact safe sell for $300 on ebay, unpainted. And this one is all hand-painted on the outside (worn off, but there).
I think it has some value...
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Love these old wall safes! It is interesting that it requires a separate lock!
You can just lightly sand the inside and spray with any clear coat or repaint with any color you desire.
Thanks KC! That's probably what I'll do
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Most all the dollar general stores have a clear acrylic spray sealer !! I have used it often as a protective coat !!
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This is not a very secure looking ,.."safe"...the lock is external...and by the looks of it...it would have had a padlock.,furthermore,it is designed to be encased in a wall, or floor...as for hurting its value....what value....
I've seen this exact safe sell for $300 on ebay, unpainted. And this one is all hand-painted on the outside (worn off, but there).
I think it has some value...
The mind boggles....$300..you say....well...this is what you,d get over here for $300
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Small-Antique-Safe-Withy-Grove-Manchester-/141102818336?pt=UK_HaG_Lock_Safes_GL&hash=item20da622420
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Most all the dollar general stores have a clear acrylic spray sealer !! I have used it often as a protective coat !!
of course you are an expert when it comes to dollar stores.... ;D...me..i,d be digging a hole in the wall,..stick it in..then paint it a nice bright colour... ;D
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This is not a very secure looking ,.."safe"...the lock is external...and by the looks of it...it would have had a padlock.,furthermore,it is designed to be encased in a wall, or floor...as for hurting its value....what value....
I've seen this exact safe sell for $300 on ebay, unpainted. And this one is all hand-painted on the outside (worn off, but there).
I think it has some value...
The mind boggles....$300..you say....well...this is what you,d get over here for $300
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Small-Antique-Safe-Withy-Grove-Manchester-/141102818336?pt=UK_HaG_Lock_Safes_GL&hash=item20da622420
Completely different things...
But anyway, I'm not planning on selling it so it doesn't matter.
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yes i know..the one i showed is a safe..yours is a metal box with a hasp and no padlock....that over here in the UK might be worth $20 if you were lucky...but more often than not..would end up as scrap, and get sold as such...
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yes i know..the one i showed is a safe..yours is a metal box with a hasp and no padlock....that over here in the UK might be worth $20 if you were lucky...but more often than not..would end up as scrap, and get sold as such...
Thanks for the help with the questions I asked.
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I have been trying to see it but the first pic will not completely open !!
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Can you please post a picture of the front of it?
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Can you please post a picture of the front of it?
I'll try to post a few in the morning.
It has hand painted floral design over the whole thing, and on the very front says "fireproof" hand-stenciled.
All very very worn down. The "Patent" stencil and red paint inside is almost perfect though.
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The mind boggles....$300..you say....well...this is what you,d get over here for $300
My opinion, $300 is pretty cheap "one time cost" for insurance to protect valuable documents, etc.
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Originally, these little “fireproof safes” were sold by mail order catalog companies to homeowners to be used for important documents and maybe some cash set aside for a rainy day. In the last few decades, Western memorabilia collectors seem to have adopted them as “stagecoach strong boxes”, and the prices have gone higher than they probably should be. The question of why a stagecoach needed a fireproof safe is never brought up.
It’s usually a mystery as to what drives the market for a particular item, but in this case it seems to be “selective fantasy”. And of course the memories of all those old TV shows where the bad guys order the stage driver to “throw down the gold”. :D
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“Gunsmoke’s” Marshall Dillon’s office safe had a hasp and padlock on it. :D :D
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$300 pretty cheap you say...well, i,d say whoever paid that for this....should be hollering their heads off....I,v BEEN ROBBED!! ;D...its a piece of junk...the whole purpose of having a safe is to have one wherby the lock is protected...this one has a padlock that has no protection....there fore its not fit for the purpose....
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$300 pretty cheap you say...well, i,d say whoever paid that for this....should be hollering their heads off....I,v BEEN ROBBED!! ;D...its a piece of junk...the whole purpose of having a safe is to have one wherby the lock is protected...this one has a padlock that has no protection....there fore its not fit for the purpose....
I highly doubt that every person who buys antiques buys them for their practical use...that would be pretty stupid.
I would be going to brinks and getting a digital safe if that's why I wanted a safe.
I didn't buy this to protect anything valuable. I bought it because it's cool and because I could put anything in there. And honestly how hard is it to buy a padlock for it?
Modern safes aren't hand painted and make this way, and I think it's cool...and if you check ebay (the US version) a lot of other people think they're cool too.
I agree with Rauville, I think some people don't know exactly what they're buying, but I very well knew this wasn't a stagecoach box haha.
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Oh well!!
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Hi guys.
Sorry to bring this back up.
I live with my dad and he randomly just asked me if I used our vacuum to clean out the safe (which I did) and supposedly our vacuum shoots air out as it works...meaning it could have shot out some of the asbestos/mix into the air.
Now I'm paranoid.
How paranoid should I be? I live in a small apartment...
And sorry I haven't put up any other pics. I will try to asap.
Thanks for the help!
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I wouldn't freak out over it. Asbestos used to be rampant in buildings and plenty of people survived without illness. It was those that were in it day in and day out...heavy concentrations.
Get a better vaccum and vacuum well. I still don't understand where the asbestos is....was it IN the safe?
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Exposure to Asbestos,..however small, does carry a threat,....not now, not 5 years from now...more like 30 years, but the threat is there...you obviously have a concern...or you would,nt be asking....as to whether this fireproofing material thats within the walls of the safe..is Asbestos...i can,t say, but..if it was...how did it leak out from within the sealed walls of the safe....is there a hole/crack.or any aperture from,whence it came....
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Exposure to Asbestos,..however small, does carry a threat,....not now, not 5 years from now...more like 30 years, but the threat is there...
Naturally Occurring Asbestos
http://www.placer.ca.gov/departments/Air/NOA.aspx
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The problems we face everyday...be it from, NOA,..exhaust fumes from cars, other peoples exhaled tobacco smoke, E numbers in food,the list is almost endless....if we were to worry about all of these potential threats....we,d be living in a sealed room..afraid to come out,..but...if this little safe of yours is causing you to become paranoid...then the simple answer is...get rid of it....then it would be one less thing to worry about.....
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I wouldn't freak out over it. Asbestos used to be rampant in buildings and plenty of people survived without illness. It was those that were in it day in and day out...heavy concentrations.
Get a better vaccum and vacuum well. I still don't understand where the asbestos is....was it IN the safe?
I've been told that the fireproofing material inside of the walls in the safe contains asbestos.
When I got it, there was a sand like, crumbly, concrete looking material (not fibrous) in the bottom of the safe (this is what I vacuumed up). I am assuming it was from inside the walls. I knew it wasn't solid asbestos, but I was told it could be partly.
The walls have some wear and where there isn't any holes that are obviously leaking anything, I assumed the material was from inside.
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You have lived this long without harm,, don`t worry about it !! You would not have enough exposure if you did the same thing a dozen times to cause harm !! Assuming your vacuum is reasonably new,,and use the hepa bags most all is contained !!
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You have lived this long without harm,, don`t worry about it !! You would not have enough exposure if you did the same thing a dozen times to cause harm !! Assuming your vacuum is reasonably new,,and use the hepa bags most all is contained !!
Thanks mart!
Not sure why this is making me so paranoid...
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Like any toxic substances....they can kill you...Asbestos, is harmful even in small doses, ....but like smoking not everyone develops cancer,...its the luck of the draw...."you die if you worry,you die if you don,t.....so why worry,....but if this box is going to cause you anxiety...get rid of it...there,s plenty of safe alternatives out there.....you,re getting conflicting advice, ..but..if it all goes pear shaped in the future....which there,s no reason to suppose it will,...but if it does...then at least i know..you won,t be sueing me....for saying its ok.... ;D
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I wouldn't freak out over it. Asbestos used to be rampant in buildings and plenty of people survived without illness. It was those that were in it day in and day out...heavy concentrations.
Get a better vaccum and vacuum well. I still don't understand where the asbestos is....was it IN the safe?
I've been told that the fireproofing material inside of the walls in the safe contains asbestos.
When I got it, there was a sand like, crumbly, concrete looking material (not fibrous) in the bottom of the safe (this is what I vacuumed up). I am assuming it was from inside the walls. I knew it wasn't solid asbestos, but I was told it could be partly.
The walls have some wear and where there isn't any holes that are obviously leaking anything, I assumed the material was from inside.
Who told you that ??
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I wouldn't freak out over it. Asbestos used to be rampant in buildings and plenty of people survived without illness. It was those that were in it day in and day out...heavy concentrations.
Get a better vaccum and vacuum well. I still don't understand where the asbestos is....was it IN the safe?
I've been told that the fireproofing material inside of the walls in the safe contains asbestos.
When I got it, there was a sand like, crumbly, concrete looking material (not fibrous) in the bottom of the safe (this is what I vacuumed up). I am assuming it was from inside the walls. I knew it wasn't solid asbestos, but I was told it could be partly.
The walls have some wear and where there isn't any holes that are obviously leaking anything, I assumed the material was from inside.
Who told you that ??
Several older family members and just research I did online. But I've also read it can only be gypsum and concrete.
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Asbestos was used in everything.... Tile floors in large box stores used to be made using vinyl/asbestos - thus called VA tiles - now they don't contain it. It was used to insulate soooooo many buildings to fireproof and soundproof. It was used to insulate pipes, fireproof clothing and blankets, popcorn ceilings, plaster, etc....
Yes it is something to be wary of BUT DON'T FREAK OUT!!!
In fact, guess what was used on movie sets, store window displays, etc.... to simulate snow?
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WVCQhrPRQOw/ULgA1iCJ6LI/AAAAAAAAATo/fvn-E3ufrAs/s1600/asbestos-snow.jpg)
By-the-way....here is an answer to your question...
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Locksmithing-3110/2011/6/asbestos-safe-lining.htm (http://en.allexperts.com/q/Locksmithing-3110/2011/6/asbestos-safe-lining.htm)
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Just like the old 1950,s ad from Ronald Reagan........Cigar ettes are good for you... ;D..