Locked Out: Advice on Calling a Locksmith

Typically, when you buy a second hand safe, you need to make sure that the safe is in like-new condition, but in some cases, you may want to buy an old safe and refurbish it. If you're thinking about refurbishing an old safe, take a look at these tips.

Repair the Exterior

If the safe is in truly bad shape, you may need to work with a welder to cover some of the holes. Essentially, the welder cuts metal patches and attaches them to the sides of the safe.

Whether you need patches or not, you need to sand down the second hand safe to remove the old paint and rust. Then, apply a primer and paint the safe with a metal paint.

Put on New Hinges

Check out the hinges. If the second hand safe is really old, you may need to put on new hinges. You can buy safe hinges from multiple online shops. You may want to secure the hinges from inside the safe so that no one can remove the door and break into the safe.

Put Stripping on the Door

Some weather stripping can help to make your second hand safe slightly more resistant to water and other elements. You can look for stripping made specifically for safes, or you can just use stripping designed for use with doors.

Apply an adhesive to the strips, and press them into place around your door. You may want to remove the door to make this process easier. The stripping will create a firmer closure between your safe and the door, and that makes the door harder to pry into.

Replace the Locks

First and foremost, invest some time into replacing the locks. If you have experience with locks, you may just want to dismantle the existing lock, clean the components, and put it back together. However, in most cases, you should just remove the lock and put in a new one.

The easiest option may be to add a hasp lock and use a heavy duty padlock. However, if you use traditional screws, a thief could remove them. Use a power screw driver to strip the heads of the screws so they are harder to remove.

Redo the Interior

Finally, you may want to redo the interior of your safe. You can add shelves, line the inside of the safe with felt, or make other changes. You may also want to sand and paint the interior walls.