[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/09\/antique-safes-with-asbestos-fire-insulation\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/09\/antique-safes-with-asbestos-fire-insulation\/","headline":"Antique Safes With Asbestos Fire Insulation","name":"Antique Safes With Asbestos Fire Insulation","description":"The last post talked about hobnail safes which were made in the early 1800\u2019s.\u00a0 Wooden bodies covered with steel strips made them somewhat fire resistant.\u00a0 In an effort to improve fire protection manufacturers switched over time to using other materials for insulation. John Scott, whose hobnail safe was featured in the last post, seems to…","datePublished":"2018-09-12","dateModified":"2018-09-12","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/author\/tom-ziemer\/#Person","name":"Tom Ziemer","url":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/author\/tom-ziemer\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f44b3ee14d609cdedcf26b31fd57aec?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f44b3ee14d609cdedcf26b31fd57aec?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Hoogerhyde Safe and Lock","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Hoogerhyde-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Hoogerhyde-logo.png","width":600,"height":217}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_3365-e1536775744281.jpg","url":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_3365-e1536775744281.jpg","height":"1128","width":"752"},"url":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/09\/antique-safes-with-asbestos-fire-insulation\/","about":["Uncategorized"],"wordCount":423,"keywords":["antique safes","safe construction"],"articleBody":"The last post talked about hobnail safes which were made in the early 1800\u2019s.\u00a0 Wooden bodies covered with steel strips made them somewhat fire resistant.\u00a0 In an effort to improve fire protection manufacturers switched over time to using other materials for insulation.John Scott, whose hobnail safe was featured in the last post, seems to have been the first manufacturer to switch to asbestos, around 1840 or so.\u00a0 His patent for using asbestos was issued in 1834.The history of people using asbestos goes way back.\u00a0 As early as 4000 BC asbestos fibers were used as wicks in candles and lamps.\u00a0 Egyptians wrapped mummies in asbestos blankets around 2000 to 3000 BC. \u00a0It has been found in pottery from 2500 BC.\u00a0 When burning tar was lobbed over fortress walls with catapults, it was held together with a bag made of asbestos.\u00a0 But its use really took off during the industrial revolution. \u00a0Surprisingly, some of its harmful effects were known way back by the ancient Greeks and Romans because slaves working in the mines suffered from lung problems.Personally, my first experience with asbestos was when I stole an asbestos rock from my high school science room because it was fun to peel off strands of the silky fiber.\u00a0 And when the exhaust pipe on my old car rusted apart, it was patched with a sheet of thick asbestos felt, wrapped with a soup can, held together by coat hanger wire.\u00a0 I must have breathed in some of it while laying on my back, looking straight up at my repair work.\u00a0 Anyway, this is supposed to be about safes . . .Pictured is one of my favorite antique safes.\u00a0 The insulation is asbestos mixed with plaster of Paris, applied over the wood interior wall, then wrapped by steel plate.\u00a0 This model does not make a very good end table because of the round top.\u00a0 But it is a unique conversation piece.\u00a0 I am not concerned about asbestos because the safe does not give off dust.It is hard to tell which old safes contain asbestos, in part because it was used in different forms.\u00a0 Some makers mixed it with plaster of Paris or concrete. \u00a0Some used soft board-like sheets, and some used thick, light-weight fiber \u201cblankets\u201d.\u00a0 Safes with the soft boards or blankets usually give off dust, so I won\u2019t deal with them.\u00a0 Some manufacturers had fancy names for their asbestos insulation; the Macey Company from Grand Rapids, Michigan called it \u201cH-E-L-F-I-T-E\u201d to emphasize its fire resistance.Thankfully, the safe industry kept evolving and eventually settled on different kinds of insulation."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2018","item":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"09","item":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/\/09\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Antique Safes With Asbestos Fire Insulation","item":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/09\/antique-safes-with-asbestos-fire-insulation\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]