Uncategorized Archives - Page 18 of 27

Antique Safe — the Ultimate Breweriana

Posted on November 28, 2014January 16, 2019

“Breweriana” is what collectors of beer-related stuff, call that beer-related stuff they collect. Usually those items consist of bottles, signs, bottle openers, tap handles, etc. This beautiful antique J. Baum safe is from 1908 and was owned by Furniture City Brewing Company. Not one collector in a hundred would have an old brewer’s safe.

Furniture City Brewing was one of the last independent brewers here in Grand Rapids. As far as I can tell they were in business from 1905 to 1919. Old pictures show that their building was a big four story structure. There are still a few Furniture City bottles around, but nothing else that I could find. Incidentally, Grand Rapids was a big beer town a hundred years ago, and the phenomenal growth in our modern local brewers has earned us the title of “Beer City USA” two years in a row.

This antique safe is a perfect size at 32.5”h x 21.5”w x 20”d. It would make a great end table, TV stand or holder of other breweriana. On a scale of 1 to 10 it would get about a 9.5 because its original paint is very interesting and in unusually great condition. The interior is also very nice showing only minor wear. It also came with four very old money pouches bank bags which may have held the brewery’s “beer money”.

There are no immediate plans for this Furniture City Brewing safe. It will be on display at our shop for a few months. I will entertain serious offers from interested buyers.

Buy Guns From a Gun Store, But Buy Gun Safes From a Safe Store

Posted on November 14, 2014January 16, 2019

It may seem like a natural fit for gun stores to display and sell gun safes. But just like we don’t know enough about guns to provide proper advice and service for weapons, gun stores don’t have the appropriate knowledge to provide advice and service for safes. To them, safes are a sideline, a way to boost sales and profits. At Hoogerhyde Safe, safes are our business — you can tell by the name, right? We know more about safes because we work on them every day, just like a gun store works on guns every day.

We have the tools, training and years of experience to do any service work that might be required after the purchase. It is common for customers to tell us “I bought my safe from the gun shop. Now that I have problems with it they say they can’t repair safes.” When you are out buying a new rifle and you are tempted to buy a new gun safe at the same store, ask this question: “If the lock fails and the safe cannot be opened, what specifically can YOU do to fix it?” If they do not have the ability to open it themselves that is the wrong place to buy a safe.

Avoid Injuries From Safes: Part 4

Posted on October 27, 2014January 16, 2019

Ironically, immediately after my last post, we got in a used commercial safe with a history of injury. And it came from the same restaurant chain to which I referred in that last post.

Slam damper 009

Some years ago, AFTER an employee lost a finger in this safe, it was fitted with three safety devices to prevent additional accidents. 1) The photo on left shows the slam damper that was installed, which keeps the door from slamming on someone’s hand. (I know the photo in the last post was poor.) 2) In the other photo, you can see a push/pull handle. When using this handle to close the safe your fingers are not near the edge of the door. 3) That picture also shows the yellow figure guard. This piece of steel extends up 3” above the edge of the door, again, to keep fingers from getting pinched as the door is closed.

My guess is that the cost of installing these three items was much less than the business ended up paying for the severed finger!

Avoid Injuries When Working with Safes: Part 3

Posted on October 9, 2014January 16, 2019

I get nervous when parents bring kids into our shop and then don’t watch them closely. I warn them that “safe doors are not kind to little fingers.” That is true at home, too – if you have a safe do not allow children to use it. It doesn’t take much for a safe door to injure or even cut off a small finger.

The same can be said for adult fingers when a heavy safe is involved, especially when the safe is a high-security plate steel model. Some years ago one of the fast food chains standardized on a TL-30 plate steel safe in which the door was 1 ½” solid plate steel. The doors fit with very close tolerances and had sharp 90 degree edges. I know of several instances just in our area where employees using the safe were not careful enough. As a result, the door was closed when their hands were in the way and their pinky fingers were severed. When a 300# door wants to close, a little finger will not stop it. I know one of the restaurant managers well. She went through terrible anguish as they put the finger on ice and rushed the girl to the hospital. But it could not be re-attached.

Think about how you as a business owner or manager would feel if that happened to your employee! Think about the potential for a lawsuit! As a consumer, how would you feel if your child was injured like that?

There is a solution to the problem. The “slam damper” is a hydraulic deceleration cylinder that will slow down the door as it closes. The picture looks down on a slam damper (not installed) and the kind of heavy plate steel safe which is the biggest problem — the door is 1 1/2″ steel with sharp edges. The device is mounted inside, usually to the top of the safe body. The door is stopped before closing and the user needs to push the door the rest of the way, making them think about what they are doing.

Total cost for the slam damper and its installation should run about $350 to $400. It sounds expensive, but how much sleep would you lose after an accident? How much would a severed finger cost you in court? Train your employees in the importance of being careful when using the safe. For additional protection have a safe technician install a slam damper.

Avoid Injuries When Working With Safes: Part 2

Posted on September 25, 2014January 16, 2019

Incorrect placement of your safe, especially a tall unit, can cause a real safety issue.

Many years ago a new employee set up a 700# gun safe in our showroom on pieces of 4” x 4” wood. The wood was pushed back about 5” from the front edge, making the safe unstable. That night I was working alone and opened the door of that safe to check it out. It fell forward as the weight of the overhanging door moved the center of gravity beyond the wood. It caught me by surprise and I did not react quickly enough. The outside corner of the door hit the floor hard enough that the door was pushed up and off the hinge pins so that it fell on me knocking me to the ground. With a major effort I pushed the door aside and off of me, but then the safe body came down with even more force. Luckily there were no injuries. I was able to get out from under it rather than be trapped until the next day, but it could have literally killed me.

A recent customer brought this incident to mind. He bought a high-security plate steel safe which measured 72”h x 40”w and weighted 2700#. He drove it home himself on a flatbed and was able to lower it into his basement while remodeling his home. Woodworking is his hobby so he built it into place in a cabinet with a deep toe-kick area. Guess what happened when he opened the door!! He was extremely fortunate because the door was at exactly 90 degrees when the door hit the floor, and the hinges stayed intact. Because the center of gravity was very close to the edge of the support he was able to push it back into place. He could easily have been crushed.

Tall, shallow gun safes may be especially unstable. Putting them on a thick carpet makes matters worse and they can fall forward when the door is opened. Without thinking about it, a minor action like resting your hand on the open door can make the difference that causes an accident. It is best to bolt these safes down to the floor for stability. Adding lots of weight inside (say, 200# of silver) will help, too.

When placing a safe make sure it is resting on solid support right out to the front edge of the safe, and bolt it down if there is any chance it is not stable.