[TheForge] fire resistant safe

[Bruce Freeman]

Part of the question is how to keep the temperature down inside the
safe.  No point the safe surviving fire or torch, only to have the
contents burn up.

You could, for instance, have a tank of water to absorb heat.  Design
it right, the escaping steam (and by all means give it an escape
route) could help extinguish surrounding fire.  Just be sure you don't
steam cook the safe contents.  Paper does not like wet steam.

The same effect can be got using solids, like cement, as these can
give off gases like CO2 when heated.  But water actually gives you a
known maximum temperature of 212F, as long as it lasts.

On Tue, Feb 24, 2009 at 6:44 PM, terry l. ridder <terrylr at blauedonau.com> wrote:
> hello;
>
> i am researching fire resistant safes.
> i need a fire resistant safe roughly the size of a 18 cubic ft
> refrigerator. most of the safes i have looked at only offer 30 minutes
> in an average residential fire and that is allowing the interior of
> the safe to reach 350 degrees fahrenheit.
>
> while at dinner last saturday night with several friends we were
> discussing the fire resistant safes on the market and pondered
> whether we could build a half dozen for our own use.
>
> there are obvious requirements. there are several not so obvious
> requirement.
>
> obviousily the door and shell should be hardened against being simply
> drilled or sawn. the shell and door need to ensure that the internal
> temparature of the safe does not get about 212 degrees fahrenheit during
> the average commericial fire. we all agreed that there is nothing
> currently known to man that would withstand an oxygen lance or one of
> those other peircing torches on the market. if someone wants to get
> inside the safe bad enough they will eventually get inside the safe. it
> just takes time and money.
>
> what alloys to use for the safe will require some research on our part.
> what should be used for the insulation and for the interior of the safe
> shell, is the difficult part. one of my friends joked that the interior
> shell should be made of tungsten since it has such a high melting
> temperature and is a tough metal. that would put the fire resistant
> safes not economically. several said that older safes that they had
> seen used concrete for the insulation layer. the old courthouse used
> granite slabs for the insulation layer and had armor plate for the
> exterior shell.
>
> so basically, what should i be looking for in either an all ready built
> fire resistant safe or in building a half dozen for my friends and my
> private use?
>
>
> --
> terry l. ridder ><>
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-- 
Bruce
NJ

The total lack of evidence is the surest sign that the conspiracy is working.