Meilink relocker question

I was at my fathers house this past weekend, and when he bought it (prior owner was a jewler), it came with a Meilink safe. Nothing of value in it now, and he generally leaves it unlocked.

But you know me, I decided to take the door apart. There was a UL tag on the back of the door mentioning relockers, and sure enough, a simple inspection revealed a spring loaded device, that if released would lock the bolts permanently.

But what I did not understand was what would it take to get this thing to release. It was an L shaped affair that appeared to be spot welded together.

Anybody know what triggers this sort of thing?

Reply to
billb
Loading thread data ...

Certain kinds of attack upon the safe. Exactly what kinds depends on the design of the relocker. The most basic versions guard against attempts to brute-force the locks. (They may also trigger if the lock's screws work loose, which is another reason safes should get periodic maintainance to prevent malfunction and lockout.)

Reply to
Joe Kesselman

I don't know much about safes, but if it's held together with low temperature metals, heat (such as torching the safe) would melt the metals holding it together and trigger the relocker.

Some other ones are held together with a glass plate that will trigger if drilled or violently shaken.

Sunsh> I was at my fathers house this past weekend, and when he bought it (prior

Reply to
SunshineTeam.net

temperature metals, heat (such as torching the safe) would melt the

Definitely metal, so I guess it is some sort of torch protection. But sheesh, if you've already taken torches to it, it's probably going to open anyway right?

Reply to
billb

(They may also trigger if the lock's screws

This is true. The bracket was being held in with 2 screws that in turn held the closed the cover of the combo device. I tightened it all back as tight as I could get it. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to put glue or something on the screws.

Any ideas.

Reply to
billb

Never use a real glue on anything you may ever want to disassemble. NEVER.

Suitable varieties of loktite _may_ be appropriate.

Simply checking the screws on a yearly basis is probably the best answer. After all, the lock should be given a periodic checkup anyway, to detect other possible issues before they cause a lockout.

Reply to
Joe Kesselman

No.

Reply to
Joe Kesselman

it's to protect from the handle being punched. when the handle is punched in, it disengages it from the cams that control the locks and it's trivial to open at that point. others use glass or plastics with tension on them to protect from drilling and cutting. What's the rating? TSTL15 maybe?

Reply to
fugi

which is why (as I gathered from previous postings) a safe should be transported with the boltwork in the 'open' position or (very preferably) the relocking device disabled by a safe technician. Bolts 'closed' with lock(s) unlocked is not safe enough for transport.

Reply to
Peter

I don't know what the rating is. It had some rating code, but this safe is

30-40 years old I'm guessing and the rating system has probably changed.
Reply to
billb

I didn't notice any glass in there, the relocker piece was held back by an L shaped metal affair that appeared to be spot welded or something. And yes, if that thing ever trips, it will be a pain to get the door open, that's for sure. And I think the UL rating was only for fire anyway. A one hour fire. And if that ever happens and the floor burns up I bet the safe falls thru to the basement.

Reply to
billb

Drop-testing is, in fact, one of the things the UL looks at.

A one-hour/350-degree fire safe is generally adequate to protect papers, though not for photographic/magnetic/optical media.

Reply to
Joe Kesselman

The relocker you describe sounds like it would be triggered by displacing either the bolt control handle shaft, or the lock dial spindle.

Imagine driving those shafts into the safe (from the outside) with a big hammer.

Relockers for dial spindle displacement are often fastened to the outside of the lock case.

If you took off the back of the lock you might see that the back cover is scored on the inside so that it will break off easily if an attacker hammers on the spindle.

You'll also probably see another smaller relocker (internal relockers are ofthen called triggers) inside the lock case. This one will interfere with the lock bolt if the back of the lock is removed (by punching the spindle or removing screws). This internal relocker might be restrained by a small plug of easily melted metal on the back of the lock case. The intent is that the plug will melt in case of attack by torch or abrasive wheel.

/chris

Reply to
googlegroups

The "drop test" is neat.

They burn the safe, hoist it three stories in the air, then drop it onto a pile of rubble.

Reply to
Bob DeWeese, CML, CJS

And then they keep burning it!

Yeah, it's a neat test, and brings up a too often overlooked point about proper use of a fire safe: Always be sure to have a basement full of U.L. Approved rubble if your fire safe is upstairs.

...Or at least build your lower floors out of U.L. rubble grade building materials.

Reply to
googlegroups

Wrong. It protects against a spindle attack or the lock being knocked off the door.

Wrong again. There's one cam and the LOCK controls IT. Punchung the handle arbor on most Meilinks will not disengage the arbor from the cam, but it will disengage the individual bolt linkage rods from the handle cam, leaving you with two, three, or four bolts to fich back. (Not my idea of a fun afternoon.)

Where are you getting this stuff?????

Glass prevents drilling through the front (for the most part) There's really no "tenssion" on them (the glass usually "floats"), other than the cable that is attached to the reloker(s), many of which are cross-locking, (NASTY). And glass is usully only found on high-end safes.

Plasitc??? For an External relocker??? None that I am aware of. There are some thremal RLs but they are to prevent a torch attack and they are made of a low melting point metal. There are some plastic internal relock triggers on a few locks.

What's

What's "TS"?

Reply to
Bob DeWeese, CML, CJS

Presumably the rubble is considered to be potentially more damaging than dropping it on a concrete floor. Hopefully it is masonry rubble and not mixed building demolition rubble.

Reply to
Peter

The mechanism on this safe was made by sargent and greenleaf. The relocker device is not in any way associated with the lock itself as far as I can tell other than the bracket being screwed into the same holes as the cover of the lock.

Reply to
billb

That probably is what it is, if you were to "displace' the lock rearwardly, you would definitely trip the relocker.

So then heat would not do anything? Or maybe it would, maybe the piece that holds the relocker IS made to melt at otherwise low temps.

Reply to
billb

Hard to see it to be sure without seeing it, but it sounds like probably not. Then again, is that an issue for your application?

Reply to
Joe Kesselman

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.