Old Yale safe - ideas on age & how to open
A friend purchased a house with a huge old safe (6' tall, 4' wide, 3' deep) the Yale safe was put in the basement before the house was built and estimated to weigh 2000-2500 lbs. It's age I estimate 1940's-1950's. It has double doors with brass dial on the left door and 2 locks for each door. The owner died and took the combination with him. The wife had someone (locksmith? try without success). No one knows what is in the safe, some speculate firearms and diamonds (apparently the original owner dabbled in the diamond market.)
The bottom had the steel wheels still on it, so with a lot of work and grunting we were able to slide it out to get a serial number. On the front above the double doors (right side) was a series of numbers stamped in. The previous owner (after the husband and before my friend), had taken a pry bar to the doors and handles, but not the dial. The handles aren't damaged severely and appear to be operational.
Any ideas on how he can get it open without a grinder or torch? He doesn't want to damage anything that maybe inside if possible, so I told him I'd do some checking before he starts getting too aggressive.
A friend purchased a house with a huge old safe (6' tall, 4' wide, 3' deep) the Yale safe was put in the basement before the house was built and estimated to weigh 2000-2500 lbs. It's age I estimate 1940's-1950's. It has double doors with brass dial on the left door and 2 locks for each door. The owner died and took the combination with him. The wife had someone (locksmith? try without success). No one knows what is in the safe, some speculate firearms and diamonds (apparently the original owner dabbled in the diamond market.)
The bottom had the steel wheels still on it, so with a lot of work and grunting we were able to slide it out to get a serial number. On the front above the double doors (right side) was a series of numbers stamped in. The previous owner (after the husband and before my friend), had taken a pry bar to the doors and handles, but not the dial. The handles aren't damaged severely and appear to be operational.
Any ideas on how he can get it open without a grinder or torch? He doesn't want to damage anything that maybe inside if possible, so I told him I'd do some checking before he starts getting too aggressive.