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Please bring the thread back on topic.

brewster wrote:One last thing: I installed rope lighting on the inside of door frame, using adhesive clips (I ran it through the dehumidifier hole in the back). Hooked the light to an outlet controlled by a wall switch, and Voila! For $20 you can light every nook and cranny instead of paying for the fancy lighting setups.

Clever! I'm usually grabbing my flashlight when I go rummaging through my safe. I've got stuff pretty well packed in there, and if it isn't right up front (and on the top couple of shelves) I don't have good lighting to allow decent visibility. The safe is bolted down in the back of a large, L-shaped walk-in closet, and the doors don't even face the closet lighting to start with.

I don't have a wall switch nearby that I could use, but one of those eight-buck extension cords with a toggle switch on it would do quite nicely.

I'm gonna have to try this, brewster. Thanks.

(And maybe this should be in the "How-To" Forum...and I may be contributing to thread drift again. But it is a pretty nifty, low cost, idea for safes. )

Skiprr wrote:

brewster wrote:One last thing: I installed rope lighting on the inside of door frame, using adhesive clips (I ran it through the dehumidifier hole in the back). Hooked the light to an outlet controlled by a wall switch, and Voila! For $20 you can light every nook and cranny instead of paying for the fancy lighting setups.

Clever! I'm usually grabbing my flashlight when I go rummaging through my safe. I've got stuff pretty well packed in there, and if it isn't right up front (and on the top couple of shelves) I don't have good lighting to allow decent visibility. The safe is bolted down in the back of a large, L-shaped walk-in closet, and the doors don't even face the closet lighting to start with.

I don't have a wall switch nearby that I could use, but one of those eight-buck extension cords with a toggle switch on it would do quite nicely.

I'm gonna have to try this, brewster. Thanks.

(And maybe this should be in the "How-To" Forum...and I may be contributing to thread drift again. But it is a pretty nifty, low cost, idea for safes. )

I managed to get the company that sold me my safe to put the rope lighting in for free. I had been told by several in the business that I would not be happy without it. This was one option I would not want to be without. It looks cool too.

Oh yeah...the safe I bought already had a small hole drilled in the back near the floor for running a cord through it. I had noticed that several models and makes had this hole. It is nice for running a golden rod also to help keep the humidity level low in the safe.

Skippr, I used the rope lighthing from Home Depot (I'm sure Lowes has the same thing). I want to say it was just under $20. Assuming you have a removable platform in your safe (mine is about an inch high, carpeted, and comes out in two pieces) just run your cord and light under there. Put in plenty of clips on the inside lip of the door, especially where the light makes the 90 degree turns. I put one clip about two inches from the turn on each side and a third in the middle going diagonally (avoids pinching and lessens pressure on the clip adhesive). Just make sure you buy a rope light that is long enough, but not too long. You want it straight and without slack, this is what keeps it hidden. Ideally, you want lights all around the inside of the door, and you can tuck any extra back under your your floor platform. Hopefully , you won't have too much extra to tuck under, as they sell these in several different lengths. I think I had about a foot left over.

The idea is to keep it hidden from the front so it will throw all the light back into the safe, and it's easier on the eyes if you can't see them unless you stick your head in the safe.

One last thing, which is just for safety: make sure you buy the lighting that puts out little or no heat. Mine isn't LED, which is more expensive, but I did make sure mine didn't get very warm to the touch before proceeding. To test this, I plugged them in and left it on the cerpet for an hour, then felt how warm the carpet was with my hand. I was satisfied they were safe to use (they are essentially X-mas tree lights in a tube). Second, make sure you position your clips to where the rope light never touches anything (unless it's metal) and the will minimize your fire hazard if you happen to leave it on. Remote chance, I know, but with anything firearm-related, safety first!

Good luck with the project, you might find this project kinda fun like I did, and you'll be AMAZED at the difference it makes.

Brewster

03Lightningrocks wrote:I managed to get the company that sold me my safe to put the rope lighting in for free. I had been told by several in the business that I would not be happy without it. This was one option I would not want to be without. It looks cool too.

Oh yeah...the safe I bought already had a small hole drilled in the back near the floor for running a cord through it. I had noticed that several models and makes had this hole. It is nice for running a golden rod also to help keep the humidity level low in the safe.

Always a good deal if you can get them to do it for you!

brewster wrote:

03Lightningrocks wrote:I managed to get the company that sold me my safe to put the rope lighting in for free. I had been told by several in the business that I would not be happy without it. This was one option I would not want to be without. It looks cool too.

Oh yeah...the safe I bought already had a small hole drilled in the back near the floor for running a cord through it. I had noticed that several models and makes had this hole. It is nice for running a golden rod also to help keep the humidity level low in the safe.

Always a good deal if you can get them to do it for you!

I realized that safe buying is like car buying. The different dealers will negotiate on the prices. Who knows if it was a good deal or not? Maybe I could have gotten another hundred bucks off the safe if I hadn't been given the lights... . But I wouldn't want to be without them.

Good advice you gave on the installation. I have had a couple of those hooks pop loose from the adhesive. They should have put a few more of them than they did in my safe.

03Lightningrocks wrote:Good advice you gave on the installation. I have had a couple of those hooks pop loose from the adhesive. They should have put a few more of them than they did in my safe.

I had the same problem with the clips with sticky tape on the back. I peeled the tape off and put a dab of super glue on each one, and let it dry for a few hours to make sure it was solid. No problems since!

Does anyone have any experience with the Winchester line of gun safes? They are made by granite safes right here in Ft. Worth.

Do they have push button combo locks on safes for vehicles.

Similar to what you see on security doors on some comercial buildings?
Preferably something that doesn't need a power supply

I'm thinking of building a safe box into the center console of
my truck and would want to be able to leave it un-locked when
driving, but also be able to lock it and still be able to un-lock
it quickly.

I figure a bush button combo lock would be much quicker
to get into than fumbling for my keys

Rockrz wrote:Do they have push button combo locks on safes for vehicles.

Similar to what you see on security doors on some comercial buildings?
Preferably something that doesn't need a power supply

I'm thinking of building a safe box into the center console of
my truck and would want to be able to leave it un-locked when
driving, but also be able to lock it and still be able to un-lock
it quickly.

I figure a bush button combo lock would be much quicker
to get into than fumbling for my keys

http://www.gunvault.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks, but I was just looking for the mechanism itself,
and would want one that doesn't require a power supply

I'm planning on building a custom box and just need
the mechanism to install on the door on top.

It may be a hair brain scheme on my part,
but it sounds like a good idea...might not
be once I try to actually do it.

So I'm in the market for a safe but I don't have thousands of $$ to spend. I've been looking at the ones at Academy but had a few questions:

1) Are there any safes out there cheaper than the ones at Academy? And I don't mean Sentry safes (aka expensive filing cabinets)

2) Does any keep their safe in the garage? Would keeping the safe, guns and ammo in the garage, in TX heat, be a bad idea?


Thanks in advance!

jeeperbryan wrote:Would keeping the safe, guns and ammo in the garage, in TX heat, be a bad idea?

Yes, very bad idea due to the humidity causing things to get WET
(I learnt that reading other posts on this board...)

Rockrz wrote:

jeeperbryan wrote:Would keeping the safe, guns and ammo in the garage, in TX heat, be a bad idea?

Yes, very bad idea due to the humidity causing things to get WET
(I learnt that reading other posts on this board...)

I kind of figured it would be a bad idea, but thought I'd ask anyway. Thx!

jeeperbryan wrote:So I'm in the market for a safe but I don't have thousands of $$ to spend. I've been looking at the ones at Academy but had a few questions:

1) Are there any safes out there cheaper than the ones at Academy? And I don't mean Sentry safes (aka expensive filing cabinets)

2) Does any keep their safe in the garage? Would keeping the safe, guns and ammo in the garage, in TX heat, be a bad idea?


Thanks in advance!

Here is a good read on choosing gun safes. http://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com ... earms.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Be sure and watch the video.



Here is an interesting situation on a cannon safe electronic lock. This is exactly why I went with a good old fashion lock on my American Security safe.
http://michaelbane.blogspot.com/2008/12 ... ilure.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;