'drop ball' safe ????

bitbuster

recently saw a craigslist ad for a square bodied victor-like safe that was described as a “nice old drop ball safe”. hadn’t heard the term ‘drop ball’ when referring to safes. any ideas as to what this means?

Arcade Al

The only thing that I can think is where they have a deposit facility that allows capsules (Containing money) to be inserted through a tube or hatch when the safe is locked shut?

bitbuster

arcade al. after emailing the safe’s owner, the reply to what he meant by ‘drop ball’ is the following.—–‘after the correct numbers are dialed the ball will drop and the handle can be turned to open the safe’. this is nonsense. the safe is either a victor or a chicago and he probably is referring to the nose of the lever falling into the driver. anyway, this is more than likely how he was TOLD it opened. he declined to post a photo with the door back cover removed showing the lock.

Arcade Al

bitbuster wrote
arcade al. after emailing the safe’s owner, the reply to what he meant by ‘drop ball’ is the following.—–‘after the correct numbers are dialed the ball will drop and the handle can be turned to open the safe’. this is nonsense. the safe is either a victor or a chicago and he probably is referring to the nose of the lever falling into the driver. anyway, this is more than likely how he was TOLD it opened. he declined to post a photo with the door back cover removed showing the lock.

I think I see what you mean… it’s a shame they won’t allow any photos of the interior. They sound a bit paranoid?

[unknown]

mercury

This question was posed on another site, and an interesting explanation was proposed :

"Drop Ball is a enclosure impact rating test.

The impact test is performed by dropping a sphere, ball, from a 1m distance for TME (1.3m for ITE) onto each accessible side of the test samples enclosure. Swinging the ball into the test sample is also an alternative impact test. The drop test is most commonly performed. The impacts are applied to points on accessible surfaces that would likely cause a hazard if damaged.

You can read all about it at this link.

http://www.edn.com/design/manufacturing/4410045/3/Product-safety-testing-limits-risk-of-shock--fire--and-injury--Part-2″

Is it possible that the drop ball test is mentioned on the safe’ stating plate & the seller has mistakenly assumed that ‘drop ball’ refers to the type of safe?

…Mark

Huw Eastwood

Interesting, but reading the link gives me the impression the test is intended purely for general consumer goods- microwave ovens, CD players, battery chargers etc- anything that has a form of metal or plastic enclosure or container, which if structurally damaged could cause electrical, fire or toxic hazards etc from within.
The 50mm (2 inch) diameter steel ball, weighing only 500g, and dropped from the 1 or 1.3 metre test height it refers to, would be nothing short of pointless against a safe or money chest! Might as well throw potatoes at it….

Arcade Al

MaxVaultage wrote
Interesting, but reading the link gives me the impression the test is intended purely for general consumer goods- microwave ovens, CD players, battery chargers etc- anything that has a form of metal or plastic enclosure or container, which if structurally damaged could cause electrical, fire or toxic hazards etc from within.
The 50mm (2 inch) diameter steel ball, weighing only 500g, and dropped from the 1 or 1.3 metre test height it refers to, would be nothing short of pointless against a safe or money chest! Might as well throw potatoes at it….

Yeah that’s the same as my understanding of the drop-ball test too.
In order to sufficiently test a safe in this way you’d need to drop a wrecking ball on it!

[unknown]

wylk

Arcade Al wrote
In order to sufficiently test a safe in this way you’d need to drop a wrecking ball on it!

I did read somewhere that when cannonball safes went out of style (probably around the time of the oxy-acetylene torch), some contractors used the safe as a wrecking ball.

[unknown]

mercury

Maxvaultage : Indeed! I missed that it is only a 500g ball, I doubt even the pathetic & very cheap so-called safes available these days would suffer more than cosmetic damage.

wylk : it was probably on this site that you read about old cannonball safes being used as wrecking balls, I remembered reading it here when you mentioned it & found the post in question, by Dean Nickel at the bottom of this page : http://www.antique-locks.com/showthread.php/1025-Salesman-Sample-Cannonball-Safes-and-Other-Salesman-Sample-Safes

I guess this bears testament to how solid they were, but it’s such a great shame! 🙁