Again, thanks JRB for the info. Mine isn't nearly as old as Stan's safe and it smells just fine. I believe it's fromn the 1950's or 1960's. Should be OK.
Stan and all you guys with old antique safes. Last year I talked with a safe man about my antique safe. I complained to him about how the inside always smelled of mildew. He asked me how thick the walls were. I told him about a foot thick. He then told me that this was an old bank safe and the interior was a moisture impregnated concrete lining. The reason for it was in case of a fire the concrete would give off moisture to further protect the contents of the vault. Consequently my vault will always stink. He also asked me if the doors had a felt lining in a groove close to the edges. I told him yes. He then said that this was to prevent a safe cracker from using nitro to blow the doors off. The felt would wick up the nitro and expand thus sealing it keeping the nitro from going all the way around the doors. The only way I would keep a gun in there is if it was vacuum sealed in heavy plastic. I now have a 4000 lb. paper weight sitting and stinking in the corner of my garage. J.R.B. jerb
