Safebusters & the John Tann Safe – A Lesson in Patience and Precision

Safebusters were recently called out to a builders’ merchant to inspect an elegant, vintage John Tann safe. The owner had the original keys—but despite every effort, the door refused to budge.

Investigating the Mystery
We began with a small 6 mm probe hole and inserted an endoscope to inspect the internal boltwork. Everything appeared to be retracting correctly. We tried pulling the door—shoulder to steel—but still, nothing. Cue puzzled glances, shoulder shrugs, and a fair bit of head-scratching.

Enter the Forklift
Then, in a moment of inspiration, I spotted a forklift nearby. With a bit of friendly persuasion, the driver gave the door a gentle tug. It took a monumental push, but finally—click!—the door sprang open to a wave of relief.

The Culprit Revealed
Inside, we found the issue: the door had sagged by about 2 mm, and a tiny scrap of paper—no larger than a postage stamp—had jammed the bottom, blocking the boltwork. A small problem, but one that caused a big headache.

As they say, every day’s a school day in the world of safe engineering.