# I am a safe cracker. Or the power of nail clippers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 14, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-safe-cracker-or-the-power-of-nail-clippers/731244 "2015-09-14T20:01:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-safe-cracker-or-the-power-of-nail-clippers/731244/1 "2015-09-14T20:01:48Z")
So yesterday I went to my parents house with my lovely wife. We go every week because my wife is pregnant and my parents want to see the progress quite a bit. Every time I am at my parents house I ask my Dad if there is anything he needs help with. My Dad had a computer issue which was quickly resolved. Then he said ‘I can’t find the key to the safe. I thought it was in the big safe but it is not in there. Can you hep me move it to the car so I can take it in?’ My parents have a big old honking safe that is attached to the ground. He also has a little fireproof ‘safe’ that they use when traveling in the RV. Dad thought the key for the little safe was in the big safe but it wasn’t there. So he was going to take the little safe into a locksmith to get it opened. I told my Dad I’d try opening his little safe. I checked YouTube and found a video that said to use a Bobbie pin and a screw driver. That didn’t work. I found another that said to use the nail cleaner piece from a nail clipper. I popped the little safe on its side, stuck the nail clipper in the lock and twisted it while moving it up and down. After about a minute of this the lock turned and, TaDa! the safe opened. All told, I spent about 20 minutes in it. So now I can put ‘safe cracker’ on my resume. Slee Note to a self, nothing is secure. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-safe-cracker-or-the-power-of-nail-clippers/731244/2 "2015-09-14T20:11:45Z")
An x-acto knife blade works well for this, too. Oh, and that’s not a safe, it’s a “safe.” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-safe-cracker-or-the-power-of-nail-clippers/731244/3 "2015-09-14T20:34:08Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > My parents have a big old honking safe that is attached to the ground. He also has a little fireproof ‘safe’ that they use when traveling in the RV. Dad thought the key for the little safe was in the big safe but it wasn’t there. So he was going to take the little safe into a locksmith to get it opened. Was there something in the little safe that he needed at that moment? Congrats on getting it open and all, but until he finds the key it’s kinda useless. Unless your dad learns to pick the lock himself, he can’t close it again. At that point the “safe” becomes a “box”. Of course, a locksmith would have left your dad in the same predicament, and charged him for the privilege. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-safe-cracker-or-the-power-of-nail-clippers/731244/4 "2015-09-14T20:50:12Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > So now I can put ‘safe cracker’ on my resume. I’ve got this little “[job](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bullion_Depository)” that your resume looks perfect for. Interested? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-safe-cracker-or-the-power-of-nail-clippers/731244/5 "2015-09-15T01:44:53Z")
Most of the fireproof safe boxes are easy to open with very simple things but ------ I still would have used the excuse to use a drill and some black powder. Hey - what can I say? Some people collect stamps, some people like following certain bands – I like blowing crap up. Everyone is entitled to a hobby. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-safe-cracker-or-the-power-of-nail-clippers/731244/6 "2015-09-15T20:19:05Z")
I’ve never been a fan of safe crackers - can’t taste the salt through the rubber. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-safe-cracker-or-the-power-of-nail-clippers/731244/7 "2015-09-16T00:38:48Z")
Never confuse a “fireproof box” with a “safe”. Fireproof boxes are totally good for what they’re for. And they work just fine without being locked. Depending on where you live, your need for a fireproof box may exceed your need for a safe by 10 or 20x. Or not if you live in the other part of town. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-safe-cracker-or-the-power-of-nail-clippers/731244/8 "2015-09-16T01:23:52Z")
Is your name Jim Valentine or Ralph Spencer? > **[a-retrieved-reformation.pdf](https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/a-retrieved-reformation.pdf)** 😃 I had to post the link, it’s one of my top ten favorite short stories.