Modified Harbor Freight "Safe" project

[eph778]

Modified Harbor Freight "Safe". Had a LG keypad and bolt sitting around and decided to install it on $25 Harbor Freight "Safe". Pictures walk though my process. Warning this was my first time using the welder (from Harbor Freight) and it is not pretty. Painted the box black to make it look more impressive and hide my poor welding.


Just took it out of the box:

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Inside before and after cover removal:

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A little work with the angle grinder to remove some welded posts and brackets:

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Fitted a sheet of steel to cover the holes in the original door. Welded in place:

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Then I welded nuts to attach the lock and drilled holes to attach the keypad.

Completed project with door reattached:

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Inside lock mount:

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[mastersmith]

A very neat little project. Could you have just welded the holes closed in the original door? For a Harbor Freight box it seems to be fairly substantial. I'll have to keep my eye out for one of those. Thanks for the post!

[eph778]

A very neat little project. Could you have just welded the holes closed in the original door? For a Harbor Freight box it seems to be fairly substantial. I'll have to keep my eye out for one of those. Thanks for the post!

I think I could have but it would of been ugly with my welding skills. The steel was $5 for a small sheet and provided a smooth finish for the front.

[Papa Gleb]

Mate that is fantastic work! The only thing I would do different, and if I may add my 2 cents... I would grind down the welds all around the door / plate to make it smooth and pretty. Yes it will weaken the bond but to solve that, I would have drilled 4 holes in the original door about 1/2 inch wide and welded that to the new plate cover. This way all or almost all of the welds are inside. The holes would be drilled as close to each cover as possible and also use the hole already in the door to give it straighten in the middle. What do you think?

[eph778]

Good idea Papa Gleb

I was able to weld through the back on a few of the holes but it started to melt through the front so I went with most the welds on the edge.

Here is a picture of the back, also showing the mounting nuts for the locking mechanism:

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[Papa Gleb]

Haha the idea came but would it have worked well or cause more issues I had no idea. Never welded and know nothing about welding at this time. Its on my to-learn list

[innerpicked]

If you want your welds with the little 90a flux core welder to improve, you need to make purchase new accessories. Throw the roll of "Chicago Electric" wire in the trash, buy some Lincoln Electric NR211 .035 flux core wire. HF wire is no good, even the best of welders will fail to make an acceptable bead with it, it seems the Chinese flux is make from ground animal byproducts, dried toothpaste and sand. Also buy Lincoln .035 contact tips, and a flux core nozzle. All of this can be found at Home Depot.

Also, it looks like you are having your wire stick out too far, and are moving too fast when welding. The distance from contact tip to what is being welded is 1/2" to 3/4". Cut your travel speed by 2/3 and you will see an improvement.

[Neilau]

Neat project.

Do you have some sort of backup "opening" system in case the battery goes flat?.

Welding is truly an art. Dialing in the right settings for what you are welding is a skill that comes with practice.

When I got my first MIG welder I got a whole lot of scrap pieces of metal and practices running straight neat beads. I'm still a shit house welder but an angel grinder will cover up a multitude of sins.

[mercurial]

Neat project.

Do you have some sort of backup "opening" system in case the battery goes flat?.

The two metal contacts on the keypad allow the use of an external battery if necessary.

...Mark

[eph778]

If you want your welds with the little 90a flux core welder to improve, you need to make purchase new accessories. Throw the roll of "Chicago Electric" wire in the trash, buy some Lincoln Electric NR211 .035 flux core wire. HF wire is no good, even the best of welders will fail to make an acceptable bead with it, it seems the Chinese flux is make from ground animal byproducts, dried toothpaste and sand. Also buy Lincoln .035 contact tips, and a flux core nozzle. All of this can be found at Home Depot.

Also, it looks like you are having your wire stick out too far, and are moving too fast when welding. The distance from contact tip to what is being welded is 1/2" to 3/4". Cut your travel speed by 2/3 and you will see an improvement.

I will be making a trip to Home Depot. Thanks for your help.

[eph778]

I decided to add a bit more security to the box. I replaced the knob with a modified Allen wrench for a key.


Keyway:

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Key in operation:

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Key:

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