Have any of you guys ever built your own safe?

What did you use for fireproofing?

Not yet. I’m going to use multi layers of sheet rock sandwiched between cement board. More of a small room/vault.
Thinking along the lines of metal studs and chain link under the Sheetrock.

Interested in this as well.

Could it ever be as solid as a commercial safe?

Good discussion, have been thinking the same thing.

Have not.

I'm no expert but I think most companies use type X sheetrock.  If you are doing it yourself i would say that densglass would be a better option.

It costs more, and is nasty to work with, but will hold up better in a fire.  It might be sufficient to just do the inner layer out of densglass to hold the rest of the layers in place.

Again, I'm no expert.  Just food for thought.

I have been looking at this Ceramic Fiber Blanket, 2300 Degree, 8 Lb

I wanted to use it with a layer of sheet rock.
I am just looking at options right now and will try to built it when I am on vacation this winter

I built a custom medium sized safe for my bedroom closet maybe 5 or 6 years ago that would fit a very specific section of my closet shelving system and which would hold an AR, 870, and a couple of handguns.

I built the body out of 1/8" plate (welded together) and the door out of 3/16" plate.   I built all the lock/bolt work by hand and recycled the electronic mainboard and keypad from a much smaller jewelry/handgun safe.

It ended up being a lot more work than I initially anticipated, especially getting the lock/bolt work all functioning smoothly.   I didnt bother to fireproof it in order to keep the weight down and at the end of the day there isnt anything in there that isnt easily replaced...plus its all insured.  

In terms of replacing safe fireproofing, I did recently  refurbish a full sized Cannon safe that was stripped down to a bare shell  (remove rust, repaint, clean and adjust mechanical lock and lockwork, rebuild the interior) and I just used fire-rated drywall from home depot.  That is pretty much what is in them from the factory.

No.  But I have conducted forensic analyses on them after casualties.



How hot a fire do you want to resist?

How long do you need it to resist that temperature?

If you're just looking for it to protect your collection long enough for the fire department to arrive, you can get by with fire resistant sheetrock.

But, craftsmanship will be important.  Heat will move through loose, I'll fitting joints.  You need the pieces of drywall to fit together closely with minimal gaps.  Also, if you use multiple thicknesses, stagger the corners and seams.  If you only use one piece, reinforce the corners as they are most vulnerable to gaps that let heat pass.

I just want to build one that is heavier/thicker than store bought and last 2-3 hours in a fire. Also be able to hold off an attack with tools.

Is there a fireproofing material that can be mixed and poured in?

You'll need to define what you mean by "last 2-3 hours in a fire". I know what you mean... but, you'll have to set (reasonable) expectations. 

Concrete would make a better fireproofing material than drywall. And, I'm assuming that you're welding skills are pretty solid if you're thinking about undertaking this task in the first place. So, if you could build a double wall safe and pour the concrete in the cavity, you'd probably get a good fire rating, along with good  burglary protection (assuming your bolt work and locks are on point). 

Look in the "ask the safe guy" thread. TSG made a post just a few days ago talking about mixing concrete for restoring an old safe. You'll get some pointers there.

Considering most commercial safes aren't that solid...YES.
Most commercial safes have weak body's, which could be easily hacked through with simple tools.
If your safe has a 10 gauge, 12 gauge, or 14 gauge body, you have to realize that the amount of steel accumulates to is marginal and wont offer that much protection.
You get what you pay for unfortunately.  Safes like Graffunder are crazy expensive, but the safe body is over an inch thick.