3 digit combination fail

[RussW]

Our old Mosler 3 digit combination safe used for data storage won't open. Typically - 4 full turns to right, stop on say 30, one full turn plus left stopping on say 40, turn right until it catches, stopping dial (say 10) , turn level, safe opens.
Problem --- the dial does not catch on (10 ) anymore. Its as if a stop pin is not dropping or somehow the first two digits have changed. 90 year family business and only 4 persons have the combo. What are we facing or suggestions where to start.

[Squelchtone]

The way you are dialing it is not the usual way you would dial a Mosler. Perhaps it is the way you were taught or that was passed down over time. It sounds like one or more of the wheels are set to the same number, so instead of the wheels being set to 30-40-50-60 they're set to 30-30-40-40

If you can give us a better example of the 3 or 4 numbers of your combination (without the number it dials to when the dial stops dead, that number is not part of the combination) we can give you the exact dialing instructions of how many turns Left, how many turns right.

a photo of your safe would help us identify the model so we know if it is a floor safe, square door, round door, installed in basement floor, a box safe on wheels. Each have different lock mechanisms that can fail in unique ways for different reasons ranging from grease hardening up over time, to wheel slip, stuck fly, etc, etc.

When was the last time the safe was unlocked and opened successfully? a week? a month? last year?

Thank you,
Squelchtone

[RussW]

Thank you for your quick reply. You are correct, i did describe the sequence incorrectly. For example purposes 30-40-10. Spin the dial 3 or 4 times ccw. Stop on 30, turn one full turn passing 30 and stopping on 40. Turn ccw until it stops or catches (10). We have been opening the safe daily since we bought it used in the last 70"s. Had belonged to a post office. Stands 4 ft tall. About 30" square at the base. Guessing it 80 years old. Square full face door. I can provide a photo Monday. Serial number if i know where to look.

[Squelchtone]

Thank you for your quick reply. You are correct, i did describe the sequence incorrectly. For example purposes 30-40-10. Spin the dial 3 or 4 times ccw. Stop on 30, turn one full turn passing 30 and stopping on 40. Turn ccw until it stops or catches (10). We have been opening the safe daily since we bought it used in the last 70"s. Had belonged to a post office. Stands 4 ft tall. About 30" square at the base. Guessing it 80 years old. Square full face door. I can provide a photo Monday. Serial number if i know where to look.

Serial number is the 6 digits stamped into the ball of the handle, and can be looked up here for dating purposes: https://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?t=62920

dial to where it normally catches around 5 to 10 and jiggle left and right abruptly oscillating the dial to see if the mechanism drops into place and retracts the lock bolt so you can turn the handle to retract the door bolts.

You can also dial the combination the way you usually would, and then turn the dial to that last turn to around 5,6,8,9, or 10, and smack the front of the safe or the top of the safe with a dead blow hammer several times, or with something like a short section of pine 2x4. Don't use a regular claw or sledge hammer. This will hopefully make the mechanism drop into the wheels you aligned during the dialing portion of the procedure. Sometimes the grease in the locks gets thick like molasses stopping parts from moving as they should. Safe locks need to be cleaned and serviced every so often to make sure all the internal parts are loose and work smoothly.

link to a typical dead blow hammer: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough- ... /894440601

I'll try to send you some dialing instructions that are a little different than what you've been using. *That may be tomorrow evening, thanks for your patience.

Squelchtone