Got a safe to crack!

[i_b_larry]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEYjgOFKR1U

These are great instructions IF you have the combination. In this case, only two of three numbers are known and until the door opens no one will know if those numbers are correct.

After seeing this video and visting Dean's website, I now believe that my first suggestion may be correct. The combination lock on the safe works like my S&G 8077 combination lock: The last number is always zero. (Yeah, he says between 5 and 95, but that would be zero, would it not?) The OP is missing one number from the combination.

BTW, when I bought my S&G combo lock the seller supplied the 3-digit combination. I tried to open it just like I would open a Master lock and failed. That's when I read the instructions and found the part about it is actually a 4-number combo with the final number always being zero. I also found that the S&G combination is very precise. If the number is 33, for example, you have to dial 33 very precisely. This is unlike the sloppy Master combination locks where 32 or 34 will work just as well as 33.

[Squelchtone]

That's when I read the instructions and found the part about it is actually a 4-number combo with the final number always being zero.

That's not entirely correct nor a good thing to be spreading around as fact.

It is a 3 digit combination, period. Turning to the right until the fence drops into the 3 aligned gates is just part of the procedure and not another number in the combination, and it is not always on 0, my S&G locks drop in and stop at around 95. Yes, I see that to the untrained operator it would seem like the dial doesn't stop until you get to a 4th number, but its not good to confuse things, because there are actually safe locks with 4 digit combinations, and a 5th number you have to turn to in order for the fence to drop into the gates, but we don't call those 5 digit combinations, just as we shouldn't call this lock a 4 digit combination. There are 3 wheels, 3 gates, hence 3 numbers to the combo, the last turn is just something you do in order to retract the bolt.

Reading over this post again and looking at the OPs sticky note, I would venture to guess we just don't have the first number. There's no real reason for the 65 and 25 to be made up by his ex boss, and 0 is where they always tell you to start dialing from after you clear the wheels, so it seems we just dont know what to start with.

Since most people choose combinations that are low-high-low or high-low-high I would guess the first number is 0-64 which means if the OP does an exhaustive search by dialing 1-65-25, 2-65-25.. 10-65-25.. 15-65-25.. 40-65-25 and so on, there is a good chance it will actually open.

I would suggest this as a fun 1 hour activity:

Step 1. dial to the LEFT past 0 three times and stop on 0 on the 4th time as a starting point every time you repeat these steps until you cycle through 1-99 as the possible first number.
Now dial to the LEFT to 1 (next time to 2, then 3, all the way thru 99)
Now dial to the RIGHT past 65 two times and stop on 65 the 3rd time
Now dial to the LEFT past 25 once and stop on 25 the 2nd time
Now dial to the RIGHT until the dial stops turning at 95 or so. (If it keeps turning clockwise (RIGHT) and you're at 80-90 and its still letting you turn, then combo was wrong, go back to Step 1 and try the next possible number until 1 through 99 have all been tried)

Have fun and let us know,
Squelchtone

[Bob Jim Bob]

Keep at it! So far I've bought two safes at garage sales that needed to be cracked. I had to use the "partial combo" method and just sat in front of the TV for hours. If you educate yourself about safes and locks, you'll learn some shortcuts.

Yours is nicer than the cheap ones I have.

[zerobotman]

Random thought: try dialing the combination to the change index (the smaller white mark at the 11 o'clock position), rather than the main index mark. It's not very likely... but perhaps whoever last changed the combination didn't do it properly?

you know I actually hadn't thought to try that! I'll try when I get home

[2octops]

I'll add to the fact that the last number is not zero. We never tell a customer to dial their last number to a specific number. We simply tell them to turn it to the right until it stops and it should be somewhere between 90 and 5. If it does not stop, then clear your lock and start over again.

Obviously this is not the case when we are dealing with other kinds of locks that you actually have to stop on a particular digit to retract the bolts.

As far as someone setting the combo to the change index marks, that is very unlikely because of how the lock actually operates in relation to the two sets of marks.

Combo's are typically easy to remember and easy to dial in a residential situation. In other word, they will usually all be factors of 10 or 5 for two reasons. It's easier to remember 25-75-55 or 20-60-50 than something like 22-78-34. It's also easier to dial to a factor of 5 or 10 since the marks on the dial are larger and easier for inexperienced customers to stop on...in other words, it's a easier target to hit.

Also combinations are typically in a pattern of high, low, high or low, high, low. Something like 25-75-55 or 75-25-55. This allows for the 4, 3, 2, stop dialing method by design of the lock. If you have a combo that is high, high, low, or low, low, high, then your dialing method might be different than the standard 4,3,2,stop that most people are used to.

If it was me, I would try the first numbers 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55 to start with. If that does not work go to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50.

If that does not work, at least you can mark those numbers off your list of 1-100.

[EmCee]

Yes, I'm not sure how you could set the combination to work on the change mark unless you did it deliberately and I can't see any reason why you'd do that.

If the owner had changed the combination but turned the desired numbers to the top mark instead of the change mark, then the actual code would be 8 numbers fewer for each digit...but in that case the owner would immediately realise they'd done something wrong when they tested the code.

[lockcat]

but in that case the owner would immediately realise they'd done something wrong when they tested the code.

And then they decided to toss away the safe...

Entering the new combo at the wrong index. Happens...

[Jeremym0411]

If the last number is 25 it maybe in the forbidden zone causeing the lock out. The third number should not be in the forbidden zone, but there is no way to know this unless you know how to check the contact points. The standard way to dial a safe is easy:

1-Start dialing left, go 4 full revelutions to the left and stop on the first number
2-Now got right 3 times to the second number
3- Go 2 times left to 3rd number
4- now right to open, the dill will stop turning when the lever falls in the drive cam and the bolt will retract. if nothing try running the combo and oscillate the dial to see if you can get it to drop in. Try all the possible combo you have as in mix up the numbers an run them all. sometimes they remember the combo but not in the right order. Hope this helps!

[kahula]

Is this thread still live? This is very exciting....

Two things:

1. It certainly looks like the S&G logo on the dial hub, but can you please verify? The picture's resolution is too low for me to be sure. It would be interlinked S and G characters.

2. If it's an S&G it's most likely, like 99%, a 6700 series lock. On these the motion to open, i.e., after the last number is dialed twice, is RIGHT. This means you are turning the knob clockwise. If this is the case you likely have at least two of the three numbers, 65 and 25. My guess is that it was written down incorrectly and the first number is 4.

Make sure you really understand how to dial a 6700 series lock.

Please let me know.

Finally, if it won't open because of a fault, you can consult S&G's wonderful resource on this:
http://www.sargentandgreenleaf.com/pdf/book_mech_locks.pdf

[kahula]

(I couldn't figure out how to edit my post...)

By the way, if it is an S&G 6700-series, the instructions have reversed the direction of turns. If my guess is right the combination is dialed thus:

To Open: (Refer to Figure A)
Step 1: Turn dial left, aligning first number with the opening index
the fourth time it comes to the index.
Step 2: Turn dial right, aligning second number with the opening
index the third time it comes to the index.
Step 3: Turn dial left, aligning third number with the opening index
the second time it comes to the index.
Step 4: Turn dial right until dial comes to a complete stop.

From:

http://www.sargentandgreenleaf.com/pdf/630-358_multi_3wheel.pdf

In addition, I'm assuming that if it's a 6700, it's a 3 wheel 6700; there are also 4 wheel 6700's.

H

[cledry]

I was wondering how long before someone would chime in with the correct dialing direction. Lots of people got this all wrong.

[Raymond]

Since no one has actually opened his safe YET, all of the directions suggested are "the way it is supposed to be dialed." What if the combo given must be dialed Exactly the way it is written. I know this is conventionally wrong, but I have seen many safes set to improper combos. I have seen and set safes to just one number because the owner could not remember all the correct turns. Two of the wheels might actually be on one number.

I suggest that it be tried exactly, literally as the note was written and see what happens.

???

[kahula]

Since no one has actually opened his safe YET, all of the directions suggested are "the way it is supposed to be dialed." What if the combo given must be dialed Exactly the way it is written. I know this is conventionally wrong, but I have seen many safes set to improper combos. I have seen and set safes to just one number because the owner could not remember all the correct turns. Two of the wheels might actually be on one number.

I suggest that it be tried exactly, literally as the note was written and see what happens.

???

One reason is that if it is an S&G lock it won't open if dialed the way it's written; in particular, the last step written.

[Squelchtone]

I found this safe in the garbage at my apartment and luckily I also happened to run into the guy who threw it out who also had the code. Thing is the code is kind of messed up and he couldn't figure it out and nor can I. Here's a pic of the safe and the code. I'd like to get into this thing without breaking it since i'm pretty sure it's empty. If someone can help me get it open and it for some reason has thousands of dollars in it i'll split it 50/50



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Hope you were successful in opening the safe. There were so many suggestion,i am sure might have helped.

[SNIP! URL to commercial UK locksmith business removed - lp101 Admin]

[femurat]

I guess the combo is 4 65 25