Forgot how to dial the combination on that old safe? Think you got the right numbers but the handle is stuck? What safe should you buy? Ask your safe questions here!
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xt600 wrote:I had a local locksmith look at this, he said the only way in was to drill. Can anyone advise what sort of lock is likely to be inside and whether this can be picked rather than drilled? I'm assuming it's likely to be 7 lever lock...
You did what everyone would normally do; you went to a local locksmith. The trouble is that not all locksmiths are properly trained or equipped safe technicians, so instead of manipulation or owning all the special and safe specific pick tools, all they can really do or know to do is drill. There are good safe technicians in the UK, I'm just not familiar with any in your area. Let me ask a UK safe tech I know on Twitter who he recommends in the Cornwall area, I'll get back to you later today.
Squelchtone
Thanks, that would be useful. If it can be picked, I'd like to have a go myself if I can't find anyone local, but I'm sure it's not easy. Don't expect you guys to give me any online guidance but I'm surprised at the number of instructional videos on utube.
yeah, youtube is the Wild West of lockpicking and safe cracking information.
xt600 wrote:Thanks, that would be useful. If it can be picked, I'd like to have a go myself if I can't find anyone local, but I'm sure it's not easy. Don't expect you guys to give me any online guidance but I'm surprised at the number of instructional videos on utube.
I have found Youtube to be one of the best social gathering location online for lock pickers. Everyone has their own channel (even if one does not upload videos, anybody who comments has a channel), and can interact with as many people as they wish, or only on their own channels, and privately and publicly. Google+ integration has caused it become weird as things change, but I think that will settle in eventually once they get everything properly integrated.
Paleo123 wrote:Did you try the ol' palm sander on that thing?
it's a lever lock with spring loaded levers, a sander wouldnt work. The palm sander trick is to vibrate the wheels and make the heavy parts rotate to the bottom while all the gates are at the top.
Paleo123 wrote:Did you try the ol' palm sander on that thing?
it's a lever lock with spring loaded levers, a sander wouldnt work. The palm sander trick is to vibrate the wheels and make the heavy parts rotate to the bottom while all the gates are at the top.
Looked again..I guess the lack of combination dial coulda been my first clue Schooled by Squelchtone again and now off to learn more about lever locks. I don't have any so haven't really looked into them yet. I would still love to try the palm sander attack though
Paleo123 wrote:Did you try the ol' palm sander on that thing?
it's a lever lock with spring loaded levers, a sander wouldnt work. The palm sander trick is to vibrate the wheels and make the heavy parts rotate to the bottom while all the gates are at the top.
Hence modern safes use balance wheels and aren't gravity drop. Also it is quite common now to have VD or VU, in the older safes they were almost always RH or LH.
cledry wrote:Hence modern safes use balance wheels and aren't gravity drop. Also it is quite common now to have VD or VU, in the older safes they were almost always RH or LH.
cledry wrote:Hence modern safes use balance wheels and aren't gravity drop. Also it is quite common now to have VD or VU, in the older safes they were almost always RH or LH.
Sorry, what are these abbreviations?
They are used in safe work to tell how a lock is mounted to the safe door, and to mate the dial to the lock so the numbers on the dial are not out of synch with the combination wheels. This video explains it better than I can:
JoshuaWest wrote:They are used in safe work to tell how a lock is mounted to the safe door, and to mate the dial to the lock so the numbers on the dial are not out of synch with the combination wheels. This video explains it better than I can:
hope this helps, Squelchtone
Thanks Squelch! Man, gotta love 90's education vids.
Perfect! thanks everyone involved in answering the question I didn't have to ask I had seen cedry post last night but was too tired to figure out what VU and VD stood for(there is a joke in here somewhere but I'm only on my first cup of coffee)
Schooled by Squelchtone again and now off to learn more about lever locks. I don't have any so haven't really looked into them yet.
