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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TheMaze wrote:I've pretty much gotten to the point where I'm sick of wasting time on this - can anyone point me to a place I can buy a reset key? All I've found is http://www.lockpicks.com/gsa-type-safe- ... y-set.html which is a bit overkill (and more expensive) for my needs.
The first reply to your opening post still stands.
Gordon
Thanks, and I appreciate it, but to be honest, I'd rather buy the key than pay shipping round trip - the lock only cost me $25 (and I actually already bought another).
OK...so I bought another one of these, and once again messed up setting the combination. The good news is I found a source for a reset key and have one on the way to me. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong? Steps were:
1. Unlock lock (25-0 as it was new) 2. Turned cover locking screw counter-clockwise and removed rear cover plate 3. Turned locking screw clockwise all the way 4. Closed shackle 5. Unlocked lock (25-0) 6. Opened change window 7. Put skinny end of change key in change window and turned 90° clockwise 8. Covered Opening Index 9. Turned dial counter-clockwise for 4 full turns (actually did a few more), stopped at 10 10. Turned dial clockwise for 3 full turns, stopping at 20 11. Turned dial counter-clockwise for 2 full turns, stopped at 30 12. Turned dial clockwise to 0 (less than 1 turn) 13. Rotated change key 90° counter-clockwise and removed it
Can anyone tell me why teh combination (10-20-30-0) won't open the lock now? In step (10) because of the placement of 20 after 10, this is almost (but not quite) 4 turns - is that correct? I was intentionally very precise when dialing and apparently I still messed up. Thanks!
Yes, we can tell what you are (probably) doing wrong.
When you are setting the combination, dial the numbers you want to the change index. There are two marks, or indexes, on the lock. The one at the top is the 'opening index'. That is where you dial the number when you want to open the lock. There is another one to the left of the opening index. That is where you dial the combination when you have the change key in place and are changing the combination.
If you count the numbers on the dial between the opening index and the change index (think it is 4 numbers on an 8077), then add the difference to your original combination, you will find that the lock should open.
So if you set the combination to 10-20-30, try dialing 14-24-34 and see if it opens. If it did, then you set the combination to the opening index instead of the change index.
Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
Also when you dial clockwise 3 full turns, what exactly do you mean? this was hotly debated in another thread recently, one that in my opinion got nowhere, but are you dialing clockwise and letting 20 pass under the change index, then dialing clockwise again until 20 passes under the change index again, and then dialing clockwise some more and then finally stopping on 20 the 3rd time around?
Other than that, these locks like it when you set the combo and then dial it exactly spot on to the numbers you picked, there is no room for slop, so if you change the combo to 10-20-30 but really dialed 9-20-30, then good luck opening it reliably on 10-20-30, the mechanism wont open easily if at all. Even with the combo being set carefully, I find you still have to give the shackle a sharp pull in order to open these sometimes.
TheMaze wrote:10. Turned dial clockwise for 3 full turns, stopping at 20
If you mean you turn it 3 full turns clockwise and continue in turning it until 20 is under the change index (doing almost 4 turns in fact), then you are doing 1 more turn than you should do.
Squelchtone described the correct number of revolutions in other words, following exactly the instructions from the SG user's manual.
P.S. Anyway, if you try to open the lock by exactly the same dialing procedure (but using the opening index now) even if it were wrong, it should work I think. But I can be wrong...
tomasfuk wrote:P.S. Anyway, if you try to open the lock by exactly the same dialing procedure (but using the opening index now) even if it were wrong, it should work I think. But I can be wrong...
I mean exactly the same dialing procedure which was used for the combination changing.
GWiens2001 wrote:If you count the numbers on the dial between the opening index and the change index (think it is 4 numbers on an 8077), then add the difference to your original combination, you will find that the lock should open....So if you set the combination to 10-20-30, try dialing 14-24-34 and see if it opens. If it did, then you set the combination to the opening index instead of the change index...
I suppose that if 10 is aligned with the opening index, then 6 is aligned with the change index (not 14). I would try 6-16-26 then.
Squelchtone wrote:yeah.. I'd like to know what you mean by 8. Covered opening index. I take it cover it with tape, like step 6 in these change instructions?
I covered the opening index (12 o'clock) with tape to not confuse it. I used the change index (11 o'clock) when setting the combination. I'm 100% positive I got this right on lock #2.
Squelchtone wrote:Also when you dial clockwise 3 full turns, what exactly do you mean? this was hotly debated in another thread recently, one that in my opinion got nowhere, but are you dialing clockwise and letting 20 pass under the change index, then dialing clockwise again until 20 passes under the change index again, and then dialing clockwise some more and then finally stopping on 20 the 3rd time around?
I rotate it clockwise three full revolutions (10 passes by opening index 3 times) and continue turning after 10 passes the third time until I stop at 20.
Squelchtone wrote:Other than that, these locks like it when you set the combo and then dial it exactly spot on to the numbers you picked, there is no room for slop, so if you change the combo to 10-20-30 but really dialed 9-20-30, then good luck opening it reliably on 10-20-30, the mechanism wont open easily if at all. Even with the combo being set carefully, I find you still have to give the shackle a sharp pull in order to open these sometimes.
I went out of my way to be precise when I was setting lock #2, and I've yanked on it pretty hard with no luck so far.
Squelchtone wrote:Also when you dial clockwise 3 full turns, what exactly do you mean? this was hotly debated in another thread recently, one that in my opinion got nowhere, but are you dialing clockwise and letting 20 pass under the change index, then dialing clockwise again until 20 passes under the change index again, and then dialing clockwise some more and then finally stopping on 20 the 3rd time around?
I rotate it clockwise three full revolutions (10 passes by opening index 3 times) and continue turning after 10 passes the third time until I stop at 20.
is that a typo-o? if you are dialing the 2nd number, don't even look at 10, only focus on where 20 is on the dial and how many times it passes under the opening index at 12 oclock, or are you dialing the entire combination each time keeping watch where 10 is and how many times 10 passes under the index?
can you make a video of you dialing it and put it on youtube? otherwise, I'll make a video tonight and post it of me opening mine and changing mine.
Squelchtone wrote:is that a typo-o? if you are dialing the 2nd number, don't even look at 10, only focus on where 20 is on the dial and how many times it passes under the opening index at 12 oclock, or are you dialing the entire combination each time keeping watch where 10 is and how many times 10 passes under the index?
can you make a video of you dialing it and put it on youtube? otherwise, I'll make a video tonight and post it of me opening mine and changing mine.
Squelchtone
OK I possibly know what the problem is. The directions I followed stated: "Dial clockwise three full revolutions, stopping on 20."
The S&G manual states: "Turn the dial clockwise, pass the second number of the combination two times and on the third revolution align that number on the opening index"
In my mind at least, those are not the same - the first indicates I should spin it 3 full times, then continue until I reach the desired number. The second indicates two full times, and then stop when I reach the desired number. I've tried to open it using only the two spins and it doesn't seem to open that way either. Any guesses what the combination would be given the extra revolution when setting number 2?
Thus you tried to follow the incorrect instructions from Lockwiki. It's always good to compare more information resources - especially Wiki contains many errors.
When you upon setting the 2nd number have made one excessive rotation, you have changed the setting for the 1st number too. But you did not change it to be the same as the 2nd number is. It is because of opposite direction of the rotation. It is similar to setting the minute hand of a clock with your finger. If you move the minute hand clockwise and stop your finger at 12, the minute hand is directed to a few minutes past 12. If you do the same but counterclockwise, the minute hand is directed to a few minutes before 12. Exactly the same goes on in the combo. Thus, you have changed the first number to something like 16 I guess (not 20).
But you probably did the same mistake upon setting the third number. Then you have changed the setting for the 2nd number at that moment - to something like 34 I guess (not 30).
You can try to open the lock using the correct procedure, with numbers 16-34-30. Try 15-35-30 and 17-33-30 too.
But I think that if you used the incorrect dialing procedure (i.e., with one excess rotation in the second step and with one excess rotation in the third step) with numbers 10-20-30, it should open too.
Try dialing the combination exactly as you dialed it when setting the new combination. (Except dialing to the opening index). Then the gates on the wheels should be correct for opening.
Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
tomasfuk wrote:Thus you tried to follow the incorrect instructions from Lockwiki. It's always good to compare more information resources - especially Wiki contains many errors.
When you upon setting the 2nd number have made one excessive rotation, you have changed the setting for the 1st number too. But you did not change it to be the same as the 2nd number is. It is because of opposite direction of the rotation. It is similar to setting the minute hand of a clock with your finger. If you move the minute hand clockwise and stop your finger at 12, the minute hand is directed to a few minutes past 12. If you do the same but counterclockwise, the minute hand is directed to a few minutes before 12. Exactly the same goes on in the combo. Thus, you have changed the first number to something like 16 I guess (not 20).
But you probably did the same mistake upon setting the third number. Then you have changed the setting for the 2nd number at that moment - to something like 34 I guess (not 30).
You can try to open the lock using the correct procedure, with numbers 16-34-30. Try 15-35-30 and 17-33-30 too.
But I think that if you used the incorrect dialing procedure (i.e., with one excess rotation in the second step and with one excess rotation in the third step) with numbers 10-20-30, it should open too.
Edit: the numbers suggestions have been edited.
I tried those without success. Why would digit #2 be wrong though - shouldn't it still be 20 even though I went one too many revolutions?
GWiens2001 wrote:Try dialing the combination exactly as you dialed it when setting the new combination. (Except dialing to the opening index). Then the gates on the wheels should be correct for opening.
Gordon
That's what I was doing originally (as I didn't know it was wrong) and it didn't open.
TheMaze wrote:Why would digit #2 be wrong though - shouldn't it still be 20 even though I went one too many revolutions?
Because I suppose that you have made one excessive revolution in the third step too, in such way changing the 2nd number to something near the 3rd number too.
TheMaze wrote:Why would digit #2 be wrong though - shouldn't it still be 20 even though I went one too many revolutions?
Because I suppose that you have made one excessive revolution in the third step too, in such way changing the 2nd number to something near the 3rd number too.
I did - I did not even realize that till you pointed it out - thanks! Unfortunately, I still can't get it open, either dialing it correctly or using the combinations that were suggested above. Oh well, at least I'll have a reset tool in a few days.
