Old S&G Safe help

[vintage-safe]

Hi,
I am a newbie here, so please bear with me.

I have an old safe with an S&G combination lock. I have the combination Rxx-Lxx-Rxx. The door is hinged on the left. The main index mark is at 12 o’clock. The changed index is to the right of it at 1 o'clock. I am not having any luck opening it with the S&G standard:

1. Turn the dial counterclockwise, stopping when first is aligned with the opening index the fourth time. 

2. Turn the dial clockwise, stopping when second is aligned with the opening index the third time. 

3. Turn the dial counterclockwise, stopping when third is aligned with the opening index the second time. 

4. Turn the dial clockwise, stopping when 0 is aligned with the opening index, and then turn the dial farther clockwise until it comes to a positive stop near 85, indicating that the lock bolt has retracted. If the combination has been correctly dialed, the safe or cabinet may be opened.

I have also tried this in reverse given the combo I have starts with "right" and the door is hinged left and the changed index location. Here is what I did:
1. Turn the dial clockwise, stopping when first is aligned with the opening index the fourth time. 

2. Turn the dial counterclockwise, stopping when second is aligned with the opening index the third time. 

3. Turn the dial clockwise, stopping when third is aligned with the opening index the second time. 

4. Turn the dial counterclockwise, stopping when 0 is aligned with the opening index, and then turn the dial farther clockwise until it comes to a positive stop near 85, indicating that the lock bolt has retracted. If the combination has been correctly dialed, the safe or cabinet may be opened.

I have been unsuccessful. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

[Squelchtone]

Hi,
It may just be the photo, but your dial ring seems off by a few degrees, is it loose by any chance? can it rotate behind the numbers dial? Would you mind posting a photo of the majority of the door or at least the left and right side of the door in frame and the dial in frame so we may see everything is aligned correctly? If the dial is off and you are dailing the combo to where the crow's foot opening index is, it will never open.

How high is confidence that the combination you have is the correct one? When was the safe last open?

Thanks
Squelchtone

[gumptrick]

One other question:

It looks like you copied-and pasted that from a website such as S&G's. Are you feeling the dial catch the bolt and then hit a positive stop during the "Step 4" in the procedures you posted above? Or does the dial just turn?

[vintage-safe]

I did not "0" the dial before the photo was taken. I believe the dial is working and I can feel the friction as I move through the turns. I was told that combo is correct.

I did copied the first instructions from the web and just edited the second one for the reverse sequence.

The dial just turns.

Should I be using the Left 4 turns or start with the reverse Right 4 turns? Or are both sequences wrong for my lock?
Thanks

[GWiens2001]

Just for giggles, dial the combination to the change index on the right. Have seen one of these with the "reversed" change indexes before where the owner had set the combination using the opening index (crow's foot) and was dialing the combination in to open the safe using the change index (single mark). The dial and dial ring on his safe had been replaced by someone before he bought the safe, and it should have had a dial ring with the change index on the left instead of the right for his lock body.

Gordon

[vintage-safe]

Gordon,
I will try that.

The combination that was given to me starts with "right"-"left"-"right". What should be the opening sequences? Turning in which direction first, left or right?
Thanks.

[GWiens2001]

Gordon,
I will try that.

The combination that was given to me starts with "right"-"left"-"right". What should be the opening sequences? Turning in which direction first, left or right?
Thanks.

Try it both ways to be safe.

Gordon

[74TR6]

"...I did not "0" the dial before the photo was taken..." I think you possibly missed the point squelch was making The index of the outer dial ring seems to be twisted a couple of numbers to the right; not exactly at the 12:00 oclock position as it should be. This will cause the number you dial to be off by nearly two numbers---and many S&G locks will not tolerate that large an error Verify the dial ring is vertical; or if it can not be adjusted, dial to a vertical mark

Also try the suggestion of dialing to the change mark; worth a try

Best of luck