Detail question on Victor safe dial wheels

[damonwill]

All

I'm in the process of cracking an old Victor safe. I have another post about it but I had a couple very specific questions related to my attempt to crack this safe. I've looked on Youtube and can't find the answers I'm looking for..

So my questions are: When do the first number and second number wheels engage? How may may degrees can you turn the dial BEFORE one or both engage and begin to move...

Here is my reasoning.. On my dial, I can turn the dial 4 times to the left and all wheels are engaged and turning. Then I can stop at the first combo number. Then I can turn the dial three times and stop at the second number. Since the last wheel is always engaged, I technically could turn left to the last number and the safe could be opened.. Does all that sound correct?

So since I'm trying to find the combo numbers, could I just the above and dial 0 for the first number. Then dial 0 for the second number. Then rotate the dial left all the way around to 98. Then turn BACK left past 0 to 98. I say this because when I try, I feel a wheel engage turning right when I hit 0. It makes sense to me that the wheel engaging is the second number wheel. So I could just move that wheel back to 98 and then turn the dial left to 96. Then back right to 96 and then back left to 94.

This seems like it would work but my question really is when does the first number wheel engage and start moving?
Or how far LEFT can you turn the dial before the first number wheel engages?


Kind of like this:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDgC8JOQhiM&t=78s[/youtube]

I'm continuing to learn and do more research. I don't think this will work and I'm sure I'm missing something so I wanted to ask so I understand more..

Thanks!!!

[MartinHewitt]

Your description sound quite confusing/confused. There is one disc directly connected to the dial. This is called the drive cam. The other wheels are commonly numbered according to their position in the combination. The wheel responsible for the first number in the combination is the first wheel. To reach this wheel it is necessary to turn the dial most often. If you turn the dial left 4 times and then reverse the dialing direction, then you pick up the wheel for the last number in the combination (wheel 3) after about a turn. After about a turn more you get wheel 2. And after about another turn more you get wheel 1. You should be able to feel the pick-up and it should be independent where you do this. The "about" of the "about a turn" depends mostly on the lock model and also a bit on the specific lock.

[damonwill]

OK, Yeah, sorry if my first post isn't clear. This is all new to me. Let me see if I can clarify.

Here is my safe:


1. I've been told this should be a 2 wheel design (2 wheels and a drive cam). So it will have a three number combo. Is it possible its a 3 wheel design? Needing 4 combo numbers? If this is a 4 combo safe, I have to re-evaluate..

2. If its a 3 combo safe, let me see if an example works better.. LEts say the combo is 10-20-30. So you turn left 4 times and stop on 10. Then you turn right three times but stop on 22 instead of 20 and then turn left to 30. So the gate doesn't drop. CAN you turn the dial right to 22, where the 2nd wheel should pick up and turn to 20. Then turn left to 30 where the gate will drop? Or will the 1st wheel get picked up and turn when you turn the dial left?

It feels like this is what is happening. I wish I had a dial assembly to test it but haven't been able to find one.

[femurat]

1. Are you able to feel the wheels pick up? It's quite easy to count them. Make five full turns Left and stop at 50. Then dial Right and pay attention on how many times you feel a slight bump and increase in drag passing by 50. That's the number of wheels you have in your lock.

2. yes, you can move only the wheels you want to move, starting with the last one and going on towards the first one. So you can move only wheel #3, or only wheels #2 and #3. But to move wheel #1 you have to move everything else.


Cheers

[Squelchtone]

You should buy for $2.99 a new app that just came out, it is a safe cracking simulator. It will help you visualize a lot of what you are asking about.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1651 ... Simulator/

Everyone is raving about it

Squelchtone

[damonwill]

1. Are you able to feel the wheels pick up? It's quite easy to count them. Make five full turns Left and stop at 50. Then dial Right and pay attention on how many times you feel a slight bump and increase in drag passing by 50. That's the number of wheels you have in your lock.

2. yes, you can move only the wheels you want to move, starting with the last one and going on towards the first one. So you can move only wheel #3, or only wheels #2 and #3. But to move wheel #1 you have to move everything else.


Cheers

Thank you for the input.

1. I'm 90% sure i've got two wheels. My dial pops in and out and when it pops in, the wheels reset. But I'lll move forward with two wheels..

2. Great. Now to give my idea a try....