Lock dialing procedures for E C Morris & Co Antique Safe

[JGard911]

I believe we have the combination to the safe pictured below, but I don't know the lock dialing procedures.
Also .. Do the 3 incremental marks between the letters on the alphabetic dial have any purpose?

[MartinHewitt]

The marks between the letters are not relevant. The dialling sequence is: 5R to first letter, 4L to second letter, 3R to third letter, 2L to K, R to stop. If your combination doesn't work, you can try all 4-letter words ending with K.

[JGard911]

The marks between the letters are not relevant. The dialling sequence is: 5R to first letter, 4L to second letter, 3R to third letter, 2L to K, R to stop. If your combination doesn't work, you can try all 4-letter words ending with K.

Are you saying that all possible combinations for this safe end in "K"? Or are you making a joke, when I cant get it open, and try "F U * K"?

[MartinHewitt]

This lock has four wheels and the fourth wheel has indeed a fixed coding of K. If the code was set a long time ago, something like LOCK or BOOK is more likely than your suggestion, but nowadays probably yours.

[MartinHewitt]

Sorry, the sequence is: 4R, 3L, 2R, 1L to K, R to stop.

[JGard911]

This lock has four wheels and the fourth wheel has indeed a fixed coding of K. If the code was set a long time ago, something like LOCK or BOOK is more likely than your suggestion, but nowadays probably yours.

A relative is vindictively keeping the combination from the Personal Representatives of an estate. His name is "M A R K". Might have to try that.
Thank you so much for your input.

[Squelchtone]

Last one of these I opened was set to LUCK

Here are more words to try


BANK
MILK
PORK
ROCK
RISK
SINK
TANK
WINK
YANK

Remember that after dialing the K there is one more turn of the dial to retract the lock bolt.

Let us know which word it was, I like to keep track of actual words used on these safes.

Thank you,
Squelchtone

[JGard911]

Still havent been able to open the safe.
I suspect the combination given to me is inaccurate.
I have tried many 4 letter words ending in "K", with no lock. My family member insists it is the initials of his grandmother with a "K" added as the 4th letter.

A locksmith has quoted $400 to drill a 1/4" hole and use an optical camera to discover the combination. But I think that would ruin the safe.
Any other ideas to open it? Can people actually manipulate the lock using a stethoscope?

[bitbuster]

McOmie once said in his NSO writings that it doesn't necessarily have to be an actual word, just so it ends with a K.

[MartinHewitt]

Can you make a video of your dialling? Maybe you do something wrong there?

[Squelchtone]

Still havent been able to open the safe.
I suspect the combination given to me is inaccurate.
I have tried many 4 letter words ending in "K", with no lock. My family member insists it is the initials of his grandmother with a "K" added as the 4th letter.

A locksmith has quoted $400 to drill a 1/4" hole and use an optical camera to discover the combination. But I think that would ruin the safe.
Any other ideas to open it? Can people actually manipulate the lock using a stethoscope?

if you consider the first 3 letters of the combination have 26 possible choices each, and the 4th letter is always K, that means 26x26x26 combinations to dial, so 17,576 possible combinations starting with A-A-A-K and ending in Z-Z-Z-K have you tried O-K-O-K ? Here's a few more DUCK, HAWK, MILK, WINK, WORK

I really like what bitbuster wrote, why not try some common 3 letter words or just patterns.. it could be ABC-K or BOO-K USA-K NYC-K ECM-K (for E C Morris) SAF-K DOG-K CAT-K PIG-K HOG-K I could go on..

Here are 1,065 3-Letter words in American English. You would have to dial the K after dialing each one of them in.
https://scrabble.merriam.com/3-letter-words

Here are 266 4-Letter words ending in K
https://scrabblewordfinder.org/4-letter ... nding-in/k