Conference 7.286::home_work

    Drop it off at your neighborhood jail, they have lots of experts.....
    only kidding.
    
    Eric

    I opened two of them many years ago, offhand I think I lucked out.
    
    ed

In his book "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman" the late Nobel laureate Richard 
Feynman gives some good tips on safe-cracking....

					>>>==>PStJTT

    Well, I really have no idea, having grown up in a nice neighborhood,
    but if I were going to try to open it I guess I'd get a stethescope
    or perhaps a contact microphone and see if I could hear anything
    as I turned the dial.  
    Maybe try calling other locksmiths and see if you can get any help...
    although they may be reluctant to give safecracking lessons over
    the phone!

    I had a similar situation, but the door was off the safe I got from my
    grandfathers house.  We had no idea what the combination was and the NH
    Safe and Lock Co in Nashua was going to charge $25 to find it or change
    it (I forget which).  How many locksmiths have you called?
    
    I ended up finding the combination in a card file that my grandfather
    kept.  One card had 4 combinations on it so I tried each one and one
    was for that safe.
    
    Dave 

        IS there a manufacturers id or serial number visible on the safe.
        If so, you can write the manufacturer and see if they can help.
        
        q
        

    I did look at the label on the front under the door, and it was an
    Underwriters Lab... Class C firecode, with a serial number stamped.
    I was going to pull it out to check the back and bottom for another
    label, and contact the company but haven't had a chance.
    Another option is my brother and I may get my father a gun safe,
    and I'd see if they would throw in the opening of my safe after
    getting the final price for the gun safe...
    
    Jean

    Richard Feynman has a lot of tips for lockpicking etc. in his book
    "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman".   It's makes good reading even if
    it doesn't help with your problem.
    
    Dick.
    

    The best way to open the safe is by manipulation.  But not everybody
    can do that, not even a lot of good locksmiths.  The place you bring
    it to will probably drill it.  That is, they'll drill a small hole
    (about 1/4" or 3/8") usually near the dial and at a certain angle.
    The trick is knowing where to drill and at what angle.  From the
    hole you can then SEE the combination by turning the dial and
    aligning the gates, reading the combination on the dial.  There may
    be an offset involved too.  For $125.00 I think you would be hard
    pressed to find a better safe at that price today.
    
    Good luck.
    
    Gerry
    

    RE: .0  did you solve your problem?
    
    Where are you located?

    Nope, tried playing with a stethoscope a little, but didn't really know 
    what to listen for. Haven't bothered going to the library or anything
    else, so it sits in my basement... I live in Manchester N.H....
    Jean
    

    
    a related question.
    
    i've got a safe and the combination, and still can't open it.
    
    the combo is written down and says things like
    
    left  4 times, 72
    right 2 times, 15
    left  3 times, 33
    right 1 time, 16, open
    
    i've tried it about everyway i can think of and getting nowhere.
    
    i spin the dial 4 times to the left past zero and then stop at 72,
    etc.. no good.
    
    the dial has 2 arrows on it, one at dead top, the other about 350
    degrees. i've been using the top arrow. 
    
    any ideas?

>    left  4 times, 72   Try spinning it left 5 or 6 times.
    
 

    
    pretty sure i did.. i guess i'll have to spend some time at it and see
    what happens...

Try the other arrow.

�    left  4 times, 72
�    right 2 times, 15
�    left  3 times, 33
�    right 1 time, 16, open

I'm certainly not an expert, and have never used hi-powered safes, but on all
the ones I've used, the number of times around the dial decrements each time.
So, how about trying:

left  4 times, 72
right 3 times, 15
left  2 times, 33
right 1 time, 16, open

Also, I think that typically the last turn does not involve a full rev, but just
going from 33 straight to 16.  If this is the case, your "# times" wouldn't be a
number of full revs.  This would give you:

left lots of full revs, then find 72
right 2 full revs, then find 15
left  1 full rev,  then find 33
right to 16, open

								-- Chuck Newman

If this works, do I get a commission :-) ?

    
    thanks for the suggestions. I didn't have the slip of paper with me
    when i entered my note and so i just entered miscellaneous numbers...
    so you are most likely correct about the # of revolutions decrimenting.
    
    besides, i wouldn't enter the actual combination, i'd have Charly
    following me after work to see where my house is...
    
    unfortunetly, you'll never know if i get it open. i got the golden
    tap...
    
    lata..
    

    For an amusing an informative discussion of combination locks and
    safecracking, take a look at the book "Surely You're Joking,
    Mr. Feynman!" by Richard Feynman, physicist, artist, drummer,
    Nobel laureate, ....  It's available in paperback.

RE: <<< Note 3707.12 by 11434::HANAM "tie your flowers to the cemetary gate" >>>
    
 Hoping you'll see this before you leave.

   | the combo is written down and says things like
    
   | left  4 times, 72
   | right 2 times, 15
   | left  3 times, 33
   | right 1 time, 16, open
    

 Four number combinations work as such;

  Left at least 4 times stopping at first number

  Right past first number 3 times stopping at second number

  Left past second number  2 times stopping at third number

  Right stopping at 4th number, turn lever, open safe. (4th number is usually 
  0, 95 or 90 but with Yale locks you stop at 0 and turn the knob left to 10 
  to unlock and open) You should feel some resistance as you turn the knob to 
  cam the bolt to the unlocked position.

   | i spin the dial 4 times to the left past zero and then stop at 72,
   | etc.. no good.
    

 It doesn't matter what number you start spinning the dial from as all you're 
doing when initially turning it left is unwinding the tumblers so they can be 
lined up correctly again. You need to go at least 4 or 5 turns to unwind the 
tumblers.

    |the dial has 2 arrows on it, one at dead top, the other about 350
    |degrees. i've been using the top arrow. 

 The top arrow is used to open the safe. The other angled arrow is used when 
resetting the combination to a different number sequence. You don't want to 
mess with resetting the combination unless you are real familiar with doing 
this. It takes a special key inserted into the back of the tumbler mechanism 
to reset the combination.
    

    I have a Sentry small floor safe, and have misplaced the combination.
    Has anyone ever successfully opened one, OR know the details of the
    internals of the lock ?  If so, please could you contact me off line ?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Stuart

    I got one open once with a cutting torch. Worked real fine.
    
    
    
    
    					/Dave