I need a safe cracker

[enegue]

This thread actually made me realize something...don't keep all your guns in one safe.

[shinbone1]

Hmmm, I'll give the heat gun a shot. Thanks

The warranty wasn't spelled out. It's a custom safe with crappy customer service.

Why would you ask if I'm drinking?

[Chewy65]

Hmmm, I'll give the heat gun a shot. Thanks

The warranty wasn't spelled out. It's a custom safe with crappy customer service.

Why would you ask if I'm drinking?

I am not the guy who asked, but spending 8 hours trying to open a save that wouldn't open when I had the right combination would drive me to drink. On the other hand, I don't know that I would keep at if for 8 hours unless I had been drinking.

[Maddawg46]

You are probably screwed. I know a safe guy in Ripon, Ca. AAALocksmith. You can call him, but I think your at the grinder with a diamond wheel stage. You can cut out the whole lock section. Then you may only need a new door. I would try the mallet heat gun fix like previously mentioned..

[Pauliedad]

I'd be good for maybe an hour then on here for some abuse, then on Google for some more ideas.
There's a business in Oakland that has handled several decades of high end safe work and various other aspects of all things locks and security.
Reed Brothers Security

[Rogerbutthead]

Eh, when ATF search warranted my house, one safe would not open. I had been warned not to spin the dials but I guess I did and the damn thing was not working.

They called a locksmith who drilled it out, did it very nicely and the new lock I had to buy covered up any evidence of the prior drill work. The cost was not too much.

[sigstroker]

You can't spin the dials?

[shinbone1]

Thanks all, I tend to be on the tenacious (pigheaded) side. It may not have been quite 8 hours but it was way too long if it was an hour and I did end up with a drink in my hand. I did find a guy locally who can drill it if it comes to that. He will also repair and fit with a new lock. Says I'll not be able to tell it was ever cracked when he's done. And, his fee is very reasonable.

[odysseus]

I thought there was a guy on here that was a safe guy out of Marin County. I haven't seen him post up in ages, but he was a contributor at one time? Many years ago... Maybe someone here recalls. The guy knew his stuff very well.

I'm in the Bay Area. I'm sure of the combination and sequence. I've opened this safe many many times and most recently this week. It is in the house in a warm location. The dial spins normally, the combo has just stopped working. Very frustrating. The manufacturer says it's not under warranty. Not sure how that works on a safe with a lifetime warranty.

[Hardwarejunkie]

Did you try "aggressively" spinning the dials?
One of my safes seems to act up every now and then, I give it a good 10 spins and really give it a hard spin after the first and second numbers.
Good luck!

[Rogerbutthead]

By "spinning the dials" I meant that supposedly spinning the dials leads to internal slippage and the combo changes without you knowing what the new one is now.

[BigBronco]

Had this happen to me. Luckily the first and last numbers of the combo had only made shift of two digits in the direction they were rotated. By subtracting 2 from those it works fine. For example 19-35-55 became 17-35-53. OP. Try over shooting the combo by a couple digits in the direction of the turning.

If you do get it open then remove the door cover and lock. Open the back of the lock and you should be able to see the tumblers as they line up to verify the new worn lock combo. What I found inside was that the inside of the rotor plates had keyholed where they contact the dual shaft.

The above story is true. Only the numbers were changed to protect the innocent.

[JDay]

You are probably screwed. I know a safe guy in Ripon, Ca. AAALocksmith. You can call him, but I think your at the grinder with a diamond wheel stage. You can cut out the whole lock section. Then you may only need a new door. I would try the mallet heat gun fix like previously mentioned..

Any locksmith who knows what he's doing can open the safe without destroying the door.

[JDay]

Thanks all, I tend to be on the tenacious (pigheaded) side. It may not have been quite 8 hours but it was way too long if it was an hour and I did end up with a drink in my hand. I did find a guy locally who can drill it if it comes to that. He will also repair and fit with a new lock. Says I'll not be able to tell it was ever cracked when he's done. And, his fee is very reasonable.

I'd first find someone who has a mechanical dialer. If the combination did slip a mechanical dialer will be able to get the safe open in about 24 hours without drilling and then you can reset the combination or replace the lock.

[71MUSTY]

My safe died too. I even paid to get a new copy of the combo from the manufacture. Didn't work. Now I have drilled it in several places. Can't figure out what to do next. Thinking about using a saw to cut the dial mech out.


Or I can fill the drill holes with black powder. I have really long fuses. Do you think 1 lb will do it or should I go buy another lb?