Losing or forgetting the combination to your safe is frustrating, especially when you need something urgently that is locked inside the safe. You can try opening a combination safe yourself by manipulating the combination if you know how to without damaging the lock or the safe. However, it is always best to call the experts, Safes NYC, New York City, NY as they have the experience and knowledge to do the job correctly.
In this article, we discuss what is lock manipulation, and the techniques used in opening a combination safe. We also go over how the professionals such as Safes NYC, New York City, NY open safes.
Lock Manipulation
To gain entry to a combination safe, you need to dial a code made of numbers on a combination lock in the exact sequence. If you have forgotten or lost the numbers, then lock manipulation needs to be used to open the safe.
Lock manipulation is a technique a locksmith or safe specialist will use in the opening of a combination safe.
What Is Lock Manipulation?
Described simply as opening a locked safe causing no type of damage to the safe such as breaking the door open or drilling the lock.
Lock manipulation for opening a combination safe is using the combination lock to discover the combination. This technique requires:
- Little to no tools
- A tremendous amount of patients
- Time as opening a combination safe could take several hours
- A good understanding of the lock mechanism
How Does Lock Manipulation Work?
- Listen to the sound the dial makes as you turn it
- Each wheel has a notch cut into them
- The dial is turned until the notches are lined up perfectly
- Once these notches line up the bolt of the safe can slide through the gap made and the safe will open
How Do Locksmiths Open Combination Safes?
Locksmiths or safe specialists use a few techniques in opening a combination safe. But before they can pick the best technique to use, there are a few details they need to know about the safe
- The Cause For The Safe, Not Opening
Some main and most common causes for the safe, not opening are
- A forgotten combination,
- The safe will not open with the correct combination
- The dial struggles to turn or is loose
- The Serial Number And Type Of Safe
The serial number and type of safe is useful information to supply the experts with. The serial number can be found somewhere on the outside of the safe, usually at the back and near the top. With the serial number and safe type, a locksmith can help in two ways.
- For a forgotten combination that has not been changed since the original purchase of the safe, opening a combination safe is easy. The locksmith or safe specialist can contact the manufacturer for the combination code
- For a forgotten previously changed combination, the experts will use the serial number to research the safe. They will then use the lock manipulation technique before trying any other techniques
Other Techniques Used To Open A Combination Safe
If the lock manipulation technique does not work on your safe, which is rarely the case, the next step a professional will use is a scoping or cutting technique
- Scoping
Scoping involves a professional drilling a tiny hole either at the side or the front of the safe. They then insert an instrument called a borescope into the drilled holes. A borescope is a flexible tube with an eye on one end and a lens or camera on the other end
This then allows the professional to view the lock and the wheels, which then enables them to move the dial into the correct sequence, and opening a combination safe becomes possible
- Cutting The Safe Open
The cutting technique is rarely used in opening a combination safe by professionals. This is because this method causes severe damages to the safe. It involves the use of saws or a blowtorch, it may damage the contents and will render the safe unusable once open
Faulty Combination Dial
If the reason for not opening a combination safe is that the dial on the lock is loose or it struggles to turn. This is a sign that there is an issue with the combination lock
If your safe is no longer under warranty, you should call in the experts to repair or replace the lock. Some parts of the lock could be worn or broken, causing the dial to stick or feel loose
The best option you have in opening a combination safe without causing damages is to call a professional such as Safes NYC, New York City, NY.
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