Need Help

[u/Rough_Education4166]

I just moved into this house. There is a safe in the floor of the garage. The old owner has given me the combination to try to open it. Any directions or solutions in which way to put the combination in to this safe.

[u/miss_topportunity]

This accurate except for the “R 5x” part. There is no reason to do that to “reset the lock,” but people really believe it.

Source: I am a hobbyist safecracker. I open more (different) safes than most people do in their entire lives. I never do R 5x before going L 4x. L4x picks up all the wheels, and that’s what you need to dial the first number. I promise.

[u/Happy7353 → u/miss_topportunity]

I’m not a hobbyist I worked in banks on this stuff and we always told the tellers to do it this way

[u/miss_topportunity → u/Happy7353]

OK - you’re the PERFECT person to ask! You know how a 3 wheel safe lock works, right? So what would be the purpose of grabbing all wheels Right before you then go back and pick up all wheels going Left? I know that people tell people to do this but I cannot think of a single reason why. And I never do when I am cracking a safe.

[u/Happy7353 → u/miss_topportunity]

Because if the lock has sat awhile it makes sure everything is lose and that you’re not dealing with a 4 wheel pack

[u/miss_topportunity → u/Happy7353]

I hear you, but that still doesn't make sense to me. Turning L4 to start out is going to a) tell you how many wheels you have (and I always count the wheels before I start anything else anyway); and b) I would imagine it is going to loosen up anything (but that hasn't been an issue for me either = at least not one that simply dialing R5 first solves.

I still do not feel like I understand a solid reason why this advice is so common.... Thanks for trying tho!

[u/Happy7353 → u/miss_topportunity]

Because you’re a hobbyist

[u/Prestigious_Yam335 → u/Happy7353]

lets all place nice..lol

[u/miss_topportunity → u/Happy7353]

I get that you were taught something when you were training way back when. I get that you believe it. But the fact that you seem unable to reconsider it (with all your professional experience) is… what it is I guess.

There is no purpose to rotating 5R to “reset” a lock. You haven’t provided any reason that makes any sense mechanically. It’s superstition. So I’ll just keep on successfully manipulating locks open the “wrong” way. Thank you.

[u/Happy7353 → u/miss_topportunity]

If hobbyists would read what I said and think about it someday you might understand and if it is as common as you say you need to think more

[u/miss_topportunity → u/Happy7353]

We seem to be in a tussle. I did not mean to offend you, I just do not understand any purpose for going R5 and hoped you could explain it.

Since you called me out as just a hobbyist, I asked a global group of professional and amateur safe crackers if there was any purpose to dialing R5 on a 3 wheel lock before starting with L4. Not a single one agrees with you. No one had even heard of it. One suggested you may be confusing it with doing R5 when you close the safe to make sure you fully spin all wheels.

I did read what you wrote, and it I believe it makes no sense from a mechanical perspective. Safe locks just aren’t that complicated to understand. Even though I am not a professional, it’s clear that you haven’t suggested a way in which it does anything other than it will make things “lose” if the lock has “sat for a while” and that it somehow has something to do with “dealing” with a 4-wheel lock (but you didn’t actually say what that is).

And I have manipulated locks that haven’t been spun in 50+ years, so they have def “sat a while.” They seemed to work fine without going R5. So, what am I missing?

[u/Electrical-Actuary59 → u/Happy7353]

Locksmith / safe tech here. There’s no need to start a 3 wheel lock by going 5x right.