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another locked brief case

Hi all,

I've been away from this group for years (got a career, got busy) but I used to post here all the time. I still pick locks occasionally for fun or to help some one out.

Last night I was working on a C-SPAN shoot (I'm a TV cameraman) and some one accidentally locked one of the cases the production company keeps equipment in. They were probably absentmindedly fideling with the dials on the combination.

I said I could probably open it and while I have the day off I've been sitting in front of the TV and playing with the case.

It's a Haliburton Zero (Reg Z) briefcase style metal (aluminum?) case. Inside it has a foam rubber lining and is made for transporting delicate stuff. It has one of those three number combination dial locks just below the lid between the hinges for the handle. There doesn't seem to be any button to push to relase the catch. There are hasps on either side of the mouth that have been working fine to keep it closed. They open and close with no problem and don't seem to have any thing to do with the lock.

I started with the same principals one uses for opening one of those really cheap combination bike locks where you pull both ends and spin the dial with the most resistance until it clicks in to place, then the next, then the next.... In this case I put a a scredriver in the space between the bottom and the lid and twisted it to provide some tension on the mechanism. The left dial seems to like the zero position. After some more fiddling about, the right dial seems to favor the 8. However, when I set the zero and eight and spin the middle dial, it doesn't open or even catch.

I've resorted to going through all the possible combinations (I'm up to 640) but I did that once last night and it didn't seem to work. I may have been going to fast or one of the clasps might have been shut so I've been trying it again.

Does any one have any method for picking these? Is there some release mechanism I haven't found yet?

I'd like to get this thing open partly for personal pride. It would also make the owner of the production compnay happy.

Thanks!

-Brian

Reply to
2000lux
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I found a similar case (the one I have is smaller) on e-bay with some pictures of the lock and clasps. The case I have has sort of a ribbed surface in the divet where the dials are, but otherwise looks about the same.

I don't see any buttons or other mechanisms that would need to be operated after the combination is set so as I said I've either been trying to put some tesnison on the mechanism and see if the wheels lock up, or just cycling through possible combinations.

-Brian

Reply to
2000lux

This is the case on e-bay I mentioned. I think i forgot to add the link. Duh.

-Brian

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Reply to
2000lux

Brian, you can use a small shim to feel the sides of the wheels or an otoscope

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like the ear doctors use to view the side of the wheels. Line up all the flats then you can rotate all the wheels together until it opens. Good Luck

Reply to
Roger Cann

I'll try that. Thanks!

-Brian

Reply to
2000lux

Anytime Brian...

Reply to
Roger Cann

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