formula for setting safe combo lock to custom combination

Note the difference between what I wrote and what you wrote, Steve:

Ladies and gentlemen, notice where I put the quote marks. See how Steve's is different?

I also said, in consideration of your diminished mental capacity:

In your confusion you put ALL THREE words in quotes, which is why you got only one result. Teaching reading comprehension was the job of Mrs. Butzman in the second grade, not mine.

Nice try Dan but here is it yet again:

"Apparently, your blustery bullshit is just camouflage to hide the fact that you don't even understand the question. You're the pin head that kept talking about key change locks after I made it perfectly clear that this is a hole change lock, not a key change lock. Do you know what Google is? A search for "hole change lock" will help you tremendously."

That Dan is EXACTLY the way you wrote it cut and pasted from your own post. Let me guess that wasn't you that was one of the 'other' people inside your head huh? Dan get back on those meds now.

No Dan here is yours (or maybe that split personality of yours) words again:

"Apparently, your blustery bullshit is just camouflage to hide the fact that you don't even understand the question. You're the pin head that kept talking about key change locks after I made it perfectly clear that this is a hole change lock, not a key change lock. Do you know what Google is? A search for "hole change lock" will help you tremendously."

Note the quotes around the entire phrase hole change lock where YOU put them? YOU can't even remember what YOU babble from one post to the next.

Here's a link to the original as archived by Google.

I notice you have also failed to quote where I said anything about "key change" or "key change locks" as you claimed which must mean you are hearing those pesky voices again. Remember that statement Dan? Here that one is again from the same post where you wrote "hole change lock", same paragraph as a matter of fact:

"Apparently, your blustery bullshit is just camouflage to hide the fact that you don't even understand the question. You're the pin head that kept talking about key change locks after I made it perfectly clear that this is a hole change lock, not a key change lock. Do you know what Google is? A search for "hole change lock" will help you tremendously."

Here's where you babble the same claim yet again:

"Lack of information isn't the problem. I gave enough info to answer my question. If you knew what you were talking about, you wouldn't have mentioned your experience with key change locks. And although there are hundreds of cheap combination locks, the formula I asked about would apply to them all. I don't really have the time to give you an entire education."

Where did I mention my "experience with key change locks" Dan???? Dan if you can't figure out what you wrote even when it's quoted for you why should I waste my time with you? I've wasted enough already. You can't even figure out that even the cheapest HAND CHANGE LOCK which requires moving of pins/flys from one hole to another has the HOLES PRE DRILLED and nothing has to be drilled out. If yours doesn't it is the biggest piece of junk ever mounted on a 'safe' and should be replaced. The Chinese guy that threw it together from left over scrap in his basement is laughing his ass off at the stupid round eye dumb enough to buy such a thing, that would be you Dan. If you can't figure out that S&G has LONGER THAN STANDARD lock bolts to allow suckers who bought garbage to replace it with an S&G 6700 series or other S&G series that is your ignorance too. If you can't figure out that there is no set "formula" for positioning of pins/flys on every hand change lock ever made with holes drilled for that purpose it's again because you don't have a clue. How many numbers on the dial Dan? 50? 100? Dialing sequence? L R L ? R L R? L R L R ? R L R L ? can the pin/fly on each wheel be moved or only on one of them or the driver? well Dan? Wheel diameter? Yes it would make a difference. Did you provide any of this information? No because you don't know what you are talking about.

Bye bye Dan.

PS The part about somebody using a plasma cutter to cut the top out of a gun safe cracked me up. I have no doubt that a pry bar and hammer + maybe a cold chisle would be more than sufficient for the piece of junk you got suckered into buying.

What Dan or Tom or whoever can't manage to figure out is that for there to be one set mathematical relationship applicable to all hand change locks like the one he is trying to describe they would all have to have the same number of possible numbers for each digit in the combo, the same number of possible pin locations, the same number of wheels, or driver only, which allow the pins to be moved. The same number of possible locations to move the pins to, the same spindle to driver orientation, the same spindle to dial orientation. They would all even have to have the same LRL or RLR dialing sequence or a LRL "formula" appled to a RLR lock would leave the gates misaligned by the width of the pin/fly even if all else was equal. Basicly Dan thinks that every lock ever made that allows for changing a combo in this way has every other design characteristic exactly the same. Dan lives in a fantasy world.

just <plonk> the clueless troll and be done with it all Steve.. cluelees people like him will never admit their wrong anyhow.

my2¢

ya know, I am surprised that you are still getting any help around here with the screwed up attitude you have been displaying. personally, I have had enough of your damn trolling. no real need to reply troll-boy ! <plonk>

Yipes- is it a Sentry safe or something like that?

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What help? He didn't get any help. He got basicly "call a locksmith". I will admit that I really don't see how there can be one formula that could be used for all the different lock designs that allow the combo to be changed this way like he says there is and if he would explain it I would be grateful but if he had needed help he wouldn't have gotten any here.

Tom I have to say I really don't see how any single mathematical formula can apply to the relationship between the drive pins and the combination for all lock types or even all lock designs that use this type of combo changing, I'm not even positive that this is what you were saying because you made reference to the wheels in the lock, but if you would care to elaborate I will certainly listen. I'm the first to admit I don't know it all.

No don't think so. Sentry safes I have seen don't require drilling out the drive pins to change the combo. On most of these the driver has four pins that can be engaged with holes in the third wheel in a variety of positions. The other wheels have drive pins on both sides which are offset from one another by I think 25 numbers or so. The wheels can be flipped to further change the combo but setting a pre-chosen unique numerical combination is usually not possible on these.

Actually he amuses the hell out of me. Thinking about him sitting around spending hours drilling drive pins out of wheels and writing spreadsheets to figure out how to change a combination, that last part cracks me up as much as the thought of somebody using a plasma cutter on a gun safe. If the pins are REALLY pressed into a blind hole in such a way that they really have to be drilled out, which I seriously doubt, I would love to know the name of the POS lock. In his place I probably wouldn't be admitting I bought one, much less that I was keeping it.

I have seen a wide array of designs. Some I have seen do use fixed pins that would need to be drilled out. It would not take hours to drill them out.

The tricky part is to get the combination you want with the preset holes in the wheel. It would all depend on the width of the gate and the placing of the holes. Drilling new holes might be an option especially if you have the ability to fill any holes that are inconveniently placed by the manufacturer.

Spread sheet or scratch pad it makes no difference as long as you get the pins in the right place, and you have them installed so they do not come out if the dial gets spun.

For example? Because everyone I can think of, including even the cheapest

It ain't rocket science. Take however many increments on the dial the fence and gate tolerances will allow for reliable operation. Divide the total number of dial increments by that. Evenly space that many pin positions on the wheels and or driver as applicable taking into account offset for pin/fly engagement. A spreadsheet? Give me a break. Is it remotely worth doing all this with or without a spreadsheet? Nope. When you are done you still have a piece of junk lock, now it's just a modified piece of junk lock. That makes whoever sold it happy because now they don't need to warranty it anymore.

I would just move the pins to another already available position. then see how it relates to the numbers on the dial. if everything is copasetic ? that's the customers new combo.

my2¢

That's sorta standard practice for unlablelled hand-change locks. Change the setting, let the lock tell you what the new combination is, dial that combo successfully at least three times, close the back of the lock, dial the new combo successfully at least three times, give the customer the new combo and watch the customer dial successfully at least three times, close the door and declare the operation a success. IN THAT ORDER, obviously; the door stays open until you and the customer are convinced nobody has done anything stupid.

that's just a longer version of what I meant :-)

no pun intended Joe

I couldn't tell you what brand the lock was or even who made the box.

Actually the Sentry has fixed pins on the combination wheels that are stamped in, but you are correct that the design does allw for a limited number of changes ether by wheel flipping or shifting the driver wheel in relation to the dial.

Like I pointed out it makes little difference how one derives the correct positioning of the wheels as long as the desired result is obtained. Evidently the OP used a spread sheet because he is more comfortable with that method than with less techie methods but how you derive the answer is far less important than doing the job correctly.

As to the worth of the time expended, evidently the OP decided it was worth his time. Who are we to judge how someone spends his time?

I certainly have spent many hours doing things that others have felt was a waste of time, et tu Steve?

As to the warrantee, it probably is long past any warrantee period in any case.

I know that's not exactly what yall were talking about. was just stating what I would do.

The sentry I was referring to is the old pull out round door with a threaded pin, really just a screw, in the driver, that can be moved from one threaded hole to another.

So would I, or replace the junk lock, but that's not what we were talking about. RS mentioned drilling new holes to get a desired combo, which the OP said wasn't what he was doing but who knows.