I have a HHM safe I inherited from my grandfather. However, I don't have the combination and wondered if I could manipulate it myself without hiring an expensive locksmith. Id like to keep the authenticity of the safe intact. This is why I wish to manipulate versus drilling it. Where may I find manufacturer's issued combos for this particular model. I think the model # is 271711, unless that's the measurements. That's the only number I could find on the safe at this point.
Thanks for your help.
There are NO factory issued combinations on this safe.
If you're not a Locksmith or box man, forget manipulation. That's all TV bullshit.
If you do want it manipulated open w/o damage, get a professional safeman.
Newnsie
Manipulation takes alot of practice. There are books available on the web. Drilling and a proper repair will frequently leave the container more secure than it was before.
One way to avoid the expensive locksmith is to sequentially dial the permutations.
A Herring Hall Marvin is a very old safe and you're not going to begetting the combination from the manufacturer. Even if they were still around and kept records that long, figure the odds that the combination has _never_ been changed in all those years.
I will thell you this, manipulation is expensive (if done by someone who is very good at it). It can sometimes cost more to manipulate that kind of safe than it would to drill it. Depending on the container, I could drill, open and repair it (so that the repair would be barely noticable) in about an hour. manipulation could take several hours (but a good manipulator would know in the first fifteen minutes whether or not the chances are good that it will fall to manipulation. Even on easy stuff, if I'm not getting _really_ good indications after a few minutes, I break out the drill. Unless the safe is a beautiful piece of work, it ain't worth wastring time (at $90/hour).
As far as doing it yourself... Manipulation takes a lot of practice before you would be able to open a Sentry. An HHM? Sorry, I don't see it happening.
Suck it up. Pay an expensive locksmith (avoid the cheap ones if you don't want the container destroyed), or use it as an end table.
Bobby [Expensive Locksmith - and worth every penny] :)
Why do you say that manipulation is expensive? Not everybody charges by the hour.
I've routinely opened HHMs by manipulation in less than an hour. I charge a flat fee for an opening.
Just another way of looking at things.
Dan
If you know it's empty leave it in plain sight in your house in case of a breakin as a decoy. The burglar(s) may waste all kinds of time on it or even take it with them for nothing
But what's your flat fee? More or less than drilling the same container?
It's the same. I quote a price for an opening. Period. That way the customer knows up front what it's going to cost them. If after all this time I can't estimate a simple lost comb opening, I should be looking for another line of work. :)
It all evens out over time.
Dan
Speaking only for myself, my policy is that I don't teach picking techniques unless I've personally known the person for two years.
You can find many forums on the web, but that's out of my control.
When I was new at locksmithing, I was completely fascinated by picking. Now, after 20+ years in the trade, it's an important part of the job, but not totally fascinating. There is so much more to the job.
The reasons I don't teach picking are several.
1) There is no way to know who is the person asking. Most people asking (or lurking and reading the posts) are decent people, but a few are not. So, I've decided simply not to say anything to anyone.2) Picking locks is a "trade secret" like many other trades which have their techniques and systems.
3) A very small part of the security of locks is that so few people know how to pick them. So, by teaching lock picking, I make all locks less secure for the world. Not what I want to do.4) Purely selfishly, I learned lock picking the hard way, with lots of practice, and you can do the same.
I wish you well. Hope this doesn't sound unkind, but the world isn't a nice place sometimes.
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