I have a Sargent & Greenleaf Inc. 8088 padlock that is set with dial at 0 in the 12 o'clock position. Lock is open. Combo change key hole closed. Dial won't spin at all. I'm afraid to try closing the lock to see if it will close and lock because I don't remember the combo and combo knob, of course, not spinning. I don't have key yet because I want to see if its worth getting or if my padlock is screwed and I should give up and go get a new one? Any advice?
Without physically seeing the padlock, it is very difficult to give advice on what your issue is. I would suggest getting another, and if you are truly interested in saving the S&G one, take it to a competent locksmith in person for better advice on whether or not it is worth the time and effort.
Hello, and that's an S&G 1950s vintage padlock model that was used by the U.S. Gov't for years to secure security cabinets. Yours is in the open position and the dial being locked is by design. You've got a lock with no known combo and the combo change key in that state won't help you. Perhaps a locksmith (for a fee) can look up the combo for you. It's still a very good padlock but a bit overkill for a gym locker. Sincerely,
Hello, again. Please ignore my last "advice". This lock has a settable combo and couldn't be coupled to the lock serial number. So I don't know how it could be determined. Sincerely,
It is normal for the dial to be locked at 0 while the shackle is open.
In order to change the combination you will first have to determine the current combination. That's going to be tedious and somewhat difficult, but not impossible. First, hold the change key hole open while closing the shackle. Then, working with just the limited view you have of the wheel pack through the key hole, you have to get all of the discs aligned with their key openings under the key hole. Getting the top disc (last number of the combination) aligned is easy. The subsequent discs are hard because you can't see them unless the discs above are aligned, and can't move a disc without rotating the previous discs. Once you get all the discs aligned, you can insert the change key and set a new combination.
Each disc aligns when a number of the combination is dialed to the change index, so you'll be gradually revealing the old combination, last number first. Perhaps the early stages of that will jog your memory of the full combination.
That's by design. If the lock is open you should be able to slide the cover over the change opening.
If you have the change key, you could open the change key slider and then lock it. Then you can visually see the wheels through the change key opening and manipulate the dial to line them up, then insert the key and set a new combination. For both sighting the wheels and setting the new combination you'll dial to the change index which is to the left of the main index.
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