THIS threw me for a loop...

[Mikeh727]

After getting pretty cocky about opening group two locks, I come across one that totally humbled me.

Why?

Because it would appear that I'm an idiot.

Take a look at this picture.







Notice that the dialing index is substantially wider than the increment marks on the dial, probably a full 1/4 increment wider. It's easy to see in this picture because it's zoomed in, but not as obvious when you're spinning the dial.

Why did this cause me problems?

My wife and official combo change beauty estimates that before I mounted this lock, I had somewhere between 75 and 100 openings on my three other locks. On each one of those locks, the dialing index is exactly the same width as the increment marks on the dial. When I take readings, I look for the increment on the dial to be deflected either to the left or right of the dialing index and measure accordingly. I measure in eighths of an increment. It's always worked great.

On this dial, there is 2/8 of slop built into the dialing index. Or rather, my brain didn't register the 2/8 difference in the dialing index, so I wasn't seeing ANYTHING! It just so happens that the contact area lines up with 98 and 6 pretty solidly, so any indication within the dialing index itself was completely ignored by my brain.

I spent hours throwing everything I could think of at this lock and came up with nothing. After sitting and staring at the lock, I noticed that the change index was narrower than the dialing index, which led me to the discovery that the dialing index was wider than the increments. I took some readings using the change index and BAM! My first gate jumped off the dial. I checked the dialing index and yep, the indication was there, but it was hidden in the dialing index and I wasn't experienced enough to see it.

The moral of the story?

PAY ATTENTION!!

Every lock is different, and something that works on one lock might not work on a different lock. More importantly, don't take anything for granted. I was confident in my skills, but it wasn't my skills that betrayed me. It was my expectation that I would see something the way I've always seen it in the past. I kick myself for not noticing this sooner.

Every now and then the curve steepens.

Happy spinning!

-Mike

[GWiens2001]

Good tip for all of us, and it applies to things besides spinning a dial, too.

Gordon

[CPT1911]

I had somewhere between 75 and 100 openings on my three other locks.

Wow! Either you are fucking machine or your wife just thinks a lot of you, buddy! That's a ton of openings in in a short time. Great work!

Here's my approach. Besides the obvious option of using a needle or something, I now use the "line" created by where the dial marking color contrasts the rest of the dial. So when I spin, I use the center of the opening index as the mark for moving the dial to a given increment, but I use the "left edge" so to speak of the opening index as the reference when measuring contact points.

On the S&G spy proof dial rings, there is a little "point" that comes down on each side of the opening index. On some, its almost as pointy as a needle. In those cases, I use the point. Otherwise, I just use where black meets silver, white meets black, etc. If you think about it, it is an incredibly sharp line. It just takes some getting use to since sort of have to train your brain to see that contrast as a line.

Trevor

[Mikeh727]

...and it applies to things besides spinning a dial, too.

Gordon

True words Gordon, True words!

I had somewhere between 75 and 100 openings on my three other locks.

Wow! Either you are fucking machine or your wife just thinks a lot of you, buddy! That's a ton of openings in in a short time. Great work!

I honestly think it was a little less, but she has kept track of the combinations all on a couple of sheets of paper. She didn't count them but when I said I thought I had opened 50 locks, she said she was pretty sure it was double that. I try to get at least one in a day, two if I can, and sometimes three. Not every day, but most days. I think there are less than 15 days since I've started where I didn't open something.

Here's my approach. Besides the obvious option of using a needle or something, I now use the "line" created by where the dial marking color contrasts the rest of the dial. So when I spin, I use the center of the opening index as the mark for moving the dial to a given increment, but I use the "left edge" so to speak of the opening index as the reference when measuring contact points.

On the S&G spy proof dial rings, there is a little "point" that comes down on each side of the opening index. On some, its almost as pointy as a needle. In those cases, I use the point. Otherwise, I just use where black meets silver, white meets black, etc. If you think about it, it is an incredibly sharp line. It just takes some getting use to since sort of have to train your brain to see that contrast as a line.

Trevor

I'll try that. In both cases, it's going to be training my brain since I've gotten myself so deep into looking at it a certain way.

Thanks Trevor, always good to hear from you!

-Mike