I feel i should start over.

[10ringo10]

i may have,if you have not got it open in a week or so chris. learning takes time mate.

[Chrisaphrenia1125]

Whoa......... That really, really helps with the mental picture of the "guts". are these safes common? I also heard that the accorns being solid or hollow can help date it?? Mine are hollow...At least the remaining 3 are. Im gonna get some pictures up this week.

[10ringo10]

They were one of the first combo locks,not used anymore,the safe is nice,and solid, The direct dial combination lock,or direct in fence are what they are known as.

[mdc5150]

Pick something every day. Get a Brinks padlock they are great for learning spool pins. Pick it at least once every day. Your fingers will become sensitive to what is going on in the locks. I don't know if it's muscle memory or what but I can feel way more in the locks than when I started. If you quite picking for a week there will be a little rust on your fingers so to speak. At least it is that way for me still.

[MBI]

My 8 year old son has picked all the same locks and only just watched me do it....Not sure how i feel about that....

My son has been trying to pick locks since the time he could just barely reach the doorknob when he stood on his toes. I think he was around 5 and my daughter 7 years old when I got them each their own picksets and started teaching them how to pick for real. They were interested long before that, but it wasn't until around then that they seemed to have both the patience and dexterity to really make a good try at it. I just made sure they understood that picking locks is only something they do at home for fun, using my practice locks, or in a professional capacity such as locksmithing, and nowhere else. Ever. Unless there is a Zombie Apocalypse, in which case, that would be ok too. I may have also given them a little bit of a scare by exaggerating the legal consequences of misusing lockpicks.

Personally, I think as long as you're teaching your son good morals and principles, I wouldn't worry about it. If he was inclined to getting into trouble, he'd find ways to do it regardless of whether he can pick locks. Mine are in their teens now and so far knowing how to pick has never gotten them into trouble.

[ahab]

so, just baffled here, you bought a building, with a rare safe in it, and are currently making 'friends' to teach you how to manipulate the safe, previously... you spent several days trying to find a safe tech/locksmith to just tell you how to get into your safe and none of them felt comfortable enough to help you either.

is it me, or are you either so fuckin stingy with your money, you cant doll up the 100 bucks to pay a safe tech to drop by for 30min and open it for you, or theres different intentions here. thats my 2 cents. thanx for playing. see yall next time.

[Aedalas]

so, just baffled here, you bought a building, with a rare safe in it, and are currently making 'friends' to teach you how to manipulate the safe, previously... you spent several days trying to find a safe tech/locksmith to just tell you how to get into your safe and none of them felt comfortable enough to help you either.

is it me, or are you either so fuckin stingy with your money, you cant doll up the 100 bucks to pay a safe tech to drop by for 30min and open it for you, or theres different intentions here. thats my 2 cents. thanx for playing. see yall next time.

Whole situation seems a bit odd to me still, but I'm not typically one to judge. As for being "so fuckin stingy with his money he can't doll up the 100 bucks" part, I'm completely with the guy there. I can afford to blow 100 bucks, it would hurt but it's not the end of the world. A lot of people cannot though and it has nothing to do with being stingy. Another part of that is even if I was literally running out of places to stick my hundred dollar bills I would still rather open the thing myself.

There isn't a lot of things I pride myself on, but not having to pay anybody to do anything for me is a big one. Barring medical stuff though. I've learned a LOT of skills in life and if I run across something I can't do I will damn well learn it. I can't fault the guy for wanting to learn this himself.

[Tarquin]

Pick something every day. Get a Brinks padlock they are great for learning spool pins. Pick it at least once every day. Your fingers will become sensitive to what is going on in the locks. I don't know if it's muscle memory or what but I can feel way more in the locks than when I started. If you quite picking for a week there will be a little rust on your fingers so to speak. At least it is that way for me still.

I too strongly recommend the Brinks. These are the best security pin starter locks that I've seen so far, even though they have four spools in them. They're crisp and have large pins with a lot of spring behind them so they'll help newbies "feel" the spools and such which is important as this may be the first time they ever actually "felt" a lock on this level.

I have one, and I've owned it for 5 days. I've picked it three times. All three times within 24 hours of getting it. Beginner's luck or something.

Anyway, it's a great lock. Get one. They're not expensive either.

[Oldfast]

A big welcome to you Chris! Although I had nothing constructive to chime in with, I did keep an eye on your initial post.
I'm very happy to see you've changed your overall view of things and decided to stick around... and I think you will be too.

One of my first posts here (about a year ago) was similar to yours. I wasn't trying to open a specific safe, but I was very interested
in obtaining some literature on the subject of manipulation. It wasn't long, and I was provided with more literature than I could absorb!
Most of which I've yet to really set down and study.

This forum & the people on it have enabled me to enjoy this hobby FAR beyond what I could've ever done alone. Some of the best pickers and locksmiths
I've ever seen are around here... none of them are unwilling to share once they get to know you. And it amazes me the time & effort some will go to convey
their knowledge in order to help others enjoy and progress.

It's already been mentioned; this forum, coupled with youtube will provide you with an endless source of learning material. Start surfing!