Thu Jan 16, 2014 8:55 pm by Altashot
That mystery dirt is still a mystery. Locksmith "Y" did not elaborate on the subject when I asked him.
One of his guys serviced it, and when I asked for him, I was told he was too busy...Next time I drive by, I'll go visit him, maybe.
I think his auto dialer fu*ked it up more than it was in the first place and he didn't want to admit it...?
He might have been a little pis*ed off too. You see, after I looked inside and re-installed the back panel "right side up", as a joke, I put my sticker on the hole, like Locksmith "X"'s was... He might have been offended by that.
Thinking on it now, I realize how it can be seen as a -smart-ass-show-off- thing too.
Turning the safe on it's back did not improve the feel of it. It remained gritty throughout the entire open up. The dial hit a few snags and sudden releases upon being rotated. It also had a lot of in/out movement, not as much as a MP lock, but almost. Very strange indeed. I wish I knew more.
I like sharing those anecdotes, my family and friends have heard enough, and they never fully understand or appreciate what it takes or what went into it. They don't have the passion.
But you guys, on the other hand, want it all, often in it's most minute details. Only here can I say it all and know that it is being understood, appreciated and you guys know that locksmithing is a passion to me.
Thanks for listening.
-The other morning, a local Bank called me. In a big panic, the bank manager exclaimed that the vault wont open...
...It's 8:00 AM, they open at 9:00...I drove there in rush hour traffic...
...Upon my arrival, Mrs Manager was all over me freaking out and some of the other employees were also near hysteria.
Now. This is not an environment I like to work in. Way too tense. I needed to calm everybody down. I explained, in my calm but assertive demeanor, that I was going to open that vault but I needed peace and quiet.
Mrs M told me they changed both combs on the vault door last night. They were both tested "at least twice" she said. But this morning, the bottom one wont unlock. I believed her. then I knew I was dealing with a "user error".
I asked for both, the old and new combs and I pulled a chair to the door.
I sat there and spun. A mix of old and new, too many rotations, or not enough, numbers in the wrong order or as dyslexic, one number more or less, on all, and individual wheels...
9:00 AM, Mrs M took money out of the ATM and opened the Bank.
It didn't take long before people started to talk about me, the safe cracker sitting in front of the closed vault door.
I heard comments, some good, some funny, some stupid...
I continued and I finally felt the heavy drop of the fence lever as it fell into the gates...
...Then the heavy bolt pull of this 4 wheel S and G vault lock.
I turned the handle up, slowly swung the door opened and while rolling the chair away from the now slowly opening door,
I exclaimed in a matter-of-factly tone: "The Vault is Open".
Mrs M and the others, as well as customers, had comments on the event. Some also "changed their tunes" and were less stupid.
Like a hero, I saved the day! Humbly, of course.
It turns out that the 3rd number was 10 off. The 3rd number is spun R, so the numbers are in descending order.
What she meant to set was a 45, but watching the numbers whiz by her eyes, possibly in haste, 70, 60, 50, 40...
She saw 40 then added 5, to make 45, but in the same direction, effectively setting it to 35. Rather than changing the combination to what she wanted, she kept it as is.
I wrote the bill, got paid, got a few more pads on the back and added "a feather to my hat".
9:15 AM.
-Next!
M.
Edit. Sorry, no photos in Banks.
What?! Ok, I guess I can understand that, lol. 
when you opened that compartment to "install" the time lock.