Cole Steel Fire Safe

[Borsao]

Apparently I posted this in the wrong sub forum. Whoops.

https://imgur.com/a/HqIdXKB
(I hope this works, I'm sorta technically challenged LOL)

So I got this at an estate sale, the guy's son said his brother had it for over 30 years from a auction and never bothered to open it. I tried manipulating it a bit (I'm basically clueless, knowing just enough to be dangerous), but can't seem to get all the wheels to zero, there's a heavy false set at 21 no matter how many times I spin the dial.

I read thru several of the Cole threads on here (most seem to be file cabinets with inset safes) and there's no code anywhere I can see to decode. I'm not averse to drilling it (if I knew where to drill) because I can tack weld the hole back up and I'm planning on repainting it anyhow assuming I can get it open.

Taking it to a locksmith isn't really in the cards as I live out in the middle of nowhere and as far as my google-fu has shown me, the nearest locksmith capable of working on a safe like this is almost 100 miles away.

Any help in getting this open and usable again would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

WMF

[MartinHewitt]

Hi! The decoding thread here is for the Cole file cabinet. That has a coded number behind a door/drawer, but your fire safe doesn't have anything to look behind. I don't know, but the lock could be the same. It is quite nicely to manipulate. I don't understand, what you mean with "all the wheels to zero" and "heavy false set". Maybe you should look a bit more at the public information about manipulation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4IPsd9MDGM
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B89g6z ... NhTTQ/view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtT3jxEGvGw
and you might find The National Locksmith Guide To Manipulation somewhere.

[Borsao]

https://imgur.com/a/EhtV41c

I drilled two holes in the back directly opposite of the lock in front. One for illumination the other for visual.

No joy, the lock itself is imbedded in the door behind a backing plate (presumably filled with fire protection gypsum). Also, no code was visible from the limited field of view I had available.

[Borsao]

Hi! The decoding thread here is for the Cole file cabinet. That has a coded number behind a door/drawer, but your fire safe doesn't have anything to look behind. I don't know, but the lock could be the same. It is quite nicely to manipulate. I don't understand, what you mean with "all the wheels to zero" and "heavy false set". Maybe you should look a bit more at the public information about manipulation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4IPsd9MDGM
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B89g6z ... NhTTQ/view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtT3jxEGvGw
and you might find The National Locksmith Guide To Manipulation somewhere.

Thanks for the reply.

I've looked at the videos mentioned above and I kind of understand what they're getting at, but its currently above my skillset/knowledge.

The basic manipulation to find the gates I get, whats throwing me off is that false set at 21 that never moves despite how many times I try to spin the dial.

WMF

[MartinHewitt]

Please describe what you mean with false set.

[Borsao]

Please describe what you mean with false set.

When I'm looking for left and right contacts to try and decode the 3rd number, I get a 'clunk' at 21 that feels like part of a gate, but I know that it can't be because of where it is.

WMF

[MartinHewitt]

If you feel something while turning it, it can also be a burr somewhere on the dial, a bump on the drive cam, a tilted dial assembly, a bent spindle, ... .

[Borsao]

If you feel something while turning it, it can also be a burr somewhere on the dial, a bump on the drive cam, a tilted dial assembly, a bent spindle, ... .

Yeah I'm thinking its a mechanical defect of some sort.