Fri Oct 31, 2014 8:03 pm
Cary direct entry lock - need some advice
Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum (and new to lock manipulation in general). I'm currently trying to open an old Cary safe that has sat in my family's basement, locked, for over 25 years. I don't actually think there is anything in the safe, but I've finally decided to open the thing.
Here's what I have so far -
The safe was made by the Cary Safe Company of Buffalo, NY. The serial number is pretty difficult to read, but it appears to be something like 69945. I've done a bit of research online and as far as I can tell, the safe is equipped with a Cary C-5 lock. My father actually has a very similar safe at his house, serial number 99xxx, and it has a Yale lock (I think a Y6, but I didn't look that closely). Regardless, it is very apparent that my safe doesn't have the same lock, as his isn't direct entry. The other option would be a Cary C-3 lock, but I've found that the C-3 lock has approximately 6" between the centerline of the lever and the dial, and the C-5 is approximately 4". Mine is 4".
The lock itself has a direct drive wheel and three combination wheels. Based on photos of similar locks, I believe it is a screw change wheel, but I can't confirm that.
I've been manipulating the lock by using a laser pointer taped to the top of the lever and indicating on a cardboard box about three feet away. I'm keeping tension on the lever by using a bungee cord wrapped around the back of the safe.
So far I've determined that the drive wheel has 10 gates. They are spaced evenly around the wheel, from 1-5, 11-15, 21-25, and so on. I suspect that the true gate may be at 11-15, but I'm not sure.
If I put all wheels left, stop at zero (100), and rotate the dial to the right, I can find each gate easily. When the fence is in a gate, I can rotate the dial four notches without any noticeable resistance. I take it this means that the fence is resting on the wheel pack and is not touching the bottom of the false gate. The dial doesn't move at all if the fence is out of the gate (which I understand means that the fence is resting on the drive wheel, stopping it). I can't find any recognizable difference in fence depth at any of the gates.
However, if I rotate all wheels left and stop on 2s and 3s (2, 12, 22, etc.) I can observe some changes. For one thing the gates are now smaller - the dial will only rotate one position at each gate. I think the fence is slightly lower at each gate as well.
I'm a little stuck at this point. I have tried to park the different wheels and check the fence depth, but I'm not 100 percent sure where I should park the wheels or where to check fence depth.
I would really, really appreciate any hints or advice.
Thanks!
I'm new to the forum (and new to lock manipulation in general). I'm currently trying to open an old Cary safe that has sat in my family's basement, locked, for over 25 years. I don't actually think there is anything in the safe, but I've finally decided to open the thing.
Here's what I have so far -
The safe was made by the Cary Safe Company of Buffalo, NY. The serial number is pretty difficult to read, but it appears to be something like 69945. I've done a bit of research online and as far as I can tell, the safe is equipped with a Cary C-5 lock. My father actually has a very similar safe at his house, serial number 99xxx, and it has a Yale lock (I think a Y6, but I didn't look that closely). Regardless, it is very apparent that my safe doesn't have the same lock, as his isn't direct entry. The other option would be a Cary C-3 lock, but I've found that the C-3 lock has approximately 6" between the centerline of the lever and the dial, and the C-5 is approximately 4". Mine is 4".
The lock itself has a direct drive wheel and three combination wheels. Based on photos of similar locks, I believe it is a screw change wheel, but I can't confirm that.
I've been manipulating the lock by using a laser pointer taped to the top of the lever and indicating on a cardboard box about three feet away. I'm keeping tension on the lever by using a bungee cord wrapped around the back of the safe.
So far I've determined that the drive wheel has 10 gates. They are spaced evenly around the wheel, from 1-5, 11-15, 21-25, and so on. I suspect that the true gate may be at 11-15, but I'm not sure.
If I put all wheels left, stop at zero (100), and rotate the dial to the right, I can find each gate easily. When the fence is in a gate, I can rotate the dial four notches without any noticeable resistance. I take it this means that the fence is resting on the wheel pack and is not touching the bottom of the false gate. The dial doesn't move at all if the fence is out of the gate (which I understand means that the fence is resting on the drive wheel, stopping it). I can't find any recognizable difference in fence depth at any of the gates.
However, if I rotate all wheels left and stop on 2s and 3s (2, 12, 22, etc.) I can observe some changes. For one thing the gates are now smaller - the dial will only rotate one position at each gate. I think the fence is slightly lower at each gate as well.
I'm a little stuck at this point. I have tried to park the different wheels and check the fence depth, but I'm not 100 percent sure where I should park the wheels or where to check fence depth.
I would really, really appreciate any hints or advice.
Thanks!
