Locked Antique Safe

[AndrewF]

Thank you again Dave for the dialing sequence and the cool picture. I am hoping to get the dial to spin freely at some point.

I am so puzzled as to why the dial is stuck on those two numbers! I've been trying to move the gravity fence with oil, turning the safe upside down, and then whacking it with a hammer. Nothing changes.

What could be stuck and why those numbers? It almost seems like I have some critical information and don't understand the meaning. Here is the exact sequence:

When I turn the dial CW, it stops at 71. Then I turn the dial CCW (passing 54 once and 71 once), and it stops on 54.

[Shieldr]

Sounds like some of your wheels are corroded in place. The drive cam and wheel #3 (in a three wheel lock) are free to move, but #1 and #2 are stuck. If your drive pins are 8.5 numbers wide, then that might explain why it's stopping 17 numbers away from your start point after a complete rotation.

What does it do when dialed CCW first, then CW?

[AndrewF]

Thank you, Shieldr for the reply.

When I turn the dial CCW first and then CW, the dial stops hard on the same numbers in the opposite order:

When I turn the dial CCW, it stops at 54. Then I turn the dial CW (passing 71 once and 54 once), and it stops on 71.

When I turn the dial CW, it stops at 71. Then I turn the dial CCW (passing 54 once and 71 once), and it stops on 54.

Please note: The stop is HARD on both numbers... something is banging into something. The dial itself doesn't feel stuck, slow, or corroded. I am hitting something that seems firmly in place.

Also, the dial bounces back in the opposite direction if I spin it hard.

Hope this helps solve the mystery.... thank you!