Welcome to our world exploring the Historical, Political and Technological aspects of Locks, Keys and Safes

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 28
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Melbourne, Vic
    Posts
    16
    Country: Australia

    Default Safe with both a combination lock and a keyed lock

    Hi all,
    I have a safe that I would like to open. It has a combination lock and a keyhole lock as well. The safe is made by M. G. Dyke and Sons. From the Internet searches I have made, it seems unusual to have 2 locks on this sort of safe. Was it standard practice in those days (approximately the 1950s) to have both kinds of lock on this sort of safe?

    Does it mean that my efforts to open the safe will be doubly difficult? Not only will I need to crack the combination, but I will need to find a way to open the keyed lock.

    Is this too big a challenge for a novice safe-cracker!?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Eastern United States
    Posts
    63
    Country: United States

    Default Photos please

    If you post photos of the safe and fairly close ones of the combination lock that will help us help you. To answer your question about opening it up, yes it will be quite difficult for a novice. We can help identify what you have for locks on it, but as far as how to attack it, this isn't the place for that kind of information.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Devon UK
    Posts
    3,117
    Country: UK

    Default

    It is possible that the keylock will not be locked but somebody will have turned the dial and thus locked that lock.
    I think it most unlikely though that you will get this safe open yourself and long experience says that there is unlikely to be anything left in it by previous owners. Therefore it will cost you hundreds of dollars to get it opened , when you would be better off buying a modern safe with that money. Sorry!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Melbourne, Vic
    Posts
    16
    Country: Australia

    Default

    Thanks for the replies. I realise I could get a professional to open it. I also realise there is probably nothing in it. I also know that the brand of combination lock is notoriously difficult to crack.

    Nevertheless, I want to try.

    Generally though, is it unusual to have 2 locks on a safe?

    For those interested, the safe is by Dyke and Sons (Richmond, Victoria, Australia) and the lock is an old Manifoil. I say old, meaning it predates the much more common Mk4. I can find very little information about this earlier lock.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Melbourne, Vic
    Posts
    16
    Country: Australia

    Default Here is a picture

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	safe.jpg 
Views:	60 
Size:	393.8 KB 
ID:	15030

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Posts
    68
    Country: United States

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by soakes View Post

    Generally though, is it unusual to have 2 locks on a safe?
    No, it's fairly common.
    What is in the keyhole?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Melbourne, Vic
    Posts
    16
    Country: Australia

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kwoswalt99 View Post
    No, it's fairly common.
    OK. It's just that none of my image searches for Dyke and Son safes showed any with a combination lock.

    What is in the keyhole?
    A broken-off pencil. It was like that when I found it; I assure you I didn't insert it hoping it would be a suitable key. ;-)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Posts
    68
    Country: United States

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by soakes View Post
    OK. It's just that none of my image searches for Dyke and Son safes showed any with a combination lock.



    A broken-off pencil. It was like that when I found it; I assure you I didn't insert it hoping it would be a suitable key. ;-)
    I thought you were talking about safes in general. What do you want to know about the lock?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Bulgaria
    Posts
    686
    Country: Bulgaria

    Default

    Two locks is a very common set up for a safe. It gives dual control which can be useful where cash is concerned. The locks might both be original or the Chatwood Milner Manifoil might have been a later addition.

    BTW good luck manipulating a CM! You will need it.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    293
    Country: UK

    Default

    Yes now that we've seen a picture it's very likely that the Manifoil was a later addition. It doesn't sit well against the appearance of the safe furniture.

    These combination locks can be manipulated open, there is a system devised by an ex-military man, I remember reading. I don't have any knowledge of what it is unfortunately, otherwise I wouldn't still have a locked government wall mounting container sitting in my garage!

    They can also be auto-dialled open by someone with a suitable machine.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •