Hi
I read in the biography of physicist Richard Feynman that during the war, he became quite an expert at unlocking military safes while working on the Manhattan project.
he liked to create an air of mystery around the process, but the truth was that most safes at that time came pre-set with one of a few standard combinations and few people bothered to change them.
here are a couple of links - the first seems to contradict what I've said, but offers some hope:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Locksmithing-3110/2010/7/Yale-safe-lock-code.htm
the next is a listing site for old safes.. if you see one that's identical, try contacting the owner and trying their combination:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Locksmithing-3110/2010/7/Yale-safe-lock-code.htm
finally, here's a site that offers some ideas, including Feynman's:
However, there are other less elaborate ways to crack a combination lock. The nobel prize winning physicist, Richard Feynman, became very interested in combination locks while working on the atomic bomb in Los Alomos during the second world war. The scientists were rarely allowed to leave the site, so there wasn't much to do when he wasn't working, and safe cracking became a sort of hobby. As the project was all top secret, every office had combination locks on its filing cabinets. Feynman first discovered, playing with the locks on his own filing cabinet, that the numbers did not have to be that precise, each one could be up to two digits either side of the true number and the lock would still open. This enormously reduced the number of possible combinations (from 1,000,000 down to 8,000). With practice he found he could try 400 different combinations in half an hour, so trying every single combination it would take on average 4 hours to open the lock. A modern version of this, advertised on the internet, is a motorised German device that turns the dial, trying every combination in turn, for use by locksmiths trying to get into a safe whoes combination has been lost.
Feynman's next technique depended on his visiting an office during the day, while the lock was open. While chatting to the occupant of the office he would idly fiddle with the lock. He turned the simply turned the dial back and forth, going one number further each time. After each number he would turn the dial back to see if the lock would still open. The number he reached when the lock first refused to open again was the first number of the combination. With a slightly more lengthy version of this he could find the second number as well.
Feynman's final approach was to use psychology. Surprisingly often combination locks are left on their factory settings, (usually 100, 50, 100). However, when a new combination is chosen the person entrusted with it lives in fear of forgetting it. So, people tend to use numbers they know, like their birthday, or their phone number. At Los Alamos the scientists often used mathematical constants like pi. If anyone does choose random numbers, they are almost certain to write them down somewhere, often thinly disguised in address books. By the end of the war Feynman had a record of almost everyone's combination and a fearsome reputation as a safecracker.
http://www.timhunkin.com/94_illegal_engineering.htm
it'd be good to see how you get on!
Christian Darkin
www.anachronistic.co.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: "Verlag Dr. C. Müller-Straten"
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 6:52 PM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Advise opening a locked 1900s safe
Hm, I think you are guessing that there must be some valuables in the safe. If there would be anything in the safe, you could leave it unopened. I think the might be a slight chance to have a look inside by using rays. Maybe somebody with an opened YALE safe could give you the thickness of the metall walls and you discuss your chance with a ray specialist.
Hope this helps.
Christian
Am 15.02.2012 19:28, schrieb Erika Brown:
Has anyone had success opening a historic safe without damaging the safe?
We received a early 1900s safe with a Yale combination lock. Unfortunately the safe is locked and the combination lost. A local locksmith can open it but only by drilling a hole in the door. Has anyone come across this situation?
Erika
Ketchikan Museums
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1
--
Der Verlag Dr. C. Müller-Straten ist spezialisiert auf Museums- und Restaurierungsfragen. Er gibt die leserorientierte monatliche Fachzeitschrift MUSEUM AKTUELL und Bücher (beides auch online) in Deutsch und Englisch heraus und betreibt ein grosses Internetportal für Museumsprofis und Museumsbesucher. Ansprechpartner für inhaltliche Fragen: Dr. Adelheid Straten, Dr. Christian Müller-Straten; für kaufmännische Fragen: Dr. Christian Müller-Straten; für Anzeigen Dr. Berthold Schmitt (http://www.museum-aktuell.de/preise/AZPL2010.pdf).
T. +49-(0)89 839 690-43, Fax -44, [log in to unmask] http://www.museum-aktuell.de
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).