Safe Opening Service

Safe Opening Service

One of the most common problem people experience with their safe is losing the combination or code. Tri-State Locksmith offers safe opening services for all types of safes including jewelry and gun safes. Safe opening requires skills along with many years of experience to master and is probably one of the most difficult services we provide.

Each safe is built differently and the mechanism inside can vary greatly in placement even if it is similar. It is our job to know each and every safe and how the mechanism works inside so we can gain access to it. Most people are surprised how quickly our techs can gain access to even the most secure safes.

There are several different ways to gain access to safe and the technique depends on the type of safe that needs to be opened. Our tech will determine the exact technique needed to open your safe without damage. Below are the most common techniques used for safe opening.

Scoping a Safe

Safe scoping is a procedure made famous by some Hollywood movies in which a small hole is drilled in a key location to insert a camera scope with which the tech can see the mechanism inside. This is usually done to open safes that do not respond to picking or manipulation techniques. This way of opening a safe is a lot faster but requires a master knowledge of safes and the mechanisms inside. A tiny little hole drilled in the wrong spot on the safe can render the safe useless and make it almost impossible to open without damage. Once the safe is opened the combination can be reset and the hole is filled and patched so it looks like nothing happened.

Manipulation

This is another safe cracking technique made famous by the movie industry in which clicking sounds of the mechanism are used to find the combination. This can only be used on safes with the old style dial lock and can be a very long and tedious process. This method of opening safes also requires a silent environment and extreme patience on the part of the safe technician.

Bypassing Electronic Lock

Bypassing the security of an electronic lock is a bit easier than manipulation but can involve higher risk. When using this method you not only need to know the safe but also how electronic the electronic lock works. Extreme caution must be taken to ensure that you don’t end up frying up the motherboard on the lock rendering the safe useless.

Picking Safe Lock

Picking a lock on a safe is by no means an easy task, but it is easier than scoping and manipulation methods. When using this method you have a lot more lead-way because you don’t end up damaging the safe if something goes wrong. Many lower end safes like Sentry Safe and other safes sold at a local hardware stores can be easily opened this way within minutes in most cases. The lock can then be swapped out with a new one for a relatively low cost or can also be rekeyed in some instances.

Impressioning a Lock

Impressioning a key for a safe can take a lot longer than picking it and requires great knowledge of lock mechanisms. With this method either bare eyes or sometimes a magnifying glass is used to see the fine lines left by the lock on the key. The key is then slowly filed down usually by hand to match the markings left behind by the lock. It is a lot more difficult to accomplish than it may sound and a tech can go through several keys to get it just right. With many safes using high security keyways this method can sometimes take a day or more of work to get the key made that actually works.

Breaking

When every other method of opening a safe fails this can be the last resort because it will leave your safe useless in most cases. This can be done by drilling out the lock, drilling the mechanism, or by cutting the safe walls or hinges. We try to avoid these methods as much as possible but sometimes there is nothing else that can be done. Once the safe is opened we can try to replace the lock or fix the damage if at all possible but in most cases you will need a new safe after breaking into it.