"J.G." wrote:
On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 13:09:51 -0700, DerbyDad03 wrote:

How do we know that the lock in question isn't securing some little
girl's bicyle to her back porch? Or a veteran's wheel chair to his
van? Or the shed where I store my new riding mower?

Good point. You don't.

But you have to wonder WHO would secure anything of great value with a
Master combination lock, when clearly, according to the information on
the web, it's a fifteen-minute affair to crack them open.

Note: It took me at least a half hour NOT to open the first one I tried,
but, I assume I made a mistake in determining the critical magic number.

How can you say "clearly" it's a 15 minute affair to crack them open, when
"clearly" you couldn't do it in the allotted time?

On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:59:49 +0000, Smarty wrote:

if you box them up and send them to master they will return them with
the combos. I've done this a few times in my life.

Now THAT is a great suggestion I had not ever imagined.
Simple and straight-forward.

It would be. If it were true.

But it's a myth.

I just found that out by looking he
http://www.masterlock.com/faq/LostCombinations/

Basically, when you buy a retail Master combination lock, it no longer
has a serial number ... and if that's the case (which it is for me), the
company will NOT tell you the combination no matter what you do.

At least that's how I read the FAQ.

On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:57:56 -0400, Kurt Ullman wrote:

I still have a master combination lock stuck to my bicycle panier bag.
I cannot access the master lock web site to retrieve my combination
Why not? You don't have a library, or similar nearby with both
computers and an Internet connection? No friends?

It's a myth that you can 'retrieve' your combination by any means from
the manufacturer for retail combination locks that have no serial number.

But, they 'do' have a method for retrieving combinations for those with
serial numbers. Unfortunately, mine don't have serial numbers.

Here's what this FAQ says:
http://www.masterlock.com/faq/LostCombinations/


B) My lock has a serial number:
Use current instructions (see below).
We recommend you validate whether your lock contains a valid serial
number or date code prior to submitting a lost combination form.

Due to increased security concerns nationwide, Master Lock recognizes the
heightened need for additional safety measures. We no longer provide lock
combinations in response to phone, fax, or email requests. Please follow
the procedure outlined below to obtain the combination to your lock and
submit your request to:

Master Lock Warehouse
1600 W. La Quinta Rd
Suite/WHSE # 1
Nogales, AZ 85621
Procedu

Print out the Lost Combination Form from a printer friendly page, or
download the PDF file.
Have your Lost Combination Form notarized by a Notary Public to prove
that you are the owner of the lock (you can include up to 6 combinations
on one notarized form).
Note: Inmates at a correctional facility - in addition to the
lost combination form, you must submit your request on official prison
letterhead. In lieu of notarization, the form must be signed by a prison
official.
Photocopy the serial number on the back case of your combination
lock. This copy MUST clearly show that the lock is not attached to
anything. Be sure to hand write the serial number on the photocopy.
Mail the original completed, notarized Lost Combination Form and the
photocopy of the back of your lock to the address above.

Note: It will take approximately 4 to 6 weeks to process your request for
a combination.

Note: If the form is not fully completed and notarized with a raised seal
or rubber stamped seal, or if the serial number is not legible on the
photocopy, your request will not be honored. Master Lock does not
reimburse for any Notary fees.

Store your combination at www.masterlockvault.com - a FREE service from
Master Lock! The Master Lock Vault provides a safe & convenient place to
store all of your confidential data for quick & easy access from your PC,
iPhone, or any other mobile devices!

On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:53:24 -0500, Steve Barker wrote:

I still have a master combination lock stuck to my bicycle panier bag
use a bolt cutter then.

If this is serious, then if the key goal is to remove the lock, then just
use the bolt cutter - as stated above. Cost is about $50 for the bolt
cutter and another $5 for a new lock.

Bear in mind, you will NEVER get the manufacturer to give you the
combination because they expressly say on their FAQ that they will never
give you the combo if the lock is attached to anything.

So, if you're serious, your option is to spend a half hour reading how to
figure out the combination on your own (like I did yesterday), and then
practicing it.

Like all locksmithing ... practice makes perfect.

On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:20:45 -0400, Twayne wrote:

Is there a method for finding the combination?
Take them to a locksmth.

That's no fun!

On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:22:25 -0500, Vic Smith wrote:

I'm glad you're trying this.
Now I won't ever waste my time with it for sure.
Thanks for your public service efforts.

I agree. The first URL, however well intentioned, simply wasted my time.

The other URLs I found were EXCELLENT.

However, the key is finding the 1 out of 12 stopping arcs whose
centerpoint is the 3rd number of the combination.

If you find that 3rd number, you're home free.

However, if you goof (as I must have), you are back to 64K combinations
instead of just 100.

Sigh...

On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:28:19 +0000, DerbyDad03 wrote:

How can you say "clearly" it's a 15 minute affair to crack them open,
when "clearly" you couldn't do it in the allotted time?

Only because the web sites say so.
Note: I took a lot of time to document the effort also!

Actually, 'they' say (on the web sites) that it's a 10-minute affair,
because all you really do are these steps:

1. You find the 12 stopping arcs and then determine the 1 true stopping
point (which is your 3rd number of the combination).

2. Then, you simply calculate the ten possible 2nd and ten possible 1st
numbers based on a very simple formula.

3. Then you brute force the 100 resulting combination triads.

Of course, the reason it takes LONGER than the promised 10 minutes is:
a) It takes practice to find the 3rd number
b) If you goof on the 3rd number, the rest is a waste of time
c) It takes practice to find the 3rd number

Now I know why they said to practice on a lock that you KNOW the
combination to!

On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 02:51:39 +0000, J.G. wrote:

We're talking about a master combination lock.
Not the keys to Leavenworth.

Guess what?

If you're incarcerated in Fort Leavenworth, you still 'can' get the
manufacturer to give you the combination!

Says so right here (but it has to have a serial number):
http://www.masterlock.com/faq/LostCombinations/

Note: Inmates at a correctional facility - in addition to the lost
combination form, you must submit your request on official prison
letterhead. In lieu of notarization, the form must be signed by a prison
official.

Only one person came close to resolving your problem.

I did this twice with a bunch of Master Locks, but keep in mind, this was
many many moons ago.

I contacted Master Locks and provided them with all the serial numbers for
the locks I had. I then had to let them know the closest Master Lock dealer
in my area, which was a hardware store. They sent the combinations to the
hardware store. I provided the locks along with my ID to the store and they
handed me the combinations. As I stated, this was many moons ago and
everything was sent snail mail. Now, they may simply send it email to the
store "IF" they do it at all anymore.

"J.G." wrote in news:k13smg$vkl$7
@speranza.aioe.org:

On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:28:19 +0000, DerbyDad03 wrote:

How can you say "clearly" it's a 15 minute affair to crack them open,
when "clearly" you couldn't do it in the allotted time?

Only because the web sites say so.
Note: I took a lot of time to document the effort also!

Actually, 'they' say (on the web sites) that it's a 10-minute affair,
because all you really do are these steps:

1. You find the 12 stopping arcs and then determine the 1 true stopping
point (which is your 3rd number of the combination).

2. Then, you simply calculate the ten possible 2nd and ten possible 1st
numbers based on a very simple formula.

3. Then you brute force the 100 resulting combination triads.

Of course, the reason it takes LONGER than the promised 10 minutes is:
a) It takes practice to find the 3rd number
b) If you goof on the 3rd number, the rest is a waste of time
c) It takes practice to find the 3rd number

Now I know why they said to practice on a lock that you KNOW the
combination to!

I forget what web site I found with the instructions, but I've
successfully opened two Master combo locks using on-line procedures. In
both instances, my teenage daughters had lost/forgotten the combinations.

The first one took a couple of attmepts to find the right stopping
points. The second one was a bit more distinct in its behaviour, and I
think I got it open in fairly short order.

It's certainly not a quick & easy process unless, perhaps, you do it a
LOT. It was interesting to do, but from an economics standpoint, minimum
wage would get you a working lock quicker.

Doug White

On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:44:52 -0400, Meanie wrote:

I contacted Master Locks and provided them with all the serial numbers
for the locks I had.

On the manufacturer's web site is their FAQ which says they no longer
offer 'any' service to open retail combination locks which do not have a
serial number (i.e., mine).

They still 'do' offer that service for commercial locks which have a
serial number.

I posted the URL in a prior post.

On 8/22/12 4:19 PM, J.G. wrote:

You have to admit, being 'clever' enough (to read the Internet how to)
pick a lock is fun in and of itself.

Agreed! Think of them as mechanical puzzles.

It's not about the money ... it's about the satisfaction.

Yep!

I'm going to try the procedures again - but - I admit - they're a bit
tedious because the magic 3rd number is all important. Get it wrong, and
you're doomed.

The Master 1500 series has a very long history. Early ones were trivial
to determine the third number.

Recently they've been made offshore but I hear that they're bringing
some manufacturing back to Milwaukee. The Chinese ones may not have
serial numbers, and they may have abandoned the modulo-4 combination
scheme with middle digit offset by 2. Or it's possible that yours are
counterfeit.

Read and offset. Shim it with a strip cut from a beer can, peer through
the opening, dial the combination that lines up the notches where you
can see them. Then lock it and offset all numbers by the same amount
incrementing by one until it opens.

When you determine the offset, then you can apply it to the other locks.

As others have suggested, don't depend on these for much security.

On 8/22/2012 4:06 PM, Bernie Ward wrote:
Easy-peasy!

http://www.harborfreight.com/42-inch...ers-41151.html

Heck, the locksmiths I know use a cordless circular saw with an abrasive
metal cutting blade and zip right through any kind of
lock with a hardened shackle. ^_^

TDD

On 8/22/2012 9:38 AM, homepc wrote:
On 21/08/2012 8:35 PM, J.G. wrote:
My teen has a half dozen of the classic MASTER combination locks which
I'd like to re-use for my PE for my grade schooler, yet the teen doesn't
remember the combination to any of the padlocks.

They're the classic colored-dial Master combination locks.
They're all locked but not locked to anything.
There is no serial number that I can see.
It just says "Hardened" on the hasp.

Is there a method for finding the combination?

I still have a master combination lock stuck to my bicycle panier bag. I
cannot access the master lock web site to retrieve my combination, and
members from this fine group, rightfully so I guess, are reluctant to
look up the combination for me. The lock is positioned so I could
easily damage the fabric of the bag if I slip with the hack saw blade,
and trying out different combinations is VERY awkward.


So I guess we are both SOL!

Use a Dremel Tool with a little abrasive metal cutoff wheel and slice
carefully through the shackle of the lock. ^_^

TDD

Why? They aren't locked to any thing.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"The Daring Dufas" wrote in message
...

Use a Dremel Tool with a little abrasive metal cutoff wheel and slice
carefully through the shackle of the lock. ^_^

TDD

No. Pitch em out.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 8/22/2012 6:27 PM, J.G. wrote:
On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 05:59:39 -0500, Steve Barker wrote:

if you box them up and send them to master they will return them with
the combos. I've done this a few times in my life.

That wouldn't be any fun at all ... and who is on these newsgroups who
isn't a fun kind of guy ... but if it isn't a myth, then it would serve
the 'other' goal, which is to obtain the combination.

Looking for details to see if it is a myth, I go he
http://www.masterlock.com/services_and_support/

They have a FAQ with the exact question:
http://www.masterlock.com/faq/LostCombinations/

Q: I've forgotten the combination to my standard dial combination lock.
How do I obtain the combination for personal use?

A: A) My lock does not have a serial number:
To provide enhanced long€“term security, Master Lock has discontinued
imprinting a serial number on the lock body on combination locks sold
through retail locations. For greater convenience, we encourage consumers
to store their combination at our secure website, Masterlockvault.com,
which is easy to use and offers 24/7 access. Unfortunately, we are unable
to provide combinations for non€“serialized locks, if the user did not
register with Masterlockvault.com. Please see examples of a serial number
or date code if you are unsure if your lock contains either one.

So, unless I read that answer wrong, it's a myth that you can just box up
your retail-bought combination lock and send it to them.

Or did I read the FAQ wrong?




it was I who suggested sending them back. but seeing as how you can buy
a new one for less than the postage to send it back, I'd probably just
****can the locks and buy some new ones now-a-days.


--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email

On 8/25/2012 6:54 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Why? They aren't locked to any thing.


The guy I responded said his was locked on to a bag he didn't wish to
damage. O_o

TDD

On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 9:35:46 PM UTC-4, J.G. wrote:
My teen has a half dozen of the classic MASTER combination locks which I'd like to re-use for my PE for my grade schooler, yet the teen doesn't remember the combination to any of the padlocks. They're the classic colored-dial Master combination locks. They're all locked but not locked to anything. There is no serial number that I can see. It just says "Hardened" on the hasp. Is there a method for finding the combination?

I have not seen one in a while but the ones we used to get had a chrome sheet metal back that you could pry off by starting at the key hole. There was a heavy metal back under that bu tit had holes in it. You could use a flash light to look through the holes and line up the wheels so it would open..

Few people knew you could just look in the back so we reused them even though the chrome back was gone.