Can I pick my kid's MASTER combination lock to re-use them

[J.G.]

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?

[Duesenberg]

Youtube has a few videos on this subject. Not saying they work, but there are a number of videos regarding cracking Master branded locks...

[Stormin Mormon]

No honorable locksmith would ever teach picking, combination finding, or lock defeating on an open forum such as this. You insult locksmiths, by asking them to reveal trade secrets which could be used by burglars. Shame on you for asking.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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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?

[a2rjh]

[J.G.]

You're joking ... right?

We're talking about a master combination lock.

Not the keys to Leavenworth.

[Truthman]

He's serious about this. Doubt he's a locksmith. Maybe he read a book and thinks he is. Or he changed a couple locksets. He's a trailer park birther. What do you expect? Them cheap Masterlock combos are "top secret." I used to pick the old ones by "feel." Last time I tried one a few years ago I lost patience and didn't open it. Didn't care either. How to do it is probably all over the internet, but hidden from jokers like the one who is here top-posting inane crap.

[J.G.]

Here's what a locksmith mailed me when I asked him:

"It's not worth the cost of a new lock.

You can try to shim it open (old models not too hard, newer models hard) then look inside with a light while holding back the latch, line up the gates on the wheels and apply a correction factor to get the combo.

Or, drill a small hole in the back in the right spot, feel for the gates with a pin and apply correction factor to each number if needed.

I've done it but it's not worth the few dollars for a new one. Then etch the combo on the back of each one in some kind of code.

For example, say you were born 3/15/1990 and say your combination lock is

10:20:30, you write 7:5:60 on the back. Only you know the math to get back to the combination by adding or subtracting your birth date."

[J.G.]

When I was a kid, I remember doing that too. It was easier, IIRC, when the hasp was open. Also we'd generally remember one or two of the numbers so it was really an exercise in finding where the latch 'fit right'.

I'm trying the procedure below: How to Crack a "Master Lock" Combination Lock

My first CW stop point was 39 My first CCW stop point was 2.5 So my sticking range is 39 to 2.5 That makes my sticking point 39 minus 2.5 = 36.5 Sticking point 1 of 12 = Sticking point 1 of 12 = Sticking point 1 of 12 = Sticking point 1 of 12 =

[Evan]

Every single one of those Master combination padlocks left the factory with a six digit number etched on the back in the center of the circular depression on the back of the lock case...

If the locks had key override function then the number of the registered key would by etched below the serial number...

That serial number matches the number on the code tag which came stuck to the back of the lock...

You could take the locks to a real locksmith who has invested in the code software and can look up the serial number to see if a combination is listed but not every locksmith pays to be able to access that information...

[Evan]

He is somewhat of a locksmith in a backwoods hick kind of town where they have little more than Schlages and Kwiksets to deal with...

[J.G.]

That article turned out to be impossible to follow. :(

Mine initially stuck at 36 to 39 counter clockwise. Then it stuck at the following numbers clockwise:

2.5, 5.5, 9, 12.5, 16, 19, 22.5, 25.5, 29, 32.5, 35.5, 39 Dropping out the seven half numbers, we end up with 9, 16, 19, 29, 39 The only unique 2nd digit is 16, so that's my 3rd number. 16/4=4 remainder 0; so 0 is my magic number. But at that point, I couldn't follow as the instructions made absolutely no sense.

They 'should' have given a concrete example, and stuck with that single example the entire way through instead of what they did.

[J.G.]

I gave up on that site above. It's impossible to follow.

I'm trying this site now:

It's muuuuuuch better written!

[J.G.]

I know exactly what you're talking about as I have some locks that do have that number etched on the back.

But the set I am tackling does NOT have any number on the back.

They are clearly MASTER combination locks - but they just as clearly do not have any numbers etched on the back plate.

[J.G.]

OK, I 'think' I have the third number of the lock combination triad. Here's how I did it.

Rotate the dial CW three times and then stop at the zero. Tension the shackle & turn CW, successively, to each sticking arc. NOTE: There will be 7 half points & 5 full points, e.g.:

1st sticking arc was between 2 & 3 (i.e., sticking point = 2.5) 2nd sticking arc was between 5 & 6 (i.e., sticking point = 5.5) 3rd sticking arc was between 8.5 & 9.5 (i.e., sticking point = 9) 4th sticking arc was between 12 & 13 (i.e., sticking point = 12.5) 5th sticking arc was between 15.5 & 16.5 (sticking point = 16) 6th sticking arc was between 18.5 & 19.5 (sticking point = 19) 7th sticking arc was between 22 & 23 (sticking point = 22.5) 8th sticking arc was between 25 & 26 (sticking point = 25.5) 9th sticking arc was between 28.5 & 29.5 (sticking point = 29) 10th sticking arc was between 32 & 33 (sticking point = 32.5) 11th sticking arc was between 35 & 36 (sticking point = 35.5) 12th sticking arc was between 38.5 & 39.5 (sticking point = 39)

Here are the 5 full points: 9, 16, 19, 29, 39. Looking only at the one's digit, we eliminate the duplicates. That leaves us the oddball 16, which is #3 of the combination triad!

Doublecheck #3 of the triad using this more exact method:

[J.G.]

Now to find #1 of the combination triad.

These are the ten possible #1 values:

1. 16/4, remainder = 0
2. 0 + 4 = 4
3. 4 + 4 = 8
4. 8 + 4 = 12
5. 12 + 4 = 16
6. 16 + 4 = 20
7. 20 + 4 = 24
8. 24 + 4 = 28
9. 28 + 4 = 32
10. 32 + 4 = 36

So, at this point, we know the third number of the triad is 16. And the first number of the triad is one of these ten numbers:

0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, or 36

Note: We should doublecheck these possible numbers here:

[J.G.]

Moving on to the second number of the triad:

These are the ten possible #2 values:

1. 0 + 2 = 2
2. 2 + 4 = 6
3. 6 + 4 = 10
4. 10 + 4 = 14
5. 14 + 4 = 18
6. 18 + 4 = 22
7. 22 + 4 = 26
8. 26 + 4 = 30
9. 30 + 4 = 34
10. 34 + 4 = 38

So, the ten possible #2 values of the triad are:

2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, or 38

[J.G.]

So all the possible combinations are:

0 : 2 : 16 0 : 6 : 16 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 :

[J.G.]

So the 100 possible combinations are:

0 : 2 : 16 0 : 6 : 16 0 : 10 : 16 0 : 14 : 16 0 : 18 : 16 0 : 22 : 16 0 : 26 : 16 0 : 30 : 16 0 : 34 : 16 0 : 38 : 16

4 : 2 : 16

4 : 6 : 16 4 : 10 : 16 4 : 14 : 16 4 : 18 : 16 4 : 22 : 16 4 : 26 : 16 4 : 30 : 16 4 : 34 : 16 4 : 38 : 16

8 : 2 : 16

8 : 6 : 16 8 : 10 : 16 8 : 14 : 16 8 : 18 : 16 8 : 22 : 16 8 : 26 : 16 8 : 30 : 16 8 : 34 : 16 8 : 38 : 16

and so on.

[J.G.]

This video is muuuuch easier to follow:

Also, this web site is much easier to follow: Given these possible combinations, the bad news is none of them worked just now! :(

0 : 2 : 16 0 : 6 : 16 0 : 10 : 16 0 : 14 : 16 0 : 18 : 16 0 : 22 : 16 0 : 26 : 16 0 : 30 : 16 0 : 34 : 16 0 : 38 : 16

4 : 2 : 16

4 : 6 : 16 4 : 10 : 16 4 : 14 : 16 4 : 18 : 16 4 : 22 : 16 4 : 26 : 16 4 : 30 : 16 4 : 34 : 16 4 : 38 : 16

8 : 2 : 16

8 : 6 : 16 8 : 10 : 16 8 : 14 : 16 8 : 18 : 16 8 : 22 : 16 8 : 26 : 16 8 : 30 : 16 8 : 34 : 16 8 : 38 : 16

12 : 2 : 16

12 : 6 : 16 12 : 10 : 16 12 : 14 : 16 12 : 18 : 16 12 : 22 : 16 12 : 26 : 16 12 : 30 : 16 12 : 34 : 16 12 : 38 : 16

16 : 2 : 16

16 : 6 : 16 16 : 10 : 16 16 : 14 : 16 16 : 18 : 16 16 : 22 : 16 16 : 26 : 16 16 : 30 : 16 16 : 34 : 16 16 : 38 : 16

20 : 2 : 16

20 : 6 : 16 20 : 10 : 16 20 : 14 : 16 20 : 18 : 16 20 : 22 : 16 20 : 26 : 16 20 : 30 : 16 20 : 34 : 16 20 : 38 : 16

24 : 2 : 16

24 : 6 : 16 24 : 10 : 16 24 : 14 : 16 24 : 18 : 16 24 : 22 : 16 24 : 26 : 16 24 : 30 : 16 24 : 34 : 16 24 : 38 : 16

28 : 2 : 16

28 : 6 : 16 28 : 10 : 16 28 : 14 : 16 28 : 18 : 16 28 : 22 : 16 28 : 26 : 16 28 : 30 : 16 28 : 34 : 16 28 : 38 : 16

30 : 2 : 16

30 : 6 : 16 30 : 10 : 16 30 : 14 : 16 30 : 18 : 16 30 : 22 : 16 30 : 26 : 16 30 : 30 : 16 30 : 34 : 16 30 : 38 : 16

34 : 2 : 16

34 : 6 : 16 34 : 10 : 16 34 : 14 : 16 34 : 18 : 16 34 : 22 : 16 34 : 26 : 16 34 : 30 : 16 34 : 34 : 16 34 : 38 : 16

[J.B. Wood]

Oh for goodness sake! I spend more for a breakfast at Mickey D's than the price of a consumer grade padlock. Even if I knew of a procedure I wouldn't spend the time. Buy a new lock (Master Lock will appreciate it.) Sincerely,