It would be. If it were true.
But it's a myth.
I just found that out by looking here:
At least that's how I read the FAQ.
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:
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 Procedure: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
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.
That's no fun!
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...
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:
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!
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):
:)
If you can shim the lock open you are done. Look in the shackle hole and work the combination lining up the slots in the hole and writing down the number. Those numbers are 13 higher than the real number remembering thee carry when you go past zero. That is how far it is from the sear on the other side.
We used to get locks with the key and a lost combo all the time and get the combo this way so we could resell them..
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:
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 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.
Agreed! Think of them as mechanical puzzles.
Yep!
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.
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
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
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
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 shitcan the locks and buy some new ones now-a-days.
The guy I responded said his was locked on to a bag he didn't wish to damage. O_o
TDD
d like to re-use for my PE for my grade schooler, yet the teen doesn't reme= mber the combination to any of the padlocks. They're the classic colored-di= al 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 h= asp. 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 she= et metal back that you could pry off by starting at the key hole. There wa= s a heavy metal back under that bu tit had holes in it. You could use a fl= ash 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 thou= gh the chrome back was gone.
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?
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.
the chrome back was gone.
You can drill a small hole in the back and do that a whole lot less destructively. It is easier to just shim the lock open and look through the shackle hole, line them up and then count back 13.
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