The sound of a shackle clicking free from an old master combination lock can be one of the most gratifying in the world. Though an old combination lock is useless if it can't be re-opened, you don't have to damage the lock to open it. At the same time, the face of a combination dial denotes 64,000 possible combinations to open the lock. Thankfully, there is a way to crack the code without going through number combinations for hours on end.
Instructions
Use the Magic Touch
1. Hold your master combination lock in one hand and use a finger or two on that hand to pull up on the loop.
2. Slowly turn the dial to the right until the dial sticks. Note where it lands. Write down every whole number and every whole number plus 1/2 where the lock sticks. You should end up with numbers that all end in the same digit. The number that appears different from the rest will be the third number in your combination.
3. Divide the third number by 4 and write down the remainder. Add 4 to the remainder and write down the answer. Add 4 to that answer and write down that number, and so on, until you reach the highest number you possibly can before reaching 40 (the end of the numbers on the dial). These numbers are all possibilities for the first number of the combination.
4. Add or subtract 2 to your remainder number. (If your remainder is 0 or 1, add 2; if not, then subtract.) Add 4 to the answer, and so on, writing down every answer until you reach 40. These are the possibilities for the second number in the combination.
5. Begin trying combinations by trial and error, starting with the first number in the list of first combination numbers and the first number in the list of second combination numbers. If that doesn't work, try the first number in the first list with the second number in the second list, and so on. Continue this pattern, working your way through the first numbers until you crack the combination.
Tags: first number, combination lock, combination numbers, down every, every whole, every whole number, first number list
