Locked out of my Haliburton case!

I am asking here because the accessories forum is like a ghost town. I figured

this is probably the busiest forum on this Website.

 

I got a used Haliburton case a while back with a lot off of E-Bay. There are two

non-locking clips on each side, and the center has a three-number combo. I don't

know what I did, but I accidentally locked myself out. I have two backup backup

bodies, a speed finder, a 17mm lens, a fisheye lens, a backup flash, and a few

other things I'd like to get at in the next couple of days. Any know of a way

into this case that I can do at home without mangling it? I would like to reset

the combo to 0-0-0, like I do with all such built-in combo locks. I never

understood the idea behind locking cases. Why would someone open a case and

steal something out of it when they could just grab it by the handle, quickly

walk off, and worry about getting inside later, once they are home? The locks

are much more of a hazard to people like me than are thieves! heh heh. Oh well.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Keith

I had to remove the hinge pin once on my case to open it, but that was a long time ago. So I can't remember what else I had to do to open it, but I did.

A quick Google search yielded <a href="http://www.hackerdaily.com/videos/physical-security/how-to-pick-luggage-locks/">this</a>. I know the lock is built into the case, but that technique may apply nonetheless.

If you don't find a way to open it yourself... go to a locksmith. They can easily open it, and should not charge much. I know, from personal experience. ;)

With a little patience you can open this lock. There should be some kind of slider or lever used to physically open the lock when the correct combination is set. The trick is to apply pressure to this slider and see how the combination wheels are effected. Push the slider and wiggle each combination wheel in turn, try and see which one is getting bound up the most, you want to get that wheel freed up. Turn it to a different number, try pushing the slider again and see how free the wheel is now, keep doing this for each number on each wheel by turning the wheel that binds the most to a more free number. The idea here is that each wheel has a slot in it that a bar can slide through to open the lock when you push the slider, you are trying to find where that slot is in each wheel. If you have patience you will be able to open this lock, just stay at it for 15 minutes, don't give up in the first minute. The whole key (excuse the pun) in opening locks is to have patience.

 

Good luck!

Mr Rowe:

 

I noticed my neighbour, (who is a diamond dealer), take delivery of a large safe yesterday.

 

I was wondering . . .

William's comment is exactly why I don't want to go to a locksmith.

 

heh heh

 

Keith

3 wheels? it can't take more than 10 minutes to run a sequence from 000-999 - one of those will open the case -

If memory serves (I have a room full of old Halliburtons) there's a small lever on the back

(inside case obviously) of the lock. When the combination is on its "locked" number (so you

can open it) you click the lever 'open' then change the combination. This is probably what

happened to you and then the numbers were turned and then somehow the lever got flicked

(closed) and your 'new' unknown combination went into effect. I know this doesn't help

unlock it. If it were me I'd take it to a locksmith. Or, if you don't think the combination has

been moved much since it was locked I'd just play with it. If it hasn't moved much from when

it became locked it's probably not off a number or two and you might be able to do it

yourself.

"""3 wheels? it can't take more than 10 minutes to run a sequence from 000-999 - one of those will open the case"""

 

 

 

Are you sure about that? There are 999 different combos.It might take longer than your suggested 100 combos per minute to spin and try the lock. If I wanted it opened badly, I would use a small drill bit. And drill the lock pins or tumblers.

Have you thought about emailing he person you bought the case from on Ebay, to see if they have the combo?

I can't help you unlock your case, but I can answer your question about why there are locking cases! At my house, the purpose of a locking case, is more to protect your stuff from little hands that like to drop your expensive equipment in the toilet, than to protect your stuff from the elusive thief. :)

As someone else mentioned, it honestly doesn't take very long to just try every combination in order from 000 to 999. I've done this before on locks where I've forgotten the combination. 10 minutes is probably understating it, but I can't imagine it taking more than half an hour.

 

If you had a four-digit combo lock, that would be more frustrating...it might take you half a day. But really, the purpose of these things is not to keep thieves out of your stuff, but to waste their time so they are more likely to be caught...but then, even that is laughable as a real thief would simply take the entire bag and worry about opening the lock later.

>>> it honestly doesn't take very long to just try every combination in order from 000 to 999. <<<

 

I just did it with my attache case: (well one minute only), a comfortable 50 attempts.

 

Calculate: total time for 1000 combination possibilities = 20 minutes.

 

I note how old the thread is: I am wondering what the result is thus far?

 

WW

<p><i>Are you sure about that? There are 999 different combos.It might take longer than your suggested 100 combos per minute to spin and try the lock.</i></p><p>Since 000 is a possible combination, there are 1000 total (0-9 = 10 digits * 3 dials = 10^3). What's the probability that when starting at 000, he won't find the combination until trying the very last combination of 999? 10 minutes is probably realistic, assuming he's not going to try all the combinations.</p>

In fact, assuming that it is equally likely for the combination to be anywhere between 000 and 999, he should expect to have to try 500 combinations on average. The probability that the correct combo is within the first N possibilities is simply N/1000, and therefore the probability that he must try ALL the wrong combinations before finding the right one is only 1/1000. And so, if William W can try 50 combinations per minute, 10 minutes is indeed the expected average time before opening the case!

 

Keith could have opened a garage full of these cases, then, in the time this post has been up today...

Of course, if using the technique illustrated in the link (to the video) that I posted, it might have been even quicker. One should always strive to work smarter, rather than harder. ;-)

>>> Keith could have opened a garage full of these cases, then, in the time this post has been up today. <<<

 

Let us assume it is most likely that the measurements are the standard 13 x 18 (inches) Haliburton: the thickness varies.

 

But it is likely it is the 4 inch thick (most popular here, with photographers).

 

Capacity of one case: 936 cubic inches

 

So, approximating the average single car garage is 16 feet x 22 feet x 10 feet:

 

http://stores.implex.net/handymanplans/itemDetails.cfm?item=130&CFID=3751861&CFTOKEN=56565197

 

This would render easily enough space for:

 

Total Garage Capacity 192 x 264 x 120 = 6,082,560 cubic inches.

 

Giving enough space for 6,082,560 / 936 = 6498 cases

 

At, on average, from the probability computation above (assuming each combination is different) 10 minutes allocated to open each.

 

Without stopping:

 

6498 x 10

 

= 64980 minutes

 

= 1083 hours

 

= just over 45 days, without toilet or food breaks.

 

 

Or, based on the time taken in the video link, the same process as described by Mr Rowe, at 30 seconds on each case:

 

Just over two days without stopping!

 

 

:)

 

 

WW

William,

 

You forgot to subtract the volume of the hot water heater, toolbox, and pile of laundry from the garage. Therefore, you could subtract that many cases therefore reducing the time it would take...

 

HAHAHAHAHA!

 

And my wife calls ME a geek!

Of course, if he had a garage-full of cases, what's the likelihood that they are still set to the default combination? ;-)

Got the lock, in time to shoot what I needed. 1-1-2... I couldn't view that video on my computer, for some reason or another. Thanks for all the help, though, and for the hilarious replies near the end.

 

Keith

Haliburton? Call Dick Cheney.