Is the old lock I found useless since I forget the combination?

Question

I found an old dial lock that I used to use at the gym in a little cubby hole in my car. It's open, but I'm afraid to use it because I forget the combination! I hate committing stuff to the landfill. Is there any way I can recuperate the combination so I can use it again? If not, how should I recycle it?

Answer 1

If the lock has a serial number, if you take it to the authorised sales center, or salesperson for the lock manufacturer they can look up the combination for you. Since these are most frequently used in schools, all of them come with lists of serial numbers & combos so the staff can open your locker whenever they want.

Otherwise, if you can find a stethoscope (doctors listening thingy) you can usually hold it to the back and figure out the combo by hearing for the clicks, which are fairly loud in the common school/gym type locks.

Other than that, check your phone book for a local recycling center. Many of them have ways of recycling metal, so it won't just sit in the landfill for hundreds of years.

Answer 2

yes cheap enough to buy another one

Answer 3

It would cost you less to replace it than to have a locksmith recombine it.