the indent on the wheel, which is called the fixed fly. It will come against a fixed fly on wheel 2, and as you keep turning, a fixed fly on wheel 2 will pick up wheel 1. Then you can start the combination process by setting wheel 1, then reverse direction and set wheel 2, then reverse again and set the drive wheel. Figure 5 shows the fly and all wheels in proper position. In Figure 6, I have disassembled the wheel pack, and you can see the two flys on each wheel — one stands proud while the second is indented to meet with other wheel. You also see a screw and cover that holds the dial in place. To change the combination, all you need to do is remove the self-locking nut and move that metal piece — which is the fly for the drive wheel — to a different hole then reassemble. You really do not need to remove wheel 1 and 2 unless they need servicing. Figure 7 shows where I used a utility knife to liſt the round cover for access to the screw. If you want to remove the dial to drill under it, use a stiff putty knife to carefully liſt the escutcheon that’s usu- ally held with double-stick tape. Figure 8 gives a close-up of real and false gates for this safe. Others may differ a little, but this method of entry will work on most of them. Remember, we are look- ing for difference in wheel diameter that will allow the BCH to move deeper and give us an indication on our tool. Tool Talk Now we will talk about tools. MBA USA has a manipulation kit for less than $200, for those of us who like new tools. It is not needed to get the indications. All you need is a method to hold a pointer on the BCH and some blue tape as an indicator www.savta.org Figure 7. The author used a utility knife to lift the round cover for access to the screw. “The longer the indicator, the more the BCH movement is amplified.” surface on which you can put a starting mark. The longer the indicator, the more the BCH movement is amplified. I have used a laser, and the beam was on a wall 4' away, and the indications were very pronounced. This was handy because wheels were difficult in indicating. Getting Started Now, to get started. You don’t need the indicator for this part. Just push the BCH into the wheel pack and notice when your dial moves about three num- bers when you are inside the false gate. Now, with 12 gates, if you divide 100 by 12, you get a little over an eight-number spread. Release pressure on the BCH and move about eight numbers, and reapply handle pressure. You should be able to move two or three numbers again. Keep going around the dial until you get a five- number spread, and now you have your last number. Find the center of the spread and write down your number. We will assume that we found a spread of 30 to 35. So, our drive wheel will be 33. Now you need to set up your indicating tool. Be sure it’s sturdy and doesn’t change when you touch it, as changes are usu- ally very small. Start by turning leſt at least three times, and stop at third wheel. Center it by turning the dial until it settles at 33. Now put the tape on the safe under the needle tip, and when it is settled, make a starting mark for the third wheel drop- in. Make sure the needle is close to but not touching the tape to get the most accurate measurements. Now, hold the handle out of the wheel pack and move right to 28, then return to drop-in and check the indicator. Then, liſt the handle and turn right two numbers more to 26 November/December 2022 | SAFE & VAULT TECHNOLOGY 27
