“I lost the combination to my safe. Can my safe be opened without damage?” Usually the answer to this very common question is yes.

Many home fire safes and antique safes can be opened by a trained locksmith or safe technician by drilling a very small hole in a precise location into the safe lock. The locksmith uses surgical scopes to enter the tiny hole and view the lock tumblers.

Opening a safe with a tiny hole is called “Micro-Drilling” and should be performed by a trained professional. The object is to open the safe with such a small hole the repair will go unnoticed. Micro-drilling is any size hole measuring 3/16 inch or smaller. The most popular size hole for micro-drilling is 1/8 of-an-inch.

Medical grade arthroscopic scopes are what makes micro-drilling possible. The scope allows the locksmith to see in vivid detail the tumblers of the safe lock. The locksmith lines up the tumblers at the correct location and unlocks the safe.

If you were to shine a flashlight down a 1/8 inch size hole you would not see anything to help you unlock a safe.  A very narrow scope is necessary and the serious safe technician or locksmith will have these tools.

This post is to let you know you have options to opening a safe with a lost combination. Be mindful however that not every safe can be opened with a tiny hole. Some safes must be opened with a ¼ inch size hole or larger because of the barrier material used by the safe manufacturer to protect the safe lock from a drill attack.

Micro-drilling is only used for lost combinations on mechanical safe locks. If your safe opens with a keypad other procedures must be employed to open the lock. Electronic safe locks must always be replaced after opening by any method.

Safe lock malfunctions cannot be overcome with micro-drilling. Sometimes malfunctions require more than one hole to get the safe open. Malfunctions are usually (but not always) the result of neglect and/or abuse by the end-users of the safe.

If you need a locksmith or safe technician to open your safe go to www.clearstar.com or www.findalocksmith.com to find a professional in your area.