This is a little trick that incorporates a little bit of brute force, a paperclip, and absolutely no skill whatsoever.

But before we get into this I need to cover my ass. Every combination lock I ever ran across was vulnerable to this technique, but there are a lot of combination lock vendors out there and in turn there are several models. I'm fairly certain you will run across a combination lock that doesn't budge. So if you come across one of these models, don't come bitching to me; post the model below this guide so readers know ahead of time their work is wasted on that lock.

You are going to need a few tools:

The first, obviously, is a paperclip.

The second is a thin, strong piece of metal; I've found knives fit this description rather well.

The third is a flashlight.

The first step to circumventing a combination lock is prying off the combination face with your knife. This is where all the subtlety leaves the situation; the owner of this lock WILL know you have been there (although the lock itself will still be of use), so make sure that the owner does NOT know where to find you.

Once you get the combination face off, you will be looking at a smooth depression where the face once sat. The most important part is the small socket at the top of this depression: the hole will give you access to the inner machinery of the lock.

There are about three disks within the lock's interior. You will see very little of them. A flashlight (or a very bright source of light) is essential in this aspect. These disks each have a small socket on their outer edge. These sockets will not be in the same place; the disks will be turned at different angles. Your job will be to align these disk just so that the sockets all form a tunnel that reaches to the back of the combination lock.

Here is where the paperclip comes into play. Uncoil one side of the paperclip until you have a straight bit to use as a tool. You are going to have to fish around and feel for each socket, hook said socket, and bring them up, until all three are aligned. This can be tricky; if you are too fat-fingered about it, you will move the other disks' sockets out of view. You are going to need to use the first socket to see the second one.

It goes like this:

1. Find the first socket. Hook it with the paperclip, pull it up until you can see it.

2. Using the opening of the first disk's socket, begin scraping at the second disk. Eventually, the second socket will become visible underneath the first one. You will be able to see down two disks deep.

3.Begin scraping at the third disk. Like before, you will pull the third socket around; feel around for it, and you will be able to hook it and yank it into view. You will now be able to push the paperclip all the way through the lock's interior, and touch the other end. This means the hard part is over.

4.Now that you have all three sockets hooked through with the paperclip, pull them clockwise within the two o'clock - three o' clock range. . This will be a bit of trial and error from here on out. You need to pull the sockets back to the left at a varying distance, using the paperclip to steer them counterclockwise till you get anywhere from 11 to ten o' clock range.

5. remove the paperclip. Pull the lock. If all goes well, the lock will pop open. If all does not go well, you will see the sockets move until they are unaligned.Do not panic; they don't go far. Hook them back together (the work is 1/4 the amount of time you spent initially) and try again. Eventually you will find the right place, and the lock will pop open.

The mechanics of the lock still work, although the combination concept is no longer in effect. the lock works, but now it can only be opened by turning the sockets counterclockwise. This trick is a bit of a lifesaver if you cannot remember the combination to something, as the tools required are easy to obtain, and you don't have to guess a hundred combinations to get the damn thing open.

Next time, write the combination down somewhere you can find it.