Heres a gun safe that nearly got the better of me. Customer had been sadly burgled, thieves had made off with the keys to the gun safe so it needed opening and the locks changing. After a long night previously and a 50 mile ride from London in the morning I got called to assist. It was an extremely hot day and this safe was up in the loft.
Feeling slightly tired from the start I struggled, the pick broke, I had to leave site to repair it and nothing was going in my favour. Fortunately the customer was kind enough to allow me to return, fresh the next morning. After a great nights sleep I returned and picked open the lock. I believe the lock contained a large quantity of grease holding components together hindering the picking process. Still, it opened and I replaced the lock, no damage to the safe and the customer now had two new keys.
Practice does pay off, think the lack of sleep was a big factor in this close one!