Sometimes they just need darkness, or light.
Try complete darkness, I have great success with heavy straight 3% hydrogen peroxide. Then I add water under the Gauze Sponge till it slides like an egg. Open Air method really works the best for me with seeds.
Best of luck to ya 
If nothing works, place in soil in a ziplock baggie, that may be the only shot to save them, set in good moist soil in the baggie, so the soil don’t dry out.
I’ve seen seeds after 30 days pop this way.
Agree about cutting the bellybutton off before germination, I do great with low germ rate seeds.
But the reason I keep the Gauze Sponges in a pool of water for up to 3 days in open air is to soften the shell.
Too bad I can’t upload the video I just made. I use lots of straight 3% hydrogen peroxide in germination.
Day 3 I’m going strong in soil.
Look at the thick white tail, it’s important to load up the hydrogen peroxide in germination, even cold temps don’t slow down seeds popping.
Cant stress enough how important proper seed storage is. If stored in sub-zero temps the seeds shelf life is indefinite. I have routinely popped seeds that are over 50 years old. These seeds are just as vigorous as the day they were harvested…they grow like weeds… 
Very true @Kabuddha
The best long term storage for Cannabis seeds can be achieved by ensuring the seeds are fully dry and clean of all other organic matter, and then they can be vacuum packed in Mylar pouches and frozen and below -20 C degrees.
The Cannabis seeds will basically keep indefinitely like this. This is how the global seed banks store all sorts of plant seeds long term.
Easy to find that information online, but few will be able to store seeds this way. 
I’m working on a preservation project for Ancestral Skunk, I’ve gone through 49 seeds to get a great breeding set.
9 plants made the cut. I’m very picky which plants make it, and I stress them before choosing what to use.
If you decide to experiment with GA3 start out with low concentrations, 10-50 PPM.
My experience is that gibberelic acid can cause any seed to “Pop” at high concentrations, but the resulting seedlings will be deformed and not viable.
-Grouchy
You don’t actually need an autoclave, though preferred. A Pressure Cooker will suffice. Search “plant tissue culture” on Youtube. You can get the Gelling Agent and ALL other media online also. In the Spring, I’ll be delving into it. Good Luck, SS/BW…mister 
You know… seeds are designed to sprout in soil, maybe you just need good living soil…
Put a few in a pot with some good soil from your own garden, or a park, or forest.
A lot of the time the most simple and easy method is the best.
Seeds like to have life around them, it gets them excited to live too.
I’m going to drop a few in the garden.
about ready to give -up --don’t know what to do anymore lost about $100.00 worth of seeds, did all methods - maybe all seeds were bad there were all from Mephisto, Ethos have has 100% germination rate with ethos - have even used heat mat - paper towel, 24hrsoak, ect only way next is to plant directly into soil ??? Help
Gauze ? never tried that - heard that the reason to use hydrogen peroxide is to remove all bacteria, ect from/off sees. right ?
The Gauze Sponges gives the seeds oxygen, the pool of water softens the shell, they hydrogen peroxide treats the seeds.
That seed should have a great shot at making it.
How about this… let’s try refrigerating seeds that don’t like to pop, 7 days then attempt it.
I’m running Ancestral Skunk and had outstanding germ rates.
Start with 1 seed. I’ve got a video of me explaining how to do what I use, if you message me I can find a way to let you view it.
I load up hydrogen peroxide on the gauze sponges and bowl, and then some water at the end. I’m not sure what ratio exist after I’m done
And like @Rogue said if all else fails.
So I was having the same issue as you with some beans from the 70s.
I tried everything I could, but nothing worked.
BUT I finally mixed a few methods together, and took some advice from a member here, and got about a 98+% success rate.
First I soaked the beans with a diluted solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and some Poland spring water.
I did a 6-12 hour soak that was 2 Tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with 2 cups of spring water.
I shook them in the container every so often.
And if any sunk I took them out !
You don’t need to leave em there for 12 hours. Probably better if it’s less time, but I know I left some in for 12 hours and they still worked. I even left some for around 24 and they worked. But I think around 6 - 12 hours is safest.
Then I took them all out and washed em off with spring water only.
(As my friend @buckaroobonsai just spoke to me about, it is a very important step to rinse the h202 off, so don’t forget.)
Next I took a small plastic Rubbermaid container, like the cheap small square ones from the dollar store, and I filled it halfway with Organic worm castings. I sprayed the worm castings down with a mister just enough to know the the top layer was wet. Like 10-12 sprays. Don’t let big pools of water sit on top, but it should be wet.
Then I placed the seed gently on top, not buried. Just resting on the top of the WC. I give it one more most, seal it up, and place the container in a warm dark place.
I had beans from the 70s pop in less then 24 hours this way when EVERYTHING else I tried failed.
I didn’t see how many beans you had left, but I would try at least one or two this way. It has worked for me.
I tried 15 beans using all types of other methods, and nothing popped. But as soon as I tried this way I popped 6 out of 7 with what I had left of those old beans, and 100% for every newer bean from other strains I’ve tried since.
If you try it let me know, but I’m sure it will work for you.
†
mean after lets say a 5day paper towel -take seeds a freeze them ? then attempt to re-germinate right
Thanks everybody for the great information - going to try some mentioned germination methods
going to do this - need to get worm casting -
No before you pop them, I’d wait 12 days if no mold is forming before placing in dirt I just had seeds pop after 2 months in a big container.
And one after 12 days in the Gauze Sponge method.
Boy it was useless the sprout.
Has anyone tried heat treating seeds that won’t pop?
Maybe it’s pathogens preventing the seeds from germination?
In studies from Debacco University the higher the hydrogen peroxide ratio the better germination rates.
I use a lot of HP in germination. Really helps out a lot with seeds, then again I’ve used nothing and just cut the bellybutton off seeds and had them out in 24 hours ready to plant.
But I’ve replaced that method with the open air germination. And my new seeds I pulled out the tails to clean the shells off, this set that popped in 2 days needing some cleaning, just to ensure no delays on sprouting.
I like the bellybutton removal method too. Seems like they pop faster that way.
Here is one out in 24 hours after cutting the bellybutton off using a paper towel, I use to do all my seeds like this. At 55 my eyes struggle doing it now lol .
