Cleaning and Lubricating Old Craftsman Ratchets.

[@weirdbeard1980]

I have an old craftsman ratchet my dad bought for me 20 years ago, just like yours. A little trick with the ball bearing is to stick a small flathead in from the back to hold it down while you piece it back together.

[@jaywholoveseveryone1721]

I have 44975 this version does not have the ball & spring. It has the notched dual mechanism. Still basically the same. Thanks for this video.

[@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698]

Thanks for watching my video Jay!

[@j.morrison73]

I too have a 'V' model drive, the difference is I have pat. nos. but no model nos. I bought this set to replace a stolen one with a soft case. This was a 'new' model set by Sears and i can authenticate its date to 1987. I opened one once. It was the 1/4 inch drive which spun instead of locking. Brought it to a sears for replacement and instead the bum gave me a line of bull and instead of a replacement, he handed me a 'repair' kit. (small parts in a plastic baggie. Now let me give you a tip of three small but essential items (along with your intended snap ring kit, (1 with two heads). Also pick up 1 or 2 magnetic parts trays , tweezers and a magnetic 'broom' with additional hand sized magnet. (I built mine from large magnets) The 'broom' comes in handy ( especially when working on garage door chain links) Thanks for the video.

[@rondamon8004]

I still got a set that I bought back in the 80s....best tools anybody can have. I'm going to fix a 1/4" ratchet with same mechanism and same problem. Thanks for video, very useful.

[@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698]

Thanks for watching AND your comment. Good luck with your ratchet too.

[@steadyeddie7453]

I was bored during the China virus lockdown so I did the same to all my ratchets, after 25 years of abuse. Add a bit of grease to the end of the coil spring to hold the ball bearing in place, and grease on the ratchet teeth will help things. My reversing block/ratchet pawl has a tiny raised shoulder on one end, and needs to go in the way it came out or it will raise the cover plate too high and the snap ring will not seat in the groove at the end of the assembly. Good for another 25 years. Cheers.

[@red58impala]

I opened mine up and realized it was just full of grit. I hit it with some dry lube first, out of curiosity, and it started to work. I wiped out the old grease and took some carb cleaner to blast out the grit. I cleaned the gear as well. I left it assembled since I didn't want to deal with the ball bearing. I put some synthetic lube for firearms, works great to lube knife bearings, and it works as good, if not better, than new. I came here to make sure I didn't mess things up. Thanks for the informative video.

[@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698]

Thanks for watching my video. Glad to hear that another ratchet will live on and perform smoothly for a long time to come. Be cool out there...

[@robertdieder4178]

your vid inspired me to clean and lubricate my old craftsman ratchets today 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2"...I also didn't have proper snap ring pliers so I used a small set of side cutters that fit the snap ring holes perfectly!

[@cmichaelhoover8432]

If anyone else follows this otherwise great video, do NOT use motor oil as the lubricant on the ratchet. Use a good grade of grease. The grease will stay in the ratchet grooves for years, oil will not. Oil will not last long enough for you to give the tool to your son, daughter or grand kids.

[@jimwiskus8862]

I use Super Lube synthetic grease. Also grease the parts up before reassembling. It will hold the ball in place. You can pick up a reassembly tool from Snap On. Saves a lot of grief with the ball & spring part of it.

[@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698]

Hi C Michael, thanks for the tip on the proper lubricant. I didn't really know what to use, so I used a light oil.

[@ke4cci]

Snapon uses Super Lube when they build their ratchets so I use it on all of my ratchets less than 72 teeth and 3n1 oil on all my fine tooth greater than 72. Keeps them humming along. I think every boy grew up with the craftsman ratchet and drooling over the craftsman tool catalogs. Really enjoyed the video.

[@steadyeddie7453]

@@jimwiskus8862 I agree with greasing things during re-assembly. Ebay sells Craftsman rebuild kits still. One site even shows the instructions which include the installation tool to hold down the ball bearing when inserting the pawl. I used a thin piece of brass shim stock. Easy day. Cheers

[@robertdieder4178]

@@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698 fwiw, i used light oil in the ball detent of the ratchet anvil

[@garyjones2582]

Be careful with those snap rings.. as they get older, they can get brittle.. Mine snapped in half during assembly... Someone told me I could probably get a rebuild kit which includes the snap ring.. I use some pretty thick grease in mine and it operates silky smooth..

[@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698]

Great tip to be aware of Gary, Thanks!

[@Dan-il9rz]

rebuild kits still available on ebay

[@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698]

Awesome Dan, thanks for hot tip on them. I'll look them up.

[@davidstepeck2644]

I wouldn’t use a bench grinder wire wheel.

[@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698]

I would, and I did. I am proficient enough with tools to know just how much pressure to apply when cleaning certain things.

[@davidstepeck2644]

@@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698 Seems like you know what you are doing. I agree that light pressure is key. Thanks for a great video.

[@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698]

@@davidstepeck2644 Than YOU for Your comment and for watching. Have a great day.

[@tuberstitious]

​@@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698while the wire wheel buffs it up nice, I would suggest a stiff nylon bristle or brass brush or even an old toothbrush with solvent to make sure to get deep in the teeth to remove grit. Nice vid and good ratchets... bought mine new in the early 80's. Inherited my dad's JH Williams set when he passed. He made me wait until he was 93... would rather have him than the tools but at least I got them!