Walden 3150 1/4 drive ratchet

jpilgrim · May 6, 2010

You might remember my asking recently about the faceplate screw size for this ratchet, to help in my restoration.

A previous owner had used 4-48 screws with nuts to hold the faceplate on, but removing and examining the screws showed that they were probably not the right size.

I tried fresh 4-40 and 4-48 screws (too coarse) and a 3-56 (too small but better pitch match).

Nobody on the forum replied with pitch measurements for their similar ratchet and scouring the internet for "4-56" turned up nothing, so tonight I finally tried....
:shocking:

METRIC :shocking:

A M2.5x0.45 seems to fit quite well. Maybe a little loosely, but not surprisingly so given that a 4-48 had been run through the hole.

There's no COO on the ratchet, so I'm starting to think it was made overseas and the factory (and maybe Walden) opted for locally-cheaper metric screws to reduce costs.

Whaddyall think?

bonneyman · May 6, 2010

I think it's a Chinese conspiracy!

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

sk farmer · May 6, 2010

once assembled, lightly tap the bottom of the screws with a center punch to "swell" them into place. loctite may also work but i always hesitate to you use that in a ratchet as you don't know where it may end up

jeopardy98 · Jun 3, 2015

I'm sorry to bump such an old thread but I came across one of these today. Is it a good ratchet? I know nothing about this company.

bonneyman · Jun 3, 2015

Most older Walden stuff was decent. Not S-O quality, but not cheap junk, either.
It would help the OP - and me for reference - if you could get some taps and find out exactly what size and thread pitch the OEM screws are.

jeopardy98 · Jun 3, 2015

Ahh. Yes. That is the next tool on my list. A tap and die set.

twertsy · Jun 3, 2015

I don't have any dies that small............sorry. This is the best I can do :dunno:

bonneyman · Jun 3, 2015

jeopardy98 said:
Ahh. Yes. That is the next tool on my list. A tap and die set.

You can usually get old, rusty taps and dies cheap - as people think they are useless. But, though they might not be great at cutting new threads, they're typically fine for using as measuring "gauges" for existing threads so when you go to the hardware store you don't look all dumb not knowing what size screw you need.

Parabellum · Apr 29, 2016

https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/XM2490008A20000

Seems like the correct screw, I took measurements, I was leaning towards 3-56.

Can anybody tell me why these Waldens had a hole at the end? Oil port like Craftsman or was there a ball bearing there?

upload pictures free

four.cycle · Apr 29, 2016

^ oil hole. I have an old Walden 1/2" drive like that: just an open hole in the end of the head. I popped a tiny plastic plug in it to keep grit out.

don't know what to tell you on those screws there. I'll have to dig mine out and take a look, although I have no idea where my thread gauge is right now.

Parabellum · Apr 29, 2016

four.cycle said:
^ oil hole. I have an old Walden 1/2" drive like that: just an open hole in the end of the head. I popped a tiny plastic plug in it to keep grit out.

don't know what to tell you on those screws there. I'll have to dig mine out and take a look, although I have no idea where my thread gauge is right now.

I found a ball bearing that fits in that hole, think that would work?

I have been using my dial calipers to measure major and minor diameter.

four.cycle · Apr 29, 2016

just leave the hole open and keep it out of the sandbox. not a big deal. put some oil in it.

four.cycle · Apr 30, 2016

I was able to find one of the Stevens Walden 1/4" drive sets containing the model 3150 (20-tooth) ratchet:

Stevens Walden 1/4" drive SAE socket set 01 by four.cycle, on Flickr

Stevens Walden 1/4" drive SAE socket set 02 by four.cycle, on Flickr

Stevens Walden 3150 1/4" drive ratchet 01 by four.cycle, on Flickr

Stevens Walden 3150 1/4" drive ratchet 02 by four.cycle, on Flickr

Stevens Walden 3150 1/4" drive ratchet 03 by four.cycle, on Flickr

Stevens Walden 3150 1/4" drive ratchet 04 by four.cycle, on Flickr

above: Thickness of drive head 23/64"
below: open oil hole in end of drive head

Stevens Walden 3150 1/4" ratchet ratchet 05 by four.cycle, on Flickr

Stevens Walden 3118 1/4" drive spinner (photo Ebay) by four.cycle, on Flickr

The set originally came with the 3118 spinner shown above, but I wasn't able to find it - things are kind of mixed up here. The Ebay photo above is the spinner that would have been included in the set.

I took the ratchet up to Ace Hardware and Fred and I looked at 4-40 (too big), 3-48 (too big), 2-56 (too small), and metric M2.5, which kinda-sorta fit for about 3 or 4 threads and then felt real "iffy". (See the notes in the first post of this thread.)

It was about 4:30 by the time I got up there, so I didn't have time to take it down to Tacoma Screw and see if they could match something to it.

I have another one of those sets here somewhere. If I stumble upon it I'll take both of them down to Tacoma Screw and see if they can figure out what size screw is really supposed to be in there.

Both of mine have the oil hole in the top of the drive head as shown in the photo. Both are just open holes.

There are currently four of these ratchets available on Ebay:

This one is in pretty rough shape, and I have to wonder if those are the original screws; if you look at mine, they fit flush down into the face plate.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wal...741215?hash=item5b22bb8f5f:g:s8MAAOSwrklVbQSl

Note the screws on this one fit flush into the face plate also. Also note the open oil hole:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ste...438628?hash=item464cfe3424:g:1KwAAOSwInVXHUjb

This one also shows the screws fitting flush down into the face plate:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ste...510291?hash=item25a108fb13:g:GYEAAOSwEeFU7lm7

This one also has flush screws, and an odd vinyl-grip handle:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ste...252604?hash=item3ac270733c:g:xmgAAOSw2GlXIU-n

Considering that the current selling prices on complete, new or almost-new sets on Ebay range from about $30 - $50, it may well be that it's not worth making a huge investment in just the ratchet.

mikebaker1129 · Apr 30, 2016

^ is one of the best looking Walden sets I have seen.

PFSard · Apr 30, 2016

mikebaker1129 said:
^ is one of the best looking Walden sets I have seen.

Well said.

MarkWilliams60 · Apr 30, 2016

Walden actually was the top of the line way back when. I have a triple play/1/4;3/8 and 1/2" with breaker bars I actually grab once in a while. Coarse and crude but they function very well.Similar to the vintage pear head Protos-Plombs but a bit nicer made.The 3/8 breaker is still one of the the nicest 3/8 breaker ever made.It begs for a pipe extension.

ChevyEFI · Apr 30, 2016

Parabellum said:
I found a ball bearing that fits in that hole, think that would work?

If I were putting one in service, a press-in spring-loaded ball grease fitting seems like a good option.

four.cycle · Apr 30, 2016

mikebaker1129 said:
^ is one of the best looking Walden sets I have seen.

Thanks.

The other set I have is actually in better condition and included the spinner.
The set above was missing the spinner, so I grabbed that one in the photo above to complete the set.

I'll have to see if I can find the other set - my garage is kind of a mess. There's a 3/8" drive set around here somewhere that's in comparable condition. No idea where it is at the moment.

And again, I wouldn't stress out too much about the open oil hole. You could just put a dab of grease in it to keep dirt out - it's not a super-fine mechanism by any means.
The 1/2" drive model I picked up several months ago has the same type open oil hole (which was plugged with grease that had hardened like wax), and after a good cleaning and some Marvel Mystery Oil and a tiny dab of white lithium grease it works just fine:

(* note this one is NOT stamped with any number, manufacturer name, or patent number. the model it most closely resembles is the 1150 *)

mikebaker1129 · May 14, 2016

Did you ever find the screws that you were looking for ?
I have a walden in the garage with a couple of chipped teeth,but the screws are good.
Let me know if you want it ?

ganymede · May 14, 2016

The hole in the top of the head is probably factory from when they drilled for the pawl spring.

LesserSon · Jul 18, 2016

Just picked this one up over the weekend. Took it apart, cleaned it, put it back together. Had to pry the select lever off. It's back on, but wondering if peening is a bad or good idea to keep it on.

twertsy · Jul 18, 2016

LesserSon said:
Just picked this one up over the weekend. Took it apart, cleaned it, put it back together. Had to pry the select lever off. It's back on, but wondering if peening is a bad or good idea to keep it on.

Yes, it's supposed to be slightly peened.

Leviton · Jun 12, 2020

I just bought one of these 3150s.
Did anyone decide what country this was made in?

vssjim · Jun 12, 2020

They were made in Worcester Mass. as all the other Walden Tools

Leviton · Jun 12, 2020

vssjim said:
They were made in Worcester Mass. as all the other Walden Tools

Interesting, it sure looks cheaply made. The first post here also seemed to question the COO.

Thanks

RTM · Jul 15, 2021

Holy Zombie thread Batman.

Resurrecting this one, since my problem seems to match (also was the first google found). I grabbed a Walden 3150 at a GS last Friday, and it was short a screw, no big deal says I, I have one good one to match.

Sucker!

Check out the tip of the screw. The first 3 threads seem to be 3-56, the rest is a 4-40. By the rolled threads at the transition, I'm guessing they used a die, not the cover plate. And its a slot, not a Phillips, too. Off the the small screw pile

Leviton · Jul 15, 2021

1) Your magnifier is a great photo idea!

2) I'm impressed that your screw pile has screws with dual threads - impressive.

RTM · Jul 16, 2021

Leviton said:
1) Your magnifier is a great photo idea!

Can’t take all the credit, I saw it online, maybe here, and had the same reaction. I’ve got several of those linen magnifiers, they beat the heck out of most magnifying glasses I own.

Leviton · Jul 16, 2021

RTM said:
Can’t take all the credit, I saw it online, maybe here, and had the same reaction. I’ve got several of those linen magnifiers, they beat the heck out of most magnifying glasses I own.

Thanks for the info. I just searched and see 5x, 6x and 10x versions online. Do you have any suggestions on what power to chose?

RTM · Jul 16, 2021

I believe mine is a 6x Edmund, due to the 1” field of view. Fits a 35mm slide or negative nicely, as well.

RTM · Sep 21, 2021

RTM said:
The first 3 threads seem to be 3-56, the rest is a 4-40. By the rolled threads at the transition, I'm guessing they used a die, not the cover plate. And its a slot, not a Phillips, too. Off the the small screw pile

Well, that was a bust. After two months of looking, I gave up, and started searching online for a 3-56 x 3/8" FH screw. Right up there with hen's teeth. I could not find the correct Phillips head screw, in any length, so ended up with flat head screws. Had to settle for stainless steel too. But that gets this one off the desk, and I didn't have to use pan head, or brass screws to finish it. I've seen some images of them with FH, but most with PH screws.

And since the minimum order quantity was ten, and 100 was only slightly more, I have a few spares if someone needs a few. Shipping them for $1.00, mostly to cover postage.

d42jeep · Sep 30, 2021

Been there , done that. I found some stainless Phillips screws at a Tahoe hardware store. Most of the ratchets have Phillips but one has slotted screws.
-Don

Jimmythetoolman · Oct 5, 2023

J

jpilgrim said:
You might remember my asking recently about the faceplate screw size for this ratchet, to help in my restoration.

A previous owner had used 4-48 screws with nuts to hold the faceplate on, but removing and examining the screws showed that they were probably not the right size.

I tried fresh 4-40 and 4-48 screws (too coarse) and a 3-56 (too small but better pitch match).

Nobody on the forum replied with pitch measurements for their similar ratchet and scouring the internet for "4-56" turned up nothing, so tonight I finally tried....
METRIC

A M2.5x0.45 seems to fit quite well. Maybe a little loosely, but not surprisingly so given that a 4-48 had been run through the hole.

There's no COO on the ratchet, so I'm starting to think it was made overseas and the factory (and maybe Walden) opted for locally-cheaper metric screws to reduce costs.

Whaddyall think?

Just thought I'd chime in with my flea market find last week . A Walden 3150 that I paid 2 dollars for. I had it nearly a week before I got around to checking it over closely. Since I am fairly new to collecting vintage tools I wasn't sure if it was worth buying but for 2 bucks why not, and I have since looked it over and it wouldn't budget, and was frozen solid and I thought oh well! So I grabbed some of my trusty blaster and found out that it just needed a little oil. I was amazed at how pristine it is, nearly unused without any dings or scratches and it will go nicely with my set of wooden handle nut drivers. As an interesting side note my ex wife's last name was Walden, it wasn't her maiden name but only the poor ******* she married before me lol

jpilgrim said:
You might remember my asking recently about the faceplate screw size for this ratchet, to help in my restoration.

A previous owner had used 4-48 screws with nuts to hold the faceplate on, but removing and examining the screws showed that they were probably not the right size.

I tried fresh 4-40 and 4-48 screws (too coarse) and a 3-56 (too small but better pitch match).

Nobody on the forum replied with pitch measurements for their similar ratchet and scouring the internet for "4-56" turned up nothing, so tonight I finally tried....
METRIC

A M2.5x0.45 seems to fit quite well. Maybe a little loosely, but not surprisingly so given that a 4-48 had been run through the hole.

There's no COO on the ratchet, so I'm starting to think it was made overseas and the factory (and maybe Walden) opted for locally-cheaper metric screws to reduce costs.

Whaddyall think?

Walden 3150 1/4 drive ratchet

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