1944 snap-on ratchet

[mikeselky85]

jut went to a flea market and picked up an old snapon ratchet with a few sockets attached by a string. had to get it by all means. got it home and the sockets are from the late 50s and the ratchet isfrom 1944 its a little worn and has some paint on it. does anybody recomend how to clean the ratchet up? i was thinkin i could soak it in vinagar. i will post pictures of what i got whei get some time

also how rare are theese ratchets?

 

[indestro]

best case scenario ---- break it down, clean with brake fluid and inspect all moving components. then reassemble , lube with light synthetic grease if thats all you have ,or the very best red lube of love. search the last term on this site.

 

[american lockpicker]

Pics please.

 

[camarotoolman]

Take it apart and oil it good put together and then wire wheel

 

[Case IH]

 

[ngk22r]

clean with brake fluid

dont use brake fluid!!! it will cause metal to rust!!

Use aircraft paint remover and then after its clean soak everything in wd40, the reassemble.

 

[mikeselky85]

 

[HandyManny]

Nice, but doesn't look like the outside needs to be cleaned all that much. Could probably be cleaned well by just using gun oil and 0000 steel wool. About the only other chemical I'd suggest for cleaning the internals is a degreaser - in the form of either Remington action cleaner, MPro7, Simple Green, break cleaner, or carb cleaner. You could even use WD-40 or RemOil for cleaning the guts too. RemOil is pretty good at breaking down grit and caked grime. The I'd relube internals with a slight dab of general purpose lithium grease (red).

 

[Boiler]

WD-40 + 0000 steel wool + brass brush are the tools for this job.

 

[american lockpicker]

So was this a civilian tool or used for the war effort?

 

[HandyManny]

This one looks pre-war to me, but I'm not a Snap-On expert on collecting. I've seen picture of aircraft mechanics using Snap-On ratchets during WWII. They looked like the same profile as the Dual 80 ratchets, but some were black oxide finished. This one just looks like it's prewar

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

It's wartime. The WWII ratchets have survived in considerable quantity, but it is hard to scrape up a full set of sockets and extensions and such to make up a set. The small stuff had an easier time disappearing.

 

[mikeselky85]

I did clean it and grease it up, it looks amazing now and sounds great. Now I've got to figure out what to do with it, tool box or keep it on my stand with other collections

 

[Tool Pants]

I have a 1945 71-N. The one on the right in the first pic.

The second pic is your 1944 71-N rotated. Yours has Made in USA stamped on it below the selector, but my 1945 does not.

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

Just a heads up if you want to bring a little more of the original "shine" back - Berryman Chemdip works wonders on old tools. Completely non-corrosive, but it also takes all the oxidation off.

 

[wafrederick]

Be very careful of that brass lever,it is obsolete.I have been told this by the SO dealer down the road in my area after showing my original 1939 1/2 drive ratchet to him.Break that lever,the replacement is aluminum.