1st plomb find wf8 ratchet?

[steveo3002]

can anyone tell me about this ratchet

marked wf 8 , looks like a 1/4" but non of sockets will go past the detent ball

im guessing its some random non 1/4" size ...is it worth anything to re sell

 

[nine4gmc]

War Finish 9/32" Drive, nice find.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...3.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=plumb+wf8&_sacat=0

 

[steveo3002]

great ..no use to me then

may list it in the classifieds after ive cleaned it up

 

[lbgradwell]

You may find a use for it; I have a 9/32" Britool set so there ought to be sockets about that will fit...

And be careful cleaning it up; it's cadmium-plated and that stuff is toxic!

 

[RM209]

Nice find! Looks to be in good condition. That's a great start to collecting Plomb tools.

RM209

 

[chopper1]

War Finish 9/32" Drive, nice find.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...3.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=plumb+wf8&_sacat=0

Actually, the WF stands for Wright Field.

Excerpt from Plomb's history.

(4) Wright Field (Now Wright, Patterson AFB) near Dayton, Ohio, was the base for a major War Department contracting organization before and during WWII. This organization executed major contracts with civilian industry, received goods at Wright Field and distributed them to our forces throughout the world. Wright Field ---- W.F.

 

[steveo3002]

how should i go about cleaning it up without causing a health hazzard?

 

[lbgradwell]

You're probably good as long as you avoid a wire wheel...

 

[steveo3002]

would i be an *** for thinking about taking a file to the drive to make it a 1/4" so i can use it

its cool but it wont get used as it is

 

[The Copilot]

Proto (same company an Plomb after their court-ordered name change) made a 9/32" to 1/4" adapter socket. Having that little gem allows you to use 1/4" sockets with this ratchet. I don't think the adapter's are all that rare, so you chould be able to find one via Ebay.

 

[thetreshon]

Proto (same company an Plomb after their court-ordered name change) made a 9/32" to 1/4" adapter socket. Having that little gem allows you to use 1/4" sockets with this ratchet. I don't think the adapter's are all that rare, so you chould be able to find one via Ebay.

yes - go with the adaptor!

Don't file the drive down!

 

[steveo3002]

ok i will hold off with the file for a while

if you see a cheap adaptor please gimmie a yell ...theres not a whole bunch of em over here in england

 

[ganymede]

I wonder if you could just order a rebuild kit from Proto and swap the gears ?
Would the modern kit work ? That'd be nice.

 

[steveo3002]

that would be cool if they did swap over

anyone got a pic ..i can whip mine apart and get some photos

 

[byoungblood]

I wonder if you could just order a rebuild kit from Proto and swap the gears ?
Would the modern kit work ? That'd be nice.

I've done that with a Snap On 9/32" ratchet so it could be used with 1/4" drive sockets. It is non-destructive (just swap the old gear back in if I ever wanted to) and no extra bulk compared to an adapter.

I'm pretty sure some folks here have rebuilt old Plomb ratchets with new Proto kits, so there's a good chance a 1/4" drive gear may just drop right in.

 

[Outlawmws]

I've got both, I'll try to look tonight.

 

[bonneyman]

I think I have a Proto/Plomb 9/32 F to 1/4M adaptor. I don't know how I would get it to you, but, if you can find a thing like that locally, you'd be set for 1/4" drive stuff.

 

[nine4gmc]

Actually, the WF stands for Wright Field.

Excerpt from Plomb's history.

(4) Wright Field (Now Wright, Patterson AFB) near Dayton, Ohio, was the base for a major War Department contracting organization before and during WWII. This organization executed major contracts with civilian industry, received goods at Wright Field and distributed them to our forces throughout the world. Wright Field ---- W.F.

Thanks, I don't want to mislead people.

 

[RCStocker]

great ..no use to me then

may list it in the classifieds after ive cleaned it up

USE? Plomb is something you collect and not use. They are to have a reason to go junking. LOL

If you don't have all the tools you need then you should not collect and only buy what you really need. That said Our inner self wants, wants and wants more tools. LOL

Nice find.

 

[byoungblood]

Well, I just remembered I have the same ratchet, albeit 1/4" drive, and I have a Proto 1/4" ratchet too.

Sorry to say, the gears won't swap without some machine work. You would have to take the Proto gear and turn down the non-drive side flange to fit the smaller opening on the old ratchet.

 

[ganymede]

Awww poop.
Oh well, it was worth a look anyway.
Thanks guys
And to the op, that's still a nice ratchet.

 

[bonneyman]

I have one of those WF's, and modified it to a 1/4" drive. The end was all mangled up anyway, so, I installed a 1/4" hex-to-square bit on it. Now I can use it with regular sockets.I believe the original 1/4" version was WF-8S.
Though yours is in too nice of shape to cut up IMHO.

 

[zoomieport]

Actually, the WF stands for Wright Field.

Excerpt from Plomb's history.

(4) Wright Field (Now Wright, Patterson AFB) near Dayton, Ohio, was the base for a major War Department contracting organization before and during WWII. This organization executed major contracts with civilian industry, received goods at Wright Field and distributed them to our forces throughout the world. Wright Field ---- W.F.

Interesting tidbit! Thanks for the info!

 

[steveo3002]

thanks for the responses folks

just been playing around with and its a really nice feeling ratchet..nicer than my snap on i have , just one design fault with it , looks like anything around 12-13mm socket will fowl on the screw that holds the ratchet together

 

[Gort the giant robot]

You can sell that Plomb 9/32 ratchet to someone else and use the money to buy a modern ratchet in 1/4 inch drive. I would not clean it. Tool collecters perfer to do it themselves. Taking a wire wheel to anything collectable is worse than kicking a blind 3 legged puppy. Buy 9/32 drive sockets or get a adapter, but don't grind on it.. Plomb was not the only company to make 9/32 drive tools.

Gort.

 

[Plombob]

I've got to get back to rebuilding the Plomb website. WF is Wright Field. Don't file that gear down! That is a nice little rat. Trade it for a newer ratchet with someone building a 9/32 set.

I have some 9/32 that I am open to selling. It's mostly Snap-On and while the drive tools are nice, most of the sockets are engraved.

 

[jd_1138]

You can sell that Plomb 9/32 ratchet to someone else and use the money to buy a modern ratchet in 1/4 inch drive. I would not clean it. Tool collecters perfer to do it themselves. Taking a wire wheel to anything collectable is worse than kicking a blind 3 legged puppy. Buy 9/32 drive sockets or get a adapter, but don't grind on it.. Plomb was not the only company to make 9/32 drive tools.

Gort.

You never want to wheel or brush a tool that may contain Cadmium. It's very, very toxic and can kill you. I'd say just leave them alone and not risk it.

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

Also, surface looks about right anyway...it's not damaged or rusted. One plate has a smudge of grease, it looks like. Swizzle it in solvent, relube.