An ugly Plomb spinner rat

[3baygarage]

Cranky O’Plomb was my next title choice, but that day came and went.

Brass washer and screw

 

[48RON54]

Seems like a good candidate for that vinegar thread

 

[3baygarage]

That’s where it’s soaking now. I’ll post the results.

First I wanted to try and remove the wood knob. It wouldn’t spin and wouldn’t budge. I began by cleaning the gunk out of the thin gap where it meets the metal with a tiny screwdriver. A little more elbow grease and it slowly started to budge. There was old dry grease on the shaft.

 

[48RON54]

Nice work so far. I really like it. I'm not the tool aficionado many on the board are. I've never seen one like that. Look forward to watching you clean it up/restore it.

 

[3baygarage]

Not so bad on the inside. Actually, the lever and ratcheting action were working great.

I ran into a little problem with the detent ball. It didn’t look bad other than the finish, but was frozen. A quick chomp with a pair of pliers freed it up, only it sunk in and got stuck.

Thought the spring behind the ball was toast, but no, that wasn’t the end. Applied some light oil to soak in around the ball, and I went to work on it with a 1/8 punch, using light rapid blows. The ball and spring came back to life! I repeated the process to make sure any debris in there was broken up.

A flip of the cover plate revealed a WF-21 inside.

This is how it went into the vinegar. Most of the parts went in as well.

 

[3baygarage]

Hey Ron. I appreciate your interest. At the same time I don’t want to get your hopes up too much. I’m not known for cleaning things up and making them pretty. Some guys here are amazing at that, they know the process for it.

After about an hour of soaking I took out the cover plates. Wasn’t sure if the vinegar would do anything to the plating. There was still a lot of rust. I hit them hard with steel wool and it worked very well.

 

[3baygarage]

This is where the disappointment sets in. At about 2-1/2 hours I pulled the ratchet body out to take a look. This is it after a quick water scrub with a toothbrush, and soap for the greased shaft. I’m now realizing how rough the condition is.

Looks like there may be cadmium coating inside the head, and the vinegar could have removed some of that after seeing the before/after. A good wire wheel on the grinder or a sander would probably help smooth this thing out, but not with the cadmium coating commonly found on Plomb presenting a possible hazard.

Thinking maybe a good overnight soak is in order. There isn’t much cadmium left to wreck, so...Thoughts anyone?

Not trying to polish this thing up, it’s already at a functioning point which was my goal. It’s normally a cheap common ratchet and in this case the knob is what makes it special.

 

[Shelbylex]

I would put in in Evaporust at this point.
I like the resurrection - do not stop!

 

[3baygarage]

Maybe I need to stop being cheap and get some. D42 Don and other guys have shown some good results.

 

[J.C.]

It's really quite good stuff, and it's re-usable quite a few times so for the $$$ you get a fair bit of use out of it.

 

[jabberwoki]

Add salt to the vinegar solution 1 cup to 1 gal. Works like a charm. First though soak it in gas to remove all oil/grease.

 

[bonneyman]

Very different.

 

[RubiconJK]

Watching with interest! I like the evaporust option. As you know, that is a hard to find version of WF-21, so it is worth the time and effort.

 

[Craftsman C-series]

I like the old rat rod look the ratchet has.

 

[Zrxrunner]

I'm having decent luck letting the really heavy rust and rot soak in penetrating oil for a night or 2 to soften it up before going further with cleanup. Takes some time, but I'll bet you've already got a can or two of WD that quit spraying or the nozzles broke that you can dump on it! Lol. That's what I use my deflated cans up on.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

As you know, that is a hard to find version of WF-21, so it is worth the time and effort.

Interestingly, I don't think this is a wartime WF-21-S. Like the mysterious WF-21's and WF-38's we see with no markings or Proto markings etc, that seem to have been repurposing old stock or at least old dies for civilian customers, I think this might be something like that for Ma Bell or something similar. It doesn't have the "S" for special marking and they even turned it around. Maybe a PO put it on upside down, but still, no "S". It was forged with a provision for the crank. So it's not strictly a WF-21. But not sure when. Or maybe it is before they marked the with a -S? Or it's postwar and they just had a stockpile of old WF-21 face plates? Thoughts?

I'll bet you've already got a can or two of WD that quit spraying or the nozzles broke that you can dump on it! Lol. That's what I use my deflated cans up on.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one! I swear those bastards rig them to quit early. I am not kidding. Have you ever had a can, just one, that stopped spraying because it was empty? I haven't. There is ALWAYS something still swirling around in the bottom. And it is never a negligible amount. I spike them on the bottom and drain them into plastic nasal sprayers.

 

[Zrxrunner]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but one other thing I found with the half empty oil spray cans. If you have a air blower like the milton I have with a rubber nozzle, you can repressurize the can. take the plastic spray nozzle off, stick the rubber blower nozzle over the remaining nubbin on the can, hold tight and put some air to it. Should be able to get a good majority of the remaining oil out. Otherwise, revert back to the hole punch and dump trick to soak rusty ratchets.

 

[3baygarage]

I appreciate the cleaning comments guys. It did get tossed back in for another 22 hrs or so. The (white) vinegar was black from the start and needs replacing so that probably did not help. Will post results tomorrow. I seem to have misplaced the grease I planned on using.

Rubicon- I was going to post this in your thread on the Wf-21-S where I mentioned this version. Seen a handful of both in the past I think.

Lugz- it is strange how the ratchet is blank, but with all the blank Plombs out there it’s no surprise. The face plate spun around does raise the question of did they leave the factory that way. I don’t recall if I’ve ever seen a wood version on the sleeve rollers.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Lugz- it is strange how the ratchet is blank, but with all the blank Plombs out there it’s no surprise. The face plate spun around does raise the question of did they leave the factory that way. I don’t recall if I’ve ever seen a wood version on the sleeve rollers.

I don't know enough about Plomb WF-21-S's to help. Wood handle question is a good one. Did they all have the same markings? I once had a very early version of a Plomb WF-8-S (the 1/4" dr version of the 9/32" dr ratchet) that was not marked "WF-8-S" like most versions. The "S" had been stamped, not forged, and it was stamped on the handle, not near the "WF-8" marking. Implying that was their first run, their first attempt at making a 1/4" ratchet out of their 9/32" ratchet, before they had a new die made. Maybe there's an "S" on your cranker somewhere else.

That doesn't explain no branding though.

My opinion is that it is an example of tools that were re-purposed (not for a US Army Air Corps contract) with residual WF- markings. This isn't the first time we've seen the face plate upside down, either. I am still leaning toward them re-using old dies for new customers and turning dead stock face plates upside down at the factory. But I could be wrong, obviously.

 

[RubiconJK]

Here is a link to the WF-21-S post from a few years ago. It is different from yours 3bay and as you mentioned there have been a few versions of WF-21 found over the years. I don't think I can remember ever seeing another actual marked WF-21-S other than then one I have.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6053257&postcount=1

 

[3baygarage]

How it looks after the longer soak of almost a full day, followed by light scrubbing. Some change but not great. A lot of scaly rust left. Plenty of pitting.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yeah that thing is in the 'not restorable with non-invasive methods' category. Sometimes a fine grain sanding block with WD-40 or a dilute muriatic acid will take the black scaly box rot off or at least diminish it, but it's stubborn stuff. I almost never do it, but the only thing that I have found that really works on that (short of grinding, which I refuse to do) is bead blasting. I have done it twice. A set of Williams Superior DOE wrenches and a Billings & Spencer auto wrench. It even took some electric pencil marks off. In both cases I was refinishing with black enamel.

 

[3baygarage]

After lightly taking a carbon scraper to some of the high rust spots, then a little brass polish and rust blocker on the handle. Also cleaned up the screw and washer. Never polished brass before. It’s tricky to hold and scrub those little parts.

There is a natural lighter wood color showing through on the knob, so I don’t know if it’s dirty or came with a dark coat of something. I just wiped it down with a couple things.

 

[3baygarage]

Left out lubing the mechanism for now for the photos. Typically I throw light oil like 3 in 1 or equivalent in everything that isn’t still factory lubed, but I wanted to just put some bearing grease in this and can’t find it at the moment.

Pawl upside down

Pawl right side up. The lever on back is still upside down which is commonly seen on WF-21’s.

A little brown grease for the knob to ride on.

 

[3baygarage]

And, my sweaty rustoration.

I wouldn ‘t dare use the real word as some of you guys are probably crying right now.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I don't think I can remember ever seeing another actual marked WF-21-S other than then one I have.

Safariknut's WF-21-S, linked here.

tin medic's WF-21-S, linked here.

And just for context, Bell System sleeve roller with modified Plomb WF-21 (not a WF-21-S) and second Proto WF-21, linked here.

 

[Richard Cranium]

thanks for sharing.

 

[r_olson_06]

And, my sweaty rustoration.

I wouldn ‘t dare use the real word as some of you guys are probably crying right now. [emoji38]

Nice save. Also 2 Plomb plug sockets to boot. I never seen a Plomb spark plug socket in person yet.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrenches 3061, 3070,

 

[RubiconJK]

And, my sweaty rustoration.
I wouldn ‘t dare use the real word as some of you guys are probably crying right now.

Love it!

Safariknut's WF-21-S, linked here.

tin medic's WF-21-S, linked here.

And just for context, Bell System sleeve roller with modified Plomb WF-21 (not a WF-21-S) and second Proto WF-21, linked here.

Thanks Lugz. What I should have said is I've not seen another in person.

 

[3baygarage]

Well thanks guys. It looks a little better than it did. And everything works.


R, since you mentioned the plug sockets, both are 7/8” in 3/8 drive.

The shorter one is a grind off tool. Can still make out a faint P A and faint Plomb bob on the right. It also has a threaded hole in the side that I’ve seen before on others, but I never paid attention to part number or anything.

You would know better than me, but could they have been an earlier and later, or two different models? The tall one is a 2254.

The shorter one also has a ridge inside, giving the bore a slight step down.

 

[3baygarage]

Another difference is the square end. The longer has the bulkier square, and it’s 3/4 vs 5/8.

 

[Provincial]

If I had to guess, the spark plug sockets are both for WWII-era aircraft spark plugs. The shorter one probably is for unshielded plugs that had an exposed insulator similar to automotive plugs. This would need less clearance than a radio shielded plug.

The longer socket is likely for radio shielded spark plugs. During that era there were several designs for the harness end of shielded plugs. Generally, as time went on, the length and thread size of the harness end of the plugs increased. By the end of WWII, it appears that it had standardized on a 3/4" hex nut.

Early on, the hex size for the base of the the 18mm threaded spark plugs was standardized at 7/8". The 3/4" square on the longer socket would match up with the hex nut size of later shielded plugs so the same open end wrench could be used on both the harness nut and the socket.

Pratt & Whitney commonly purchased these sockets from Plomb and Bonney, and perhaps others. These were marked PWA along with a part number.

 

[3baygarage]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

 

[Plombob]

I think you should drop that into an EvapoRust bath for a couple of weeks. You might be surprised at how well it cleans up.

Don't get the wood near the EvapoRust. It will strip the paint off just from the fumes.

Look at post 17 in this thread to see what EvapoRust can do on heavily rusted tools:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32238&highlight=evapo

 

[Farmer J.]

If I had to guess, the spark plug sockets are both for WWII-era aircraft spark plugs. The shorter one probably is for unshielded plugs that had an exposed insulator similar to automotive plugs. This would need less clearance than a radio shielded plug.

The longer socket is likely for radio shielded spark plugs. During that era there were several designs for the harness end of shielded plugs. Generally, as time went on, the length and thread size of the harness end of the plugs increased. By the end of WWII, it appears that it had standardized on a 3/4" hex nut.

Early on, the hex size for the base of the the 18mm threaded spark plugs was standardized at 7/8". The 3/4" square on the longer socket would match up with the hex nut size of later shielded plugs so the same open end wrench could be used on both the harness nut and the socket.

Pratt & Whitney commonly purchased these sockets from Plomb and Bonney, and perhaps others. These were marked PWA along with a part number.

Thanks for sharing this Provincial, for years I wondered why my old spark plug sockets have a male hex on them and it's a different size to the plug hex..