ronkz650
Well-known member
I ordered a tub of 00 Superlube, but got a tub of the 000. It works even better I think.
Anything new with ratchet lube?
- Thread starter Armatron
- Start date
merkyworks
Well-known member
Permatex ultra slick assembly lube 81950 is my recommendation
I think the difference between NLGI grades is pretty subtle.
Reducing back drag is about reducing friction, but also reducing wear that will occur between the face plate and the gear or the body and the gear. So what feels right and IS right could be 2 different things.
3 in 1 is a light duty mineral oil that works for preventing corrosion, but does little to reduce friction and will settle at a low point and stay there. It has low shear strength. This application requires grease, possibly in addition to an anti corrosion oil film.
I like 3 in 1 and use it for a lot of things and like a thin film on ratchet parts.
Let’s settle this GJ myth. Assembly lubes are greases with tackifiers added to ensure the grease stays put until initial start up. The tackifiers increase shear strength and will increase back drag. Though it doesn’t hurt anything beyond ratchet performance, it is categorically the wrong stuff to put in a ratchet.
We want slippery stuff, just thick and tacky enough to not run due to gravity (like oil). Grease is the right material. Vaseline is a better answer than engine assembly lube.
The old school test of tackifier is to put a dab between your thumb and forefinger tips and pull your fingers apart. The tacky greases will exhibit a stringiness not present on normal greases.
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KnurledNut
Well-known member
I've tried everything. SK Rotor Lube is the best, but may be hard to source now.
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Zeus36
Well-known member
I'm using a smidge of Lubriplate on the machined faces inside the ratchet and pawl rotational surface plus under the cover plate, but a 20 weight oil on the teeth and pawl engagement. Found that grease on the engagement teeth was not giving me a good and positive ratchet click and was hampering back drag. Next time I open up the ratchets, I'll see if the Lubriplate is migrating onto the teeth.
This stuff is the same color and consistency as the SK Rotor Lube shown in KnurledNut's post above.
This stuff is the same color and consistency as the SK Rotor Lube shown in KnurledNut's post above.
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Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
It's not the lube that has changed, it's the ratchets. 
From 30 teeth to over a hundred, greases might be out and thinner oils in 
Most of you guys are crazy anyway, taking apart perfectly operating ratchets in the quest to make it better, smoother, faster, or sound differently. 
From 30 teeth to over a hundred, greases might be out and thinner oils in Most of you guys are crazy anyway, taking apart perfectly operating ratchets in the quest to make it better, smoother, faster, or sound differently. Wamsutta
Well-known member
I'm going to try this Supco oil in a Cornwell ratchet if I ever figure out how to take it apart.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
Thats good stuff. I use it to oil electric motors. That would soak right in to a Cornwell without disassembly.
You are right about the ratchets being the thing that’s new. Rebuilding old ratchets increases their strength and utility. Properly servicing even newer ratchets will prolong their life and increase their performance. The opposite effect will occur if done improperly. Ratchets are simple machines. Users are supposed to understand how they work.It's not the lube that has changed, it's the ratchets.
Back drag is caused by a couple factors, most of which you can’t change with lubrication. All you really can do is make things worse.
1) To make the tool “ratchet”, you must compress the spring that pushes the paw into the gear. The bigger the tooth (fewer the number of teeth) the further that spring must be compressed, and the more torque (back drag) must be exerted to make the ratchet go “click”. Theoretically, if you were able to lighten the spring pressure, you’d get lower back drag. You’d also get a ratchet that slips teeth occasionally so don’t mess with the spring.
2) Second is the friction between the pawl and the gear teeth. Oil helps there. I suspect manufacturers like Koken or nepros can manufacture gear teeth with higher quality surface finishes. Polishing gear teeth generally increases gear life, and strength. I’m curious about what would happen if you tried buffing a ratchet gear. Would you just remove the tips of the gears and weaken the ratchet? Could you actually bright polish a tiny gear? I think it would help if it were possible.
3) Third, and I’m not 100% sure of the order, is the friction between the body and the gear (and paw). There must be a small designed in gap between the body of the ratchet and the gear or the ratchet would bind. In use, the gear won’t simply float parallel to the body. The gear will rock inside the head Until the gap is no more. Worn ratchets typical exhibit a wear ring inside the body and a shiny matching ring on the outer edge of the gear. This is the surface that requires grease. The grease must be thick enough to stay in this location, but not so thick that in increases friction through “stiction”. This is why oil alone won’t work, and one specific grease will work better than another. The more I think of it, the more sold I am on superlube, which contains, essentially, little balls of Teflon suspended in the grease.
In a sealed ratchet that sees little wear, properly lubrication and cleaning may need to be done only once in the tool’s lifetime. As the ratchet wears however, any material that gets past the seal, anything that gets polished off inside the ratchet becomes FOD, and should be removed or else the wear rate will increase. Just like changing oil on a car. Again, polishing these surfaces would decrease friction.
So Fedwrench is right. There’s nothing new about lubrication. Even the ratchets themselves really aren’t that new. To me, what is really new is the appreciation for high performing ratchets and the understanding of what we can do to effect ratchet performance.
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Koken-USA has this to say about their 72T ratchets:
kokenusa.com
Z-Series 3/8" Sq.Dr. Flexible Ratchet, Reversible (L=280mm), 72 Tooth
Ko-ken Ratchets Ko-ken ratchets are known for their very low backlash, small head sizes, and high torque ranges. We designed the new 72 tooth ratchet without compromising on our traditional strengths. The patented design of the 72T combines the low backlash, small size, and has a 10% higher...
kokenusa.com