Dipping Ratchets in Oil

[Gangly]

As standard procedure, I will wipe my tools down after every use, and then again with a lightly oiled rag after every couple of uses. However, there are tools that I don't typically use as as often as others, and I will on occasion dip them into a cup of clean oil and work them a few times before wiping them down for longer term storage. Living on the gulf coast, tools will rust pretty quickly if not maintained, so I do this if I know it's a tool that I don't use very often. This will generally include tools like pliers, side cutters, adjustable wrenches, etc. that get minimal use between long periods of sitting unused. Again, its typically just pliers and the like, but I have also dipped the heads of some older ratchets in oil and worked the action while submerged. I haven't noticed any adverse affects to doing this, but that doesn't mean that I'm not creating long term issues that I just haven't observed yet.

Does anybody else do the same? If so, has anybody had any bad experiences with dipping their ratchet heads in oil for storage preservation? Is there a significantly better approach?

 

[Old tool guy]

Does the oil seep out over time?

 

[BillK]

The oil on them would drive me crazy went I wanted to use them. I wipe mine off with a clean dry rag. The only time I oil ratchets and other moving tools is if they start acting stupid

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

My best guess is it could wash out/ dilute the grease over time.

All my Snap-On ratchets clearly state “Do not immerse in fluids.”

(I’m also team wipe down after use, grease/oil when appropriate. But that said, climate & work conditions here don’t require anything else.)

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[nadogail]

When all else fails, the idea doesn’t seem to be a bad one.

After all, everything else has failed.

 

[Gangly]

Does the oil seep out over time?

I work them over for a few seconds, then wipe them down pretty good after soaking, so its minimal leakage once I've put them away. The ratchets I have done this too see almost zero actual work, and are being kept around more for sentimental reasons than anything else. They are almost 30 years old and have been replaced with new and better ratchets, and I do this just to make sure they don't rust out internally.

 

[Gangly]

My best guess is it could wash out/ dilute the grease over time.

All my Snap-On ratchets clearly state “Do not immerse in fluids.”

(I’m also team wipe down after use, grease/oil when appropriate. But that said, climate & work conditions here don’t require anything else.)

Kind regards,
Olli

Good point. Maybe next time I'll take the time to disassemble and re-grease the mechanisms, it definitely wouldn't hurt to do so.

 

[MovingAlong]

As standard procedure, I will wipe my tools down after every use, and then again with a lightly oiled rag after every couple of uses. However, there are tools that I don't typically use as as often as others, and I will on occasion dip them into a cup of clean oil and work them a few times before wiping them down for longer term storage. Living on the gulf coast, tools will rust pretty quickly if not maintained, so I do this if I know it's a tool that I don't use very often. This will generally include tools like pliers, side cutters, adjustable wrenches, etc. that get minimal use between long periods of sitting unused. Again, its typically just pliers and the like, but I have also dipped the heads of some older ratchets in oil and worked the action while submerged. I haven't noticed any adverse affects to doing this, but that doesn't mean that I'm not creating long term issues that I just haven't observed yet.

Does anybody else do the same? If so, has anybody had any bad experiences with dipping their ratchet heads in oil for storage preservation? Is there a significantly better approach?

I don't do that (yet). The grease on my 50 yr old ratchets dried out long ago. Don't see how dipping them in oil could hurt..

 

[finn]

My best guess is it could wash out/ dilute the grease over time.

All my Snap-On ratchets clearly state “Do not immerse in fluids.”

(I’m also team wipe down after use, grease/oil when appropriate. But that said, climate & work conditions here don’t require anything else.)

Kind regards,
Olli

Funny this came up.

I was using one of my older SnapOn ratchets Tuesday, and took note of that same “warning” clearly stamped on the tool.

I’ve had this particular ratchet for at least a decade and don’t recall ever reading that warning.

Either I’m blind, or I automatically tune out warnings.

 

[Beerhippie]

I call it "changing the oil on my rig". Ratchet gets a good soaking every time.

 

[ecotec]

Either I’m blind, or I automatically tune out warnings.

Those warnings cause cancer in California.

 

[RTM]

As a woodworker, I try not to get oil on the exterior of most of my tools. Living 1/4 mile from the great Pacific rust and fog generator, I worry about rust. Most tools are in boxes or cupboards, no peg boards in use

I'm not a pro, so any tool I do oil gets left to drip dry near the shop door. This includes ratchets, C Clamps, any new rusty mechanism, and that's about it.

 

[n8n]

I have one Williams ratchet that I just couldn't get apart, I let it sit in a jar full of ATF.

Normally I would have disassembled it and lubed with assembly lube but this one was fighting me.

 

[Rinspeed]

I have a bunch of ratchets and some of them are older. With my eyesight not as good these days I'd rather not take things apart so much so I've soaked several ratchets in ATF overnight and it works well. I don't do this to the Snap Ons though because it says not to right on them.

 

[shoggoth80]

I wipe things down with WD40 fairly often. I have a work shed, rather than a proper garage. Gotta keep the crud at bay! On my non sealed ratchets, they'll get the heads oiled every now and again. Some of my older impacts have been cleaned off more than once

 

[c39er]

I have always oiled the heck out of my rachets...never had one lock up or skip.

 

[OccupantRJ]

What you are doing is fine. All my ratchets were under flood water for several days 26 years ago. I took them to work to blow them out with air, oiled them while assembled with a few drops of oil, and went back to using them. They are still in use like that today.

 

[johninct]

My old Snap-On guy told me about an old guy that use to soak his old style ratchets in oil all of the time. I have an old Bonney ratchet that skipped and could not take apart because it is riveted. I soaked it in Hydraulic oil for a month and now it works fine.

 

[Wubicon]

Good point. Maybe next time I'll take the time to disassemble and re-grease the mechanisms, it definitely wouldn't hurt to do so.

I disassemble my ratchets around once a year, clean and regrease them.
I live in a very humid climate and also give them some of my lesser used tools a quick wipe down with some oil. The other thing I've been trying out (since it's basically free) is putting the desiccant packs that come with stuff. Usually junk my wife buys.
Even if they do nothing in the drawers of the tool box, they're cheap insurance.

 

[alfadan]

I soak them and ratchet wrenches in some kind of petroleum oil overnight on a boring winter night, then they sit on a rag to drain for 2 or 3 days.

 

[RTM]

The other thing I've been trying out (since it's basically free) is putting the desiccant packs that come with stuff.

Look into VCIs, vapor corrosion inhibitors. I have their canisters in all my woodworking tool chests and cabinets. Lasts several years. No muss, no fuss, just keep the drawers and doors closed when not in use.

 

[Wubicon]

Look into VCIs, vapor corrosion inhibitors. I have their canisters in all my woodworking tool chests and cabinets. Lasts several years. No muss, no fuss, just keep the drawers and doors closed when not in use.

2 second Google search and I'm intrigued.
"Vapor corrosion inhibitors (VCIs) are chemicals that release protective vapors into an enclosed air space to prevent metal corrosion. These volatile molecules form a protective nano-layer on metal surfaces, displacing moisture and forming a barrier or acting as scavengers and buffers to stop rust and corrosion in recessed areas and hard-to-reach places. VCIs are a versatile, non-invasive, and environmentally friendly solution used in various forms, including packaging films, liquids, powders, and emitters, for protecting metal parts during shipping, storage, and in industrial applications"

 

[Wrench-Polisher]

zerex bricks , I dont want oil getting all over the place

 

[RTM]

2 second Google search and I'm intrigued.
"Vapor corrosion inhibitors (VCIs) are chemicals that release protective vapors into an enclosed air space to prevent metal corrosion. These volatile molecules form a protective nano-layer on metal surfaces, displacing moisture and forming a barrier or acting as scavengers and buffers to stop rust and corrosion in recessed areas and hard-to-reach places. VCIs are a versatile, non-invasive, and environmentally friendly solution used in various forms, including packaging films, liquids, powders, and emitters, for protecting metal parts during shipping, storage, and in industrial applications"

You may be familiar with them already. When I buy new woodworking tools like planes they're often wrapped in VCI paper.

Buddy told me that his last set of brake rotors came wrapped on the paper also.

We occasionally get deliveries here at work with the paper as well.

The enclosed space part is really the only rub The more you're in and out of a cabinet, the quicker the VCI will die, but I go years on them in my woodworking cabinets cuz I'm a weekend warrior at best

 

[YoshiMoshi3]

Ok so I have dipped many times my ratchets. The problem is they seep and eventually the oil will come out. So you need a thin grease, but if you use to much the teeth will skip and gears will gum up, I have experienced this first hand with NLGI 2 grease. You need a grease that is somewhere on the boundary between grease and oil. A very thin grease that won't leak out, but thin enough that won't gum up the gears and cause skipping. Unfortunately the very thin greases are like $200. So likely more than the cost of the ratchet in most cases.

 

[dscheidt]

You may be familiar with them already. When I buy new woodworking tools like planes they're often wrapped in VCI paper.

Buddy told me that his last set of brake rotors came wrapped on the paper also.

Lots of parts that shouldn't rust are wrapped in it, rotors, bearings, etc. Last set of rotors I bought were shrink wrapped to a piece of VCI cardboard, which I'd never seen before.

 

[ecotec]

I don’t dip my ratchets in motor oil or ATF.

When I get a new ratchet, I grease if with SuperLube.

For the outside, I occasionally wipe my ratchet with Fluid Film.

Thin oils drip out of ratchets for ages.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Ok so I have dipped many times my ratchets. The problem is they seep and eventually the oil will come out. So you need a thin grease, but if you use to much the teeth will skip and gears will gum up, I have experienced this first hand with NLGI 2 grease. You need a grease that is somewhere on the boundary between grease and oil. A very thin grease that won't leak out, but thin enough that won't gum up the gears and cause skipping. Unfortunately the very thin greases are like $200. So likely more than the cost of the ratchet in most cases.

Try some corn head grease for a few dollars a tube from a farm equipment dealer. It is #0. I get mine from the John Deere dealer.

 

[Retired dozer fixer]

Ok so I have dipped many times my ratchets. The problem is they seep and eventually the oil will come out. So you need a thin grease, but if you use to much the teeth will skip and gears will gum up, I have experienced this first hand with NLGI 2 grease. You need a grease that is somewhere on the boundary between grease and oil. A very thin grease that won't leak out, but thin enough that won't gum up the gears and cause skipping. Unfortunately the very thin greases are like $200. So likely more than the cost of the ratchet in most cases.

I have always oiled my ratchets. Grease just gums up the works. My S O dealer told me to dip in oil overnight years ago but this is before the newer sealed ratchets came out. My reason is that you don’t generally use grease in transmissions or rear ends. Ratchets have gears too. Worked for me for almost 50+ years

 

[dvblanch]

Always left my SK round heads in a can of ATF on Friday night. First couple jobs Monday morning were a little messy but those ratchets lasted a long time.Still have one of them almost 50 yrs later.
s

 

[seber]

I opened every ratchet when new and added any old oil on the shelf. A few years ago, I opened them all and cleaned them up just for the hell of it. They all looked good so I oiled them and put them back together. This time I used gear oil. Why not use something made just for the purpose.

 

[Upstater57]

Always left my SK round heads in a can of ATF on Friday night. First couple jobs Monday morning were a little messy but those ratchets lasted a long time.Still have one of them almost 50 yrs later.
s

When I a young gas pump jockey hanging around at the garage, the old guys put their ratchets in a coffee can half full of ATF on Fridays at the end of the day. They pulled them out Monday, wiped them down with dirty garage rags and went to work. The guys that soaked them over the weekend never had any broken or worn-out pawls in their ratchets. As I repair old SK ratchets (about 50 so far) I find the factory grease as hard as plastic filling up the teeth in the broach and wearing down the pawls. I have also seen plenty of broken pawls and skipping teeth. Before I work on them I let them soak in ATF overnight which actually starts to break down the old grease making them easier to clean up. When I rebuild them, I use a light coating of Superlube grease in the broach and a few drops of Superlube oil on the mechanism. Once a year I still soak all my ratchets in ATF. My 45- and 50-year-old ratchets have never failed or needed warranty from MAC or SnapOn.

 

[Nick Rivers]

You are going for a corrosion preventive aspect. I would go with Boeshield T-9 or Fluid Film sprays. Boeshield has lubricating properties and a little goes a long way. Layout all your tools, quick spray, flip them over and one more quick spray.

 

[Dig Doug]

What do you all use to wipe down wrenches?

is there a polish that can be used?
some of my older wrenches look dull/ flat

Any pros/ cons
for a buffer pad on a bench grinder to bring back some luster/ shine

 

[Nick Rivers]

For a wipe down, a chemical rated trigger spray bottle with bulk WD-40 and cheap microfiber Rubbermaid rags (50/bag).

For a polish, Nevr-Dull cotton wadding or FLITZ paste from a tube for hand methods. Using a power tool, depending on the the base metal you could go with a fine Scotchbrite wheel on your bench grinder (NOT for use on chromed wrenches!) or a buffing wheel loaded with fine compound on one side, plain cotton wheel for final cleanup. OOOO grade steel wool works well and would be less aggressive than any Scotchbrite wheel.

 

[Coach James]

What you are doing is fine. All my ratchets were under flood water for several days 26 years ago. I took them to work to blow them out with air, oiled them while assembled with a few drops of oil, and went back to using them. They are still in use like that today.

Was that after Fran or Floyd?

Coach

 

[OccupantRJ]

Was that after Fran or Floyd?

Coach

That would have been my old friend Floyd gifting me with 5 feet of water in the shop and 2 feet in the house. That is how I gained the hobby of refurbishing machines.

 

[johninct]

What do you all use to wipe down wrenches?

is there a polish that can be used?
some of my older wrenches look dull/ flat

Any pros/ cons
for a buffer pad on a bench grinder to bring back some luster/ shine

Try #0000 steel wool

 

[Coach James]

That would have been my old friend Floyd gifting me with 5 feet of water in the shop and 2 feet in the house. That is how I gained the hobby of refurbishing machines.

Ahh ok. Floyd was nowhere near as bad here. Fran took the roof off our house. We had a lot of water get in but nothing like what you had to deal with. The previous owners had the roof replaced a few years before we bought it. The roofing company put the shingles on with staples. We were the only house in the neighborhood to lose their roof.

 

[woody 73]

Just got done changing my car oil and oops, will you look at that, I dropped my proto ratchet in the oil, I left it in there for a few minutes, silly me...