lube and ratchets

[Trans1998am]

What do you guys recommend for lubeing up your ratchets

 

[twertsy]

Boelube blue paste......I have about 40 ratchets, it's all I use. Many here have bought one's I've restored, all seem to love it.

 

[ChrisPace]

Permatex engine assembly lube is what many on here use. I found out about it here and also use it on bicycle parts.

 

[KnurledNut]

Search GJ for Red Lube of Love (RLL)
Its highly regarded here.

 

[LB-1911]

What do you guys recommend for lubeing up your ratchets

The preferred lube depends on ratchet tooth count and the user.

Coarser teeth like 36 and less like thicker lubes, while finer toothed ratchets having 60 teeth and more like thinner lubes.

If the ratchet isn't a sealed model, whatever you put in it will find a way out.

Sometimes I think the ability for the lube to adhere to the metal is more important than its slickness. Because I have mostly fine tooth ratchets, I use air tool oil, marvel mystery oil, power steering fluid, Breakfree CLP, and 3 in one oil.

Brake lube is one of my favorites for coarse toothed ratchets.

It depends:

A coarse tooth ratchet (Proto, et all) does fine with a light coating of a grease, I used to use a light gun grease lately it's been Red Mobile 1 grease.

Fine tooth ratchets don't generally like ANY class of grease, so an oil, but I haven't settled on a particular brand/grade.

Something sticky like way oil might be a good choice, many light oils just drain out and make a mess. I probably need to go try super lube...

The official GJ ratchet lube poll...
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=245448

Previous threads @
https://www.google.com/#q=ratchet+lube+garage+journal+site:www.garagejournal.com

 

[lightning02]

i use superlube on my 72-tooth ratchets.

iv only had one ratchet that didnt like it so much. it was a 1/4 drive. became to smooth and didnt engage well. just wanted to slip sometimes.

 

[KnurledNut]

Snap-on used to a include a small tube of Superlube in their ratchet repair kits.

 

[lightning02]

Snap-on used to a include a small tube of Superlube in their ratchet repair kits.

they dont anymore? i havent gotten a repair kit in 2 years give or take but up until then they did.

 

[lakota]

Got a small blister of Snap On oil when they sent me a rebuild kit for my Williams B-52A three years ago. They said, not to use too much in the instructions, just a light coating.

 

[bobbycos]

Search GJ for Red Lube of Love (RLL)
Its highly regarded here.

and Red Paste of Love

 

[1950mercury]

Bacon grease...that way you can enjoy the smell while your working

 

[gsingh]

Red Loctite.

 

[scg]

Red Loctite.

 

[beatcad]

asking about ratchet lube on GJ is like asking what religion is best

but since y'all are chiming in i'll toos in my 2 pesos.

on some old/dirty/rusty ratchets i've used a couple drops of 20w50 motor oil and have had good results and years of reliable use.
on nicer/newer ones i've used eng assy lube. works fine.

eng assy lube on bicycle parts? no way. i used to use plain old bearing grease until i discovered RED DEVIL

red loctite? i'll have to try that someday

 

[JoeMA]

Red Loctite.

I got a laugh out of this.

 

[Trans1998am]

Thanks everyone.

 

[Buster21]

I have been using Super Lube on my course tooth ratchets and Marvel Mystery oil in the fine tooth ratchets, in fact Marvel Mystery oil was included in the Armstrong 88 tooth rebuild kit I just got. Also I found the two pawl ratchets like the Harbor Freight can use the thicker lube and the single pawl design like the Armstrong's prefer the thinner lube. I had put Super Lube in my 88 tooth Armstrong and it would lock up once in a while, so I took them apart cleaned them and put in the Marvel Mystery oil and they now work great. My Kobalt ratchets loved the Super Lube, in fact I couldn't believe how quiet and smooth it made them. So I think sometimes you just have to experiment between pawl style and tooth count to see what works best.

 

[rayh91]

I actually put a light coating on most of my ratchets today. I used Superlube 21030. Used it on my ball bearing drawer slides as well.

First time using it and I love that stuff. Redline Assembly Lube, I've used in the past. Feels smoother with the Redline but It just gets everything greasy as it seeps out.

 

[Wamsutta]

One question:
How are you guys able to lube the ratchet without getting the threaded screw holes for the screws wet? Whenever I take a Snap-on ratchet apart that's never been taken apart, the screw holes are always dry. I'm mystified as to how the factory does that.

 

[AmishFury]

i've used a number of different things...

lately i've been using superlube in just about everything

but i've thrown various types of grease, gear oil, motor oil, atf, even some lucas oil stabilizer into various ratchets...

lucas worked amazingly well (other than the mess from the excess oozing out) in a 1/4" drive 72 tooth steelman pro (kobalt clone) smoothed the ratchet so much some of the guys thought it was broken because you couldn't feel or hear it click but it never failed to engage...

 

[rednotch]

ATF is all I've ever used.

 

[KamiCrit]

I've been using the "Permatex Ultra Slick Engine Assembly Lube" but have noticed that eventually the oil will leak out. I'm thinking of switching all my ratchets over to a light coating of "Super Lube" grease because I know the stuff will go in and stay in.

Also it seems to be backed by Snap On and I can't image them not putting a bunch of thought into what lubricate to use.

 

[Wamsutta]

I've been using the "Permatex Ultra Slick Engine Assembly Lube" but have noticed that eventually the oil will leak out.

The excess will bleed out, but what's left will be a heavy lubricative film on all the parts.

 

[BFHtime]

i've used a number of different things...

lately i've been using superlube in just about everything

but i've thrown various types of grease, gear oil, motor oil, atf, even some lucas oil stabilizer into various ratchets...

lucas worked amazingly well (other than the mess from the excess oozing out) in a 1/4" drive 72 tooth steelman pro (kobalt clone) smoothed the ratchet so much some of the guys thought it was broken because you couldn't feel or hear it click but it never failed to engage...

How would you compare superlube to the Lucas oil additive?

 

[AmishFury]

superlube is thicker and doesn't ooze out so easily and when it does you don't get a "snot trail" going from the ratchet to socket that you get with lucas... the lucas is straight up messy when the excess comes out

the superlube doesn't quiet down the twin pawl 72 tooth ratchets quite as well as the lucas

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

I have more them 10 lubricants and tried them all. Experiment with different types and see what you like and if you don't like a certain one you can always clean and use another one. One thing I do find odd is Snap-On says not use grease but to use oil then they send you Superlube with rebuild kits. Superlube is GREASE...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am a ToolAholic,Sometimes I regret it,Especially when the Toolman wont give me no credit

 

[twertsy]

I keep sayin' it, try this just one time, you'll NEVER use anything else. Doesn't collect dirt/grime like oil/grease, won't leak out of the head, all my ratchets are slick as butter and very quiet, and I've never had to open ANY ratchet back up to "relube"

 

[Adam.C]

I keep sayin' it, try this just one time, you'll NEVER use anything else. Doesn't collect dirt/grime like oil/grease, won't leak out of the head, all my ratchets are slick as butter and very quiet, and I've never had to open ANY ratchet back up to "relube"

The critieria you are using for success is just plain wrong. Quiet and no complaints from customers are not helpful measures. You may be achieving the right result, tho I have my hesistations when you talk about quiet. Quiet is not good for a ratchet. Quiet means you have grease in the gear teeth and the ratcheting pawl is not snapping home completely. That will produce a weaker ratchet and one that wears faster than it should.

The manufacturers of ratchets do not pack their tools in grease. Snap On's recommendation is to use a very light coating of lube. Their rebuild kits contain Super Lube.

Here's the deal:
You need some LIGHT grease under the toothed drive where it meets the body of the ratchet to prevent wear. You could use virtually any grease or sticky oil in there. All you need to think about is:
1) will it stay there? - you need something with some body
2) will it interfere with the "other" oil or lube you need? (see below).
3) Will it be so sticky that you get "stiction" which will increase back drag?

My recommendation is superlube which is PTFE in mineral oil. Vaseline would be 100% fine as well. It's just thick mineral oil. Either way, whatever you choose, use very little grease and none on the gear teeth. Just smear a film on the bottom of the drive gear with your finger.

Next, you need a very light corrosion/galling inhibiting oil on everything else, including and especially the gear teeth. A very light coating of mineral oil (e.g. 3 in 1) is fine. The tool shouldn't drip with oil or be filled with oil. ATF is probably too fine. I'm not sure what it does to whatever grease you have and whether it will creep out of the tool (likley).

The criteria you should use when you discuss ratchet lubes is chiefly back drag. Back drag is the torque required to make the tool ratchet. Anything you do that increases back drag is like driving a sports car with a clogged exhaust. Since the wearable items in most ratchets is easily and cheaply replaced, we should be doing less to our ratchets, not more.

One last comment- good ratchets are sealed pretty well. When you rebuild a ratchet, make sure the parts are as clean as you can make them. Not a dumb idea to wear gloves and use lint free cloths to clean them.

 

[twertsy]

The critieria you are using for success is just plain wrong. Quiet and no complaints from customers are not helpful measures. You may be achieving the right result, tho I have my hesistations when you talk about quiet. Quiet is not good for a ratchet. Quiet means you have grease in the gear teeth and the ratcheting pawl is not snapping home completely. That will produce a weaker ratchet and one that wears faster than it should.

The manufacturers of ratchets do not pack their tools in grease. Snap On's recommendation is to use a very light coating of lube. Their rebuild kits contain Super Lube.

Here's the deal:
You need some LIGHT grease under the toothed drive where it meets the body of the ratchet to prevent wear. You could use virtually any grease or sticky oil in there. All you need to think about is:
1) will it stay there? - you need something with some body
2) will it interfere with the "other" oil or lube you need? (see below).
3) Will it be so sticky that you get "stiction" which will increase back drag?

My recommendation is superlube which is PTFE in mineral oil. Vaseline would be 100% fine as well. It's just thick mineral oil. Either way, whatever you choose, use very little grease and none on the gear teeth. Just smear a film on the bottom of the drive gear with your finger.

Next, you need a very light corrosion/galling inhibiting oil on everything else, including and especially the gear teeth. A very light coating of mineral oil (e.g. 3 in 1) is fine. The tool shouldn't drip with oil or be filled with oil. ATF is probably too fine. I'm not sure what it does to whatever grease you have and whether it will creep out of the tool (likley).

The criteria you should use when you discuss ratchet lubes is chiefly back drag. Back drag is the torque required to make the tool ratchet. Anything you do that increases back drag is like driving a sports car with a clogged exhaust. Since the wearable items in most ratchets is easily and cheaply replaced, we should be doing less to our ratchets, not more.

One last comment- good ratchets are sealed pretty well. When you rebuild a ratchet, make sure the parts are as clean as you can make them. Not a dumb idea to wear gloves and use lint free cloths to clean them.

To me, "quiet" means not dry, like an old ratchet you found lying in a barn having not been used for 20+ years. All I'm saying is the Boelube products are the best out there for lubrication, cutting, cooling, rust prevention, etc. They stay on the treated surface, don't dry out/fade away, don't attract dust/dirt/grime, don't leak out of the head, and seal the surface against moisture. I've said it before, I've cut hundreds, if not over 1k spot welds out using (STILL) the same bit. It's sharp as hell still and all I do is dip it before every cut. The stuff is awesome and comparatively, not really expensive either. Then again, I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.....

 

[Qualitytools]

I keep sayin' it, try this just one time, you'll NEVER use anything else. Doesn't collect dirt/grime like oil/grease, won't leak out of the head, all my ratchets are slick as butter and very quiet, and I've never had to open ANY ratchet back up to "relube"

Sounds Great, where do you purchase the stuff at? That's a big jar, does it come any smaller? I guess I can apply it to other things as well.

 

[twertsy]

Sounds Great, where do you purchase the stuff at? That's a big jar, does it come any smaller? I guess I can apply it to other things as well.

I get it through Amazon, just search Boelube. Many different sizes / variations like paste, solid, liquid, etc. I prefer the blue paste. Just don't get it on your hands, it's unbelievably persistent (several days even using Goop) and slippery........or, maybe DO get it on your hands...

 

[BFHtime]

I was going to ask where to get that Boelube as well, and I could not help but think that, it might be complimentary at HolidayInn Express.

 

[AmishFury]

.or, maybe DO get it on your hands...

then when she asks "why so blue?"...

 

[twertsy]

then when she asks "why so blue?"...

Lol...........not very Amish of you! Then again, you're on a computer

 

[AmishFury]

i did assemble this computer myself using only hand tools