Snap-On FL710B (1976) restoration

[Caleb T]

Hey everyone!

This is my first ratchet resto. I found this at a very cool estate sale where the former owner ran an old school service station! The patina on it was great, but I planned to keep it for home use and my tool storage is primarily in unheated areas. This poor ratchet had stripped teeth and every little chrome, but looked to have been a favorite for a long time. I wish I could hear a few of the stories from this things years of service.

I wire wheeled all the loose flaking chrome off, and had decided I would try cold blueing paste for a simple process. I got a fresh rebuild kit, and was FINALLY able to get the backing plate in *almost* square. It will be easier on the next one, but I really didn't want to damage it.

I'm very pleased with the outcome. It's almost like a black chrome finish. There are some remnants of chrome underneath, and I left the strip with the part # and snap on logo along with the areas under the selector with original chrome. It's not perfect, but I can always make it darker or refinish it again if I don't like it.

Any feedback is welcome!

 

[Caleb T]

Second set of pictures!

 

[moemc]

It turned out great looking

 

[designer485]

Nicely done, that looks awesome.

 

[Shelbylex]

Looks great!
New life for an old tool - always great!!!

 

[charger 73]

Looks great, nice to see an old classic back to life.

 

[Firebird1975]

Looks great. What bluing paste did you use?

 

[Caleb T]

Looks great. What bluing paste did you use?

Thanks! Some old Birchwood Casey I had laying around.