Sticky Williams Superratchet?

[Applesauce]

I just got what appears to be a new-old-stock Williams S-52 from an eBay seller. It's a beautiful ratchet, and it's nice to do so much as hold it.

I pulled it apart, knowing it was going to need some kind of love...and I wasn't off the mark. I needed penetrating oil and a hammer and crappy screwdriver to get it apart. Then there's was a weirdly-orange rusty-looking grease coating the internals. I soaked the wrench and internals in light oil and then ran them through our Bio-Circle parts washer, and it still didn't feel very nice. I oiled it with yet a different, very-low-friction oil, and then put it all together with a smattering of my favourite grease.

It still seems to have a TON of drag. Does anyone remember having a new Superratchet? Did it need time to break in?

 

[rusty65]

It probably hasn't been broken in yet and the strange oil might have been packing oil to keep the internals from rusting up on the shelf.

 

[blackz26]

Mines old and well used. Looks like ****. Works like butter.

Are both pawls engaging? Damage? Pics?

 

[Applesauce]

I'll post some pics tomorrow. It's not damaged that I can tell, and both pawls feel to be engaging. The thing is MINT. And purdy. I'm hoping it just needs a little break-in...pity I work on lots and lots of tiny, low-torque fasteners.

 

[TwoInch]

they do not have a lot of back stroke drag when new. something is not proper with yours.

i would pull it apart, and spray the hell out of it with chlorinated brake cleaner. it should strip it of all lubricants or whatever is in it. then dab some superlube into the housing(gear) and use a small pick or small flat screw driver and get the superlube into the nooks and crannies of the inner pawl and drive assembly. i have quite a number of these ratchets in both 3/8s and 1/2 drives.

does your ratchet have the outer ring nut with 4 slots holding it together? you may have the newer design which is not nearly as nice of a mechanism as the original design. is the model an S-52a? this might be why it is not so smooth. they look very similar, but are very different in reality

 

[Applesauce]

does your ratchet have the outer ring nut with 4 slots holding it together? you may have the newer design which is not nearly as nice of a mechanism as the original design. is the model an S-52a? this might be why it is not so smooth. they look very similar, but are very different in reality

Yes, it has the four-slotted lockring and the original double-pawl design. It's not the new S-52a - I'm sure of that.

I cleaned it the first time with Würth brake cleaner (not sure if that's chlorinated?). Perhaps it just needs another tear-down... I'll have a look when I'm back at the shop this morning.

Attached is a picture from the eBay seller - but it doesn't really do it justice!

 

[All]

I've owned and used (a lot) a JK Williams S-51 "SUPERRATCHET" 1/2" drive for over 33 years. It was my grandfather's before that, and I don't know how many years, or decades, he had it before leaving it behind.

Your thread title "sticking Superatchet" immediately caught my eye, because my problem is that sockets stick to the ratchet, and I often need a screw driver to pop the sockets back off. That might be because I'm not Hercules, I don't know. I keep an old flat head screwdriver with this ratchet at all times, just so I can pry the sockets off.

It does get frustrating, except for when assembling an heavy and long extension that you really don't want to drop off the ratchet... then the socket sticking quality comes in handy. NOTHING falls off of it, no matter how long, how heavy, or how many extensions are attached.

I have soaked the ball bearing in the square driving stud in all kinds of different oils and penetrants, to no avail.

However, like the other poster with a Superratchet said, the ratcheting system itself is as smooth as ever... just like butter. I've never encountered any stickiness whatsoever in the wrenching mechanism.

I also like the "OFF - ON" dial on the S-51 Superratchet. Whenever I am working on something that is upside down, and I have to twist and contort to the point that I can't think which way is up, down, right, or left, and I have universal joints and extensions on the ratchet rig, and am working on a blind fastener, I hate to admit it, but that's when I really appreciate the dial that says "OFF - ON"... which gives me more confidence in that situation than righty tighty lefty loosey.

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[TwoInch]

Yes, it has the four-slotted lockring and the original double-pawl design. It's not the new S-52a - I'm sure of that.

I cleaned it the first time with Würth brake cleaner (not sure if that's chlorinated?). Perhaps it just needs another tear-down... I'll have a look when I'm back at the shop this morning.

Attached is a picture from the eBay seller - but it doesn't really do it justice!

thats a really nice ratchet, and of my favorite era of the superratchet. it is the later design with the improved lock ring thing and that particular lettering stamp style. some of the older S52-53 had flat lock ring with very small slots, nearly impossible to disassemble, and the lettering was raised lettering instead of stamped.

pull it apart, the only thing that would cause more drag would be if the pawls are not free to move like they should. either packed behind with something that is too thick or dried up, or maybe a spring issue. there are tear down thread of these ratchets on here, i dont have them bookmarked though. very good reads.

as for chlorinated brake cleaner, its the old style, non california okay type. red can brake cleaner. it strips very well. im not familiar with the wurth cleaner. generally the can will specify if it is a chlorinated or non-chlorinated type.

 

[TwoInch]

here is the write up on the complete break down... apparently a royal pain to reassemble when totally broken down. i dont do complete tear down, only pull the inner assemblies out and clean them well with blasts of brake cleaner. let dry(1 min or less) then lube

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36498

 

[Applesauce]

TwoInch, thanks for all the information. I'd read much of this kind of stuff, and it's what pushed me to pick one of these up. (I don't collect ratchets, really, and I don't have all that much use for higher-torque tools.) I'm not sure I totally understand the complete tear down: how does the "head" separate once it's removed from the ratchet handle? I can't see how the adjuster comes off the socket end, and thus how the pawls are removed.

Attached are some pictures. (Sorry for the crappy quality - cellphone, at work, etc. And ignore the other ratchet; it was ratchet service day.) I still haven't used it much, but I think it will break in OK. There is a bit of rust, but I think mostly it's just a decades-old ratchet covered in creosote and buried in some octogenarian's basement for a while. I ran it through the parts washer, more oil, and more brake cleaner, and lubed it, and it seems to be running pretty well. Now I think it just needs USE!

It has definitely left me motivated to find 3/8" and 1/4" flavours... I'd kill for a 1/4" version. That's the drive size I use several hours per day, and while I'm happy with my TL72, I'd prefer something with a bit more...character.

 

[thesilverone]

send it to me. I'll break it in for you

 

[RCStocker]

A few years back I picked up 2 Williams S-52A ratchets for $7.50 each. One is chrome and the other industrial black. Not a scratch on either one. I put them in the drawer with all the other 1/2" ratchets and I have never used them. You just made me pull them and check them out. I really like the round handle and extra length. Too bad I have nothing to use them on. I have nothing broken other than computers I need to get new parts for. LOL I think they are the only Williams tools I own out of thousands of tools. They don't come up very often in the used market.

 

[TwoInch]

TwoInch, thanks for all the information. I'd read much of this kind of stuff, and it's what pushed me to pick one of these up. (I don't collect ratchets, really, and I don't have all that much use for higher-torque tools.) I'm not sure I totally understand the complete tear down: how does the "head" separate once it's removed from the ratchet handle? I can't see how the adjuster comes off the socket end, and thus how the pawls are removed.

Attached are some pictures. (Sorry for the crappy quality - cellphone, at work, etc. And ignore the other ratchet; it was ratchet service day.) I still haven't used it much, but I think it will break in OK. There is a bit of rust, but I think mostly it's just a decades-old ratchet covered in creosote and buried in some octogenarian's basement for a while. I ran it through the parts washer, more oil, and more brake cleaner, and lubed it, and it seems to be running pretty well. Now I think it just needs USE!

It has definitely left me motivated to find 3/8" and 1/4" flavours... I'd kill for a 1/4" version. That's the drive size I use several hours per day, and while I'm happy with my TL72, I'd prefer something with a bit more...character.

i quoted part of the disassembly thread, for the answer to your question. there is an attached picture in the original thread, found in my previous post above. this is how you get the selector off the top, and get the pawls, pins, and bearings out. i suggest really reading about it though, as they can be fairly tough to reassemble

"Here is the how the whole thing works and the key to disasembly. The selector switch is rotated 90* relative to the other parts in it's assembled state. The selector switch hole holds the spring and two bearings. The bearings ride against the pawls which keeps them contained and the spring/bearing works like on a typical ratchet. The hole in the carrier for the selector switch is too narrow for the bearings to pass when extended and must be held in against the spring pressure in order to lift the selector. Very clever design."

from my understanding, you must turn the selector to the in between on and off positions, and push the two pawls in toward each other. the two bearings must be pressed into the spring hole, so the top selector can be pulled out. when you pull it apart, the springs and ball bearing will fly apart, so do this in a plastic bag or similar.

 

[TwoInch]

also, the M-52 is the hardest to find of all the superratchets, good luck. i have been looking for some time, never saw one in person.... i will find one though, one day!

 

[hefty lefty]

I used to see a lot of surplus Williams tools at mil surplus places, but usually not in great cosmetic shape. Anyway, I always took hard ratchets and cleaned them, packed them full of toothpaste and turned them with a drill motor and an extension about 250 revs either way. Then clean out and grease and they would be smooth.

 

[Applesauce]

I used to see a lot of surplus Williams tools at mil surplus places, but usually not in great cosmetic shape. Anyway, I always took hard ratchets and cleaned them, packed them full of toothpaste and turned them with a drill motor and an extension about 250 revs either way. Then clean out and grease and they would be smooth.

This is a great idea! Never thought of running something mildly abrasive through there.