Inside a ratchet: How they work

[Flotsam]

wow  thank you.    My only guess is that its in the area  behind  the pawl.    I got mine apart   but  guessing the sequence for reassembly is   
1.  pin that the  pawl rotates around
2.  Direction selector  (but there must be some trick to it)
It seems like selector must be installed while pawl is completely in wrong  direction and then must be rotated in.
3.  So the spring seems like it must be behind pawl when it is in the right direction
4. Drop ratchet "capsule"  back in  w spacer on one side
5.  Put back the retaining spring

Correct me if you think i have this wrong
I need to get the appropriate grease for this.

thanks again

[bonneyman]

I'd use SuperLube synthetic grease in there. Don't go hogwild with it, though.

Let me pop my 1/4" drive Tru-Test rat apart tomorrow and refamiliarize myself with it.

[Flotsam]

thanks that would be most appreciated

[bonneyman]

Gang,

I recently acquired a nice little Fleet 1260-1, 3/8-drive round head ratchet that may be of interest to some of you.  It has a 45-tooth ring gear and a single see-saw pawl in the ratchet core.  This ratchet was made and sold between ~ mid-1950's and mid-1960's.


Ratchet core and components disassembled,

The pin on the side of the pawl goes into the slot of the direction knob. The spring goes in that slot, underneath the pin.

[bonneyman]

A new-to-me ratchet. 1/4" no brand. Just Chromium-Vanadium Japan. Normally I just breeze past these foreign jobbies, but this one had a fairly small head yet large for a quarter drive crisp knurled handle. It turned, so handed over a $1 for it.
disassembled and cleaned/lubed. 41 teeth, single see-saw mechanism. Reminiscent of an S-K. (Think I recall Japan copied an S-K design or two).
Anyway, the head is not quite as compact as the MATCO comfort handle but the knurled handle is longer and thicker than most I have. Fits nicly in the hand, nice selector design, too!

[bonneyman]

Snagged a Powkraft 3/8"er today. Frozen solid with hard black gunk, but some elbow grease and acetone cleaned it up.
41 teeth, single see-saw pawl design (Similar to the S-K round head).  But with a flat coiled spring retainer like the Thorsen round head.
These have a strong following: I can see why - nice and compact head and handle with comfy polymer grip.

https://patents.google.com/patent/USD199149

[d42jeep]

Nice job. I find the selector on these kind of unusual.
-Don

[bonneyman]

Another ratchet today: Older Williams B-52
Dual see-saw pawls similar to what Bonney did with their -xxxK ratchets in the 60's. Very fine and light action, dual pawls effectively double the tooth count without sacrificing strength (I think S-K finally read the tea leaves with this and incorporated it into their new 90 tooth DT kits).
https://patents.google.com/patent/US2772763
The handle shape is unmistakeable - it has a round knurled handle but the steel flattens and widens as it nears the head which has got to increase the overall strength. So, it's the best of both worlds in my book. I have a 1/2"er that I'm trying to get working - this 3/8" will be a welcome addition to the mix of tools I own.

[bonneyman]

One of the ergonomic comfort grip MATCO ratchets. After the wife saw a pic of a triple play of these, she said the handles looked like coke soda bottles. So that is their name for me now: the MATCO coke bottle handles!

Single see-saw pawl, 45 teeth head. Normally don't like smooth ratchets (the EASCO branded ergo rats are a rare exception), but the shape of this one - though ergo and full polish - tends to get larger toward the end. Making it less likely to let your hand slide off. Very small diameter head, handle is not as short as other 1/4"ers. Thus it's a good balance for me. Small where it needs to be, not so small elsewhere. Would love to get a full family of these.
P.S. I guess Wright still offers the style even though MATCO doesn't.

I've included a pic of the MATCO next to the EASCO ergo to show the differences and advantages.

[bonneyman]

Another ratchet I snagged a few months ago and apparently never posted pics.
A Wright open gear in 1/2".  Different form the other popular open gear ratchet (Thorsen) in that the Wright has a ergo handle, and all one has to do to remove the gear in undo an allen screw buried in the gear. No pin punching required. Though there's no gear cover and it is dimensionally larger than the Thorsen. Overall it's very nice!
Pictured next to a Thorsen for comparison.

[bonneyman]

I decided to update the thread with some pertinent info.

Whenever possible, I've included the patent for the design. This will be an on-going process as there's lots of research and looking up to do. I hope that helps explain and show the details.

If anyone knows of or finds a patent not listed, PM me and I'll find the documentation and post it in the appropriate place. Thanks!

[lptools]

Hello, bonneyman. Thanks for posting!! I have always liked the look of the open gear ratchets. Didn't Indestro have a similar design? How about we rename your post "Inside a rat-chat" 

[bonneyman]

Hello, bonneyman. Thanks for posting!! I have always liked the look of the open gear ratchets. Didn't Indestro have a similar design? How about we rename your post "Inside a rat-chat" 

I do believe Duro/Indestro had an open gear design. Sadly, none have crossed my work bench, so, I can't say anything about them.

Rat-chat - lol

[lptools]

Hello. bonneyman. I must have been thinking of these . The 2 at top are Indestro Select 6470, the one at the very top is missing the cover, my mistake. The one at bottom is a 3250 Indestro Super. All 3 are 1/2" drive. Regards, Lou

[bonneyman]

I have a nice pair of Duro rats that I'm sure are tic-toc pawls. The patent number is on the handle, and both the 1/4" female and 3/8" female ratchet bodies are the same - only the drive gear is different. Bulletproof design, occasional oiling and these rats last forever - and it's verifiable as so many of these great old tools are still out there!

http://www.datamp.org/patents/search/advance.php?pn=1902878&id=10709&set=438