B-41 None Better Ratchet Froze Up

[dimwittedmoose51]

Needing a bit of help in getting this B-41 3/8" drive freed up.  got it at on of the 4 auctions I went to in a 6 day period last week.  I've gingerly scored around the rust joints with an Exacto knife blade tip and then soaked it in WD40 for like 4 days and it's gone from not budging to the end of the handle having about an inch and a half of movement, but it's pretty sloppy., but as you can see, the rust around the lever and the screw/cap is substantial.  Should I try to drill out the screw that holds the mess together in a press and then see if things will come apart?  If I do drill, should I start from the slot side or the backside?  Thinking I can get a center punch to deform either end.  The odds of spinning that slot screw out with a small enough screwdriver to fit what's left of the original groove is a pipe dream most likely.  Don't wanna break the lever as finding another one could be a needle in a haystack event.  Also, if anyone knows what thread pitch that screw is , that would help me if I ever get it put back together and working again.  It looks like it is a bevel head slot.  If drilling is a possibility, I'd likely start really small and eventually get to where I was encroaching on the female threads.  If this is a colossal waste of time, I can always hang it up with some of the other old crusties in the collection.

TIA

DM&FS

[mrchuck]

DON"T DRILL YET!!!!!!!!!!! Use Kroil spray oil.
It is thousands of times better than WD-40.

Spray it and let it soak for several days. I've seen many ruined items brought back to life.

[rusty]

Ditto, WD is just silicone oil, it is for making squeaky things stop squeaking.

Soak the heck out of it with Kroil for a few days.

then wack a screwdriver *into* the screw slot a few times to shock the rust loose.

repeat soaking if necessary....

[dimwittedmoose51]

Where do I get Kroil in Iowa??  I thought it was a Canadian product.  My rust buster of choice is PB Blaster down here.  My son swears by the "new" WD-40 Specialist series that's spozed to do better on rusty stuff.  YMMV

DM&FS

[johnsironsanctuary]

Soaking in Kroil is good advice. Before you drill it, try an impact screw driver. Grind the tip to fit snuggly in the slot so there is no slop. Don't beat the snot out of it. Just one well controlled whack at a time. A propane torch on the bottom side might help too. Be gentle with the heat so you don't blue the chrome.

[Papaw]

Kroil retailers- http://www.ask.com/web?qsrc=6&q=Kroil+Retailers&o=11104&l=dir

I got mine directly from Kano Labs- http://www.kanolabs.com/google/

[john k]

Our suppliers are getting us Kroil now in Nebraska.  I'm already hooked on it, does amazing things to really rusty hitches and recievers. 

[dimwittedmoose51]

Progress Update: Took the impact driver advice after taking the Dremel with the micro carbide tip and cleaning up the rust around the non-slot end of the screw.  Supported the ratchet by hanging the male drive end over the anvil side of my vise and supported the handle end with a couple of popscicle sticks, so it was pretty much flat.  Ground down a slot bit to fit the screw and the first whack was deemed a minor success, but upon further review, the bit was still too big.  More grinding and one more whack and the screw was actually turning counter clockwise.  The bad news is that it was turning clockwise too and not going anywhere.  Further inspection revealed that the larger piece that envelopes the screw is spinning with the screw, so either that is what holds the female threads, or some other weird issue is going on.  It is currently soaking in the WD-40 again and with some gingerly cajoling, the ratchet is turning a full 360 now, but the locking part is real sporadic. 

For a while, I thought that the screw had simply broken half way down from the impact, but gentle prying on  the outer plate is not helping the screw get out or removing the plate like I had hoped.  If the female threads are part of this sleeve inside there, that part could e a real bear to locate a replacement. 

So, what's the next step gentlemen??

BTW,  PaPaw's link to the Kroil direct site was a win.  They have 2 13 oz spray cans of Kroil on special for $13 plus $6 to ship it.  I'll be ordering some soon.  Hell, the 55 gallon drum is only $1700 and change....lol

DM&FS

[Fins/413]

A 50/50% mix of acetone and auto transmission fluid is touted to be the best.

[Tool Pants]

This style was a cheaply produced ratchet.  I have the 1/2" versions.

You can't even easily remove the drive gear because it was pressed in with a bushing, instead of a clip.

The end of the screw goes into a female threaded bushing.  You can see on my 2 examples that the bushing is staked on 1.  If the screw is frozen in the bushing then the screw is just going to spin if you try to remove it, because the bushing is also rotating with the screw.

You need to keep the bushing from rotating while you try to remove the screw.  Otherwise both parts will just spin together because of the rust bond.

[dimwittedmoose51]

Cheap ratchet indeed.  I vote for hanging it up on a wall and calling the "None Better" Ratchet the Oxymoron of the day.

Thanks to all for the help.


DM&FS

[Wrenchmensch]

The original condition of your ratchet reminds me of a wrench horror story.  Years ago, we stopped at very small antique shop operating out of a garage, outside of Quarryville, PA. I asked the shop owner if he had any wrenches. 'Yes" he said, and pointed to a water-filled pail with 15-20 rusty, badly pitted steel wrenches in it, standing along the outside wall of his garage. As I recall, I remonstrated briefly with him and then moved on. The antique shop has long since disappeared and I guess the rusted wrenches disappeared also.

[PowderKeg]

Ditto what Tool Pants said - if you can't get that little bushing to stop turning by staking or otherwise holding it, you're SOL.

[Tool Pants]

Picked up a None Better 1/2 from the flea yesterday.  When I tried to remove the screw is just spun, because the threaded bushing was turning with it.

Pressed against the bushing with my finger and was able to remove the screw.  Once the screw was out the bushing fell out.  You can see how the bushing is knurled.