Ratchet Rehab 1: how to service, rebuild or repair SK ratchets 

I spent over an hour trying to place the little plug into the spring loaded hole as prescribed by the repair kit instructions. Finally came up with this method which took 5 seconds to complete. So glad to see confirmation that this is the best method!

Thanks. Your video is informative and clearly shows the necessary steps to disassemble and reassemble the ratchet. Just the right mix of well composed close-ups and narrative. Perfect.

I love my SK ratchet. It was my grandfathers. I love the handle and feel. SK makes a really SOLID and ROBUST ratchet.

Lousy rainy day, this video,a cup of coffee, and done,thanks. My ratchet was with mu Dads tools when he died and now it will be with mine for my kids.

Spent nearly an hour trying to get the snap ring off. Your tip to spin it and clean out the channel was very helpful, and I had it off in less than 5 mins after doing so. Thanks!

Great video! Just rebuilt my 45170 that I bought at a garage sale for $3.00. On a scale of 1 to 10, it's now and ELEVEN. Thanks!

long time loyal sk user ...one of the few STILL made in the usa!

Thanks for the instructions I rebuilt my late relatives old set of sk ratchets. Wish I had tried the gallon bag idea sooner thanks again

Great video. Just used it to reassemble a 3/8 SK ratchet I picked up and cleaned. (Also used the video a few weeks ago when I disassembled the ratchet!).

What happened to the greasing

Thank you so much for taking the selector apart. I have to make a new selector, and needed to see how this specific type of selector worked, so I can manufacture a new selector. Parts LONG LONG AGO no longer available Thanks again, GREAT VIDEO, GREAT DETAIL, and GREAT HELP (Mine is not the SK, but it has the exact same mechanism)

Nice video. I just took apart, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled an old SK 1/4" ratchet I recently got at a flea market. I did it before finding this video but it had the same setup as this. I guess I got lucky and had it in the neutral position to take apart and reassemble. I used Superlube grease and now this thing works like new. The insides looked good, just dirty.

If you do lose the string and pin, you can use a similar length pin from a lock re-keying kit and one of the smaller top pin springs. Anyplace that re-keys locks can provide them.

Excellent tutorial. Definitely useful. Thanks ,

That ratchet was given to me as a gift with other S-K tools in 1970 and they are all still in constant use. Mine looks better than that one and has never been apart. Maybe I will just to change 50 year old grease. I also have Craftsmen ratchets and tools of the same period and they are still going strong and look good.

Definitely interested in more of these videos.

Major thanks, not the same design but I've just fixed my years of possession but only went one way due to serious rust! It now freely switches both directions 👌

I have a 1/4 inch SK ratchet. It's the only SK ratchet that I have. I need to service it as a matter of fact. Great vid as usual.

Nice video, great tips!

Excellent service video A +.

dang it - was just about to write up my 'work in a bag' method - you got there first ;

I like the bag idea.

Cool. Just picked up newer version. Now I can service it. 🔩

I wish I had this video to refer to when I bought one and cleaned it up a couple of months ago.

I have the same ratchet. For rebuildability I like the Proto design as the teeth are replaceable. Looks like once the teeth are worn out in the head of the sk it's done for.

I love ratchets!

Hay thanks for help on the video but the best way to lube a ratchet of any kind is to get some car grease and that’s works really it was easy to get apart but a son of a gun to put back together this my 1 st time ever working on a old s k ratchet this video helped a lot thanks great video

That bag is a good idea

I just bought a half inch SK ratchet that looks nearly identical to that smaller one that you disassembled. I did some reading and found that since these wrenches were made in the 30s they were "Chrome" with the exception of '41 to '45 because of the war. It said they were cadmium plated. This nice half inch wrench was purchased at a Habitat for humanity ReStore.... $3.00 Not a bad buy. Estimating it has about 50 clicks and feels much better than my old craftsman. I love to know if there's a way to identify the approximate year this wrench was made. On the round head of my ratchet the sides are not rounded off smooth. It has more of a lumpy, bumpy shape as if it was forged and never sanded nice and smooth to accept a chrome plating and look pretty. The handle has the forging marks on them too. The knerling however is very well done. Would my description help date this old wrench? Thanks for the video, I never knew it needed to be a neutral to take it apart. 👍

Mine is the older version, just like that one. I bought it used ca. 1960. It was my first serious tool and has turned out to be the best value of all my tools, although I don’t remember what I paid for it. I disagree with your statement that it wouldn’t win a beauty contest. It’s beautiful for its simplicity and reliability. As you said, it’s classic. I like the look better than the modern chromed ones.

Hi do you have a video on how to repair ball bearing in socket shaft

20 years ago our car broke, we called a mechanic to come by the house to fix it, at the end he forgot his SK-45170 ratchet inside the engine bay, when i found it i called him but he never came to pick it up.... i used it since, the ratchet is still working great

I just came across your video. Thank you! I have my complete SK socket set from 1968 that I traded golf clubs for, to work on my pickup truck. (I was 15 yrs old)... I will run to my shop to see if I can fix the broken ratchet...

The S&K rachet I have was passed down to me by my father is a Half inch drive flat bar rachet.

Nice tutorial. Now you can do it again and have super clean keeper!

Cool. Just picked up an old 1/4 S-K round head. It works but the clicks are barely audible and feel soft. Gonna do as you suggested only partly disassemble it. Just lost a selector detent spring on an old vintage craftsman 1/2 New Britain ratchet.

I too have chased spring pin-caps across garage and shop terrain. In the spirit of "if its worth doing, its worth doing right" I always shine every single piece back up like new and use engine assembly lube when putting it back together. If you like these videos, I just did a refurbish of a 3/4" Proto on my "Snap-off" channel.

Good video!!! What about lube it???

I pressed the pin/spring combo to get that center piece out, but it will not come out. Suggestions?

What if the spring doesn’t have a lot of tension. For example my pin went flying but the spring was still inside. I cleaned it off and lubricated it. Sometimes when I go to change the directions the ratchet will slip/slide unless I hold the square head. I think it may be due to the spring in bad condition

Enjoyed this. I know it is an old one. Wish you mentioned what to lubricate it with after cleaning. Is there another video on that?

I have a 1/4 ratchet, breaker bar and extension set given to me as a kid by my father. I used to have the dark green metal box (I’m 53 now, I was a kid lol) and the set of sockets. Damn wish I had them all but grateful to have managed to keep the ratchet at least. Amazing quality. This must have been made in the 60’s? 50’s even?

The main spring went flying when finishing the assembly of my SR ratchet wrench. How can I get a replacement? Jim Camburn

I was going to disassemble my dad's old ratchet so I could clean it but the clip is broken into 2 pieces and half of it came out of the ratchet. I could not get it to come apart when I tried to use the remaining clip. Can it still come apart when the clip is broken? Is the tool considered damaged now?

Wondering what kind of solution you use to scrub them picked up one of these at a garage sale today but it's caked in old grease

When you buy new parts that little spring with the pin is a bitch to put in,this one was obviously decades old,lol , thats why it went in so easy,but thats the magic of new parts,one you assemble it the ratchet will be nice and tight, like new.

Do you know a "fix" for the cheap ratchets, that don't have the spring-clip? How to get them apart? Or are they 'throw-aways' ?

SK does send out the ratchet repair kits out for free.You email them and they don't want the old parts back

Wouldn't you want to iol it or grease it. what type lubricant would you use?

damn, I am just broke my only ratchet ;( I wish I had a supply like you do haha

I just found mine after thinking it was lost, was my goto ratchet back in the day.

I love these SK ratchets :)

Although, not available for the 1/2" drive SK (YET I HOPE), there is a double pawl rebuild kit that will effectively double the tooth count on those old SKs. www.sktools.com/content/sktools/en_US/dt-series.html

> this is a pretty tough mechanism Understatement. I got one in a lot and the teeth were ok, but the main body had broken before the mechanism broke

i have 3 of the 1/4 drive in that stile

No lube after disassembly?

i cant move my pin and put in tightness its just loose

I've got one just like this, but I can't shift it to neutral, it's stuck in the drive position. I've tried cleaning it with WD40 and parts cleaner for over an hour and no luck. Anyone have some advice on how I could go about removing the ratchet mechanism or get it to shift?

I have one of these ratchets and don't typically oil it because I dont want it to accumulate dirt. Should I be oiling the mechanism?

I believe I have an older model than this and there is no snap ring in there instead there is an allen bolt on top of it do you think it’s repairable? Thanks

Since you opened up the ratchet why not just clean everything and oil it all? I wouldn't discourage people against that. Nonetheless great video and an interesting piece of history

👍

Whats the angle of the lever?

My ratchet spins one way superbly but the other side doesnt tighten and hold help

What about SK parts?

I was hoping to see all the crud get cleaned off and looking like new.

This was a great tutorial but was anyone else waiting for him to fill this thing up with some super lube?

Gimme gimme one.

I have the same one I sprayed it with WD40 and painted it green

AvE would be disappointed that you didn't use his favorite libation to clean it up. Not going to add new grease?

I didn’t see you lube or oil the parts/innards...was I snoozing during that part of your presentation?

wheres the connection of the dial

I launched the retaining ring into orbit. Now what?

... I'll give you a hint, most hand tools from S&K, Cornwell, Mac, Matco and Snap-On offer "Lifetime Warranty"... simple contact them directly and send them your broken tolls directly as an user...the only thing is do the homework it has worked for me for 24 years... S/K Tools was recently acquired by Ideal Tool Company and totally redesigned their manufacturing plant and facilities, experience pays, any help let me know...

THE WHOLE PROBLEM WITH THIS STYLE RATCHET IS THAT WHEN THE OUTER GEAR WEARS OUT YOU HAVE TO JUNK THE TOOL.

You didn't grease it 😞

grease.

>will last for decades >doesn’t grease it