A lockdown activity suggestion

"SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media" (silentbutnotreallydeadly) 03/29/2020 at 23:49 • Filed to: Toolopnik

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Th is is my Sidchrome 3/8" socket wrench. It’s over thirty years old and is dressed in a 10mm socket that is part of the original set. Even more amazingly...both were made in Australia.

After all this time, and the use/uses to which this tool has been put (remember that a socket wrench is the Spork of the hand tool world), it should come as no surprise that it has been becoming non-functional as a socket wrench.

The internal sprocket has been slipping and I suspected wear. So it was time to take it apart for the first time...

Quite straightforward with the right pair of pliers. Close the clip and remove it from the body then remove the backing plate to expose the sprocket.

The sprocket itself looked fine - perhaps a little dry in the lubricant department.   I found I couldn’t remove the sprocket. Assuming there was some dirt or other crud stopping it, I gave the lot a blast with brake cleaner. Lo and behold, a minor flood of toxic solvent, dried grease and other contaminants dribbled out of ever orifice.

Still could not get the sprocket out but did find that everything moved and interlocked much more sharply. It truly appeared to be...fixed! In order to avoid further complications through wondering I simply gave the gubbins a light blast of a lanolin based lubricant and closed it all back up.

I’m now reassembling chairs with it!

Since most of us own at least one socket wrench then perhaps giving it a little love whilst you are cowering away from nature ( along with the rest of us) might be a useful distraction.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/30/2020 at 00:26

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Anyway to soak the head in oil? Might loosen things up. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/30/2020 at 00:29

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Strange. I watched a video on this just yesterday. I have an old wrench that is acting up and it’s on the list for some maintenance. 

Chariotoflove > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/30/2020 at 00:32

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Wow, it is equally cool that you have a socket wrench that old and that you were able to revive it.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 03/30/2020 at 03:05

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No need really. The action of cleaning the crud out was enough to make the tool perfectly functional and a little light lube is all it should need to keep it that way now.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Chariotoflove 03/30/2020 at 03:08

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Until I came to write this piece it never occurred to me just how old this tool set actually is... 

pip bip - choose Corrour > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/30/2020 at 03:38

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anything these days will be made in China

shop-teacher > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/30/2020 at 03:40

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Iiiiiiiinteresting!

My dad has a 45ish year old Snap On ratchet that no longer ratchets. Of course I won't be able to try this on that, until this whole lockdown thing is over, but I shall give it a whirl!

Stef Schrader > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/30/2020 at 04:21

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Nice.

Meanwhile, I’m having to file a lost-and-found with Hertz because I think I forgot my torque wrench in the rental car I had while the Lancer was in the shop .

Hertz, donut? Yes.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > pip bip - choose Corrour 03/30/2020 at 04:53

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Indeed. My 1/2" Sidchrome set is perhaps half as old and it was made in China.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Stef Schrader 03/30/2020 at 04:54

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I’m not sure which misadventure is worse: forgetting a torque wrench or that pun...

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/30/2020 at 04:56

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Get in there!!

Stef Schrader > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/30/2020 at 04:57

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Ah, yes. “You want a Hertz donut?” used to be a dumb prelude to a punch.

“Hurts, don’t it?”

I need more dumb puns and fewer feelings of dumbness. I have the dumb brain right now.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > shop-teacher 03/30/2020 at 05:00

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Not a bad idea...it looks like the crud was holding back the spring loaded cams in the direction selector so that they didn't fully engage with the sprocket. Nothing to do with wear...

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Stef Schrader 03/30/2020 at 05:02

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Punchouts due to puns maybe due to over torquing?

TheRealBicycleBuck > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/30/2020 at 06:48

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It’s on the list!

Ash78, voting early and often > Stef Schrader 03/30/2020 at 07:59

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shop-teacher > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/30/2020 at 08:32

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Yeah, that’s what I figured when  you said cleaning it fixed it. Hopefully that will fix my dad’s ratchet. He bought it in the 70's, when he worked as a mechanic, but he hasn’t spun wrenches for a living in over 40 years.

benjrblant > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/30/2020 at 11:44

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Nice! I’ve got a super cheap set of ratchets, but surprisingly 92 points of engagement!  Immediately after purchasing them, I fully disassembled the heads and packed in as much grease as I could fit. They were bone dry to begin with. Keeps things much more quiet and hopefully they last a bit longer.

Stef Schrader > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 03/31/2020 at 09:56

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Yes.