Saturday 20 April 2019

Ratchet Spanner Fix


I've got a set of ratchet spanners. I don't use them a lot but where there is a nut or bolt that needs a lot of turning and you can't get a socket on it, they come in handy.  
 


One of the spanners doesn’t work. A part of the plastic insert that holds the spring has broken off. These are cheap items but I like to try to fix things if I can. The spanner is held together with rivets. I ground off the head and they came out easily. The ratchet is controlled by a spring and ball bearing. The ball on the "good" end flew out and clanked about the garage - good start!


I didn't have any small balls bearings so I made a couple of bullet shaped pieces from a steel pin. An old tyre valve provided a suitable spring. I made a spring holder in steel.
 
 It was a little fiddly to get everything back together
 
I fixed it together with some pop rivets…..and it worked fine.
 

4 comments:

  1. Bought my first ratchet spanner recently to fix a cylinder head cover leak on my bike. Not enough room for my hands to fit in between the frame and valve cover.

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  2. These are cheap tools and easy to replace but I like to fix things if I can.

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  3. Jeez, Stuart. Retirement is really getting to you :)

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