Been there, done that. :cursing: My Pietta revolver had the nipples installed by King Kong. Like you, I ruined one nipple wrench trying to remove the final nipple. :cursing: It absolutely would not move. So, I ordered a nipple wrench from TOW, their best revolver nipple wrench, and took the advice of one of the members here on the forum by making a 50/50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid. This stuff is, without a doubt, a far better penetrating oil than you can buy anywhere, bar none! I mixed the acetone and ATF, plugged the offending nipple with a round wooden toothpick and filled the chamber with the acetone/ATF mix and let it sit for a day. I made a device to hold the cylinder by cutting a piece of brass rod that was about 3/8" in diameter so that I would have two pieces that were about twice as long as the chambes were deep. I emptied out the acetone/ATF mix and inserted the brass rods in two opposite chambers. It doesn't make any difference which chambers you use. Carefully hold them in place and turn the cylinder over. Put the ends of the rods into a good strong bench vise and tighten it down on them to hold them in place. This can be a bit ticklish getting them into the vise without dropping them on the floor or pinching your fingers as you close the vise. I had to pick mine up more than once before I managed to get everything in place and the vise tightened up. With the vise tightened on the rods and the rods stuck deeply into your cylinder chambers you can focus your attention and force on the nipple. It will take a bit of force but it should pop loose and come right out. :thumbsup: When you replace them, put a tiny dab of grease on the threads and only them snug, don't put the King Kong touch on them. It is not needed and I'll be damned if I know why Pietta does such a thing at the factory. :idunno: Once out, you need to make a decision as to whether or not you want to replace them with #11 nipples since #11 caps are far easier to find these days. TOW has the #11 nipples that will fit your revolver and they are a better quality than the original ones that came from the factory.
Now, in answer to your question about the ratchet nipple wrench. They are dandies for nipples that are not in a new Pietta revolver. They are good but are not intended for withstanding a lot of force such as you need when removing original nipples from a Pietta revolver. For all other nipple removals and replacements, they are hard to beat. I have one and it is my favorite nipple wrench. They make one socket that will fit #11 rifle nipples, one that will fit revolver nipples and one for musket nipples. When I got mine some years ago, they had only the rifle #11 socket and the musket socket. I bought both. Now, I need to buy the revolver socket. It will be in my next TOW order. :hatsoff:
