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Ted Cash Ratcheting Nipple Wrench

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I had a lot of Cabela’s Bucks and needed to ad a couple of dollars to get free shipping so I put one in the cart making it basically free to me. The ratchet is manufactured by Chapman of stainless steel and is capable of transmitting 200 inch-pounds of torque. I can assure you from my years of turning wrenches and teaching Auto Mechanics that it’s a quality tool. In fact I was so impressed with the Chapman screwdriver set I bought about 40 years ago that I now have almost every one of Chapman’s tools and bits. By the way this is the same ratchet Lyman supplies with their Lubri-sizer.

The attachment I got is for pistols and fits all the larger revolvers with no problems. I haven’t had a chance to try it in a pocket Colt yet. I was even able to remove a nipple from a Pieta Remington without removing the cylinder from the gun. It was a little reluctant to go on the nipples in a Spiller & Burr and removing the attachment I found some very small burrs in the opening from machining, nothing that can’t be fixed with a couple of strokes of a file. All in all it’s a handy little tool capable of doing all that’s asked of it except removing some of those factory installed nipples. BTW it takes standard ¼” bitts and you can buy Chapman’s bits from their site.

The down side. There is nothing to keep the bit in the ratchet. You will loose it ($9.60 ea.) unless you keep it under control on the bench. I have lost count of the times I’ve had to pick it up off the floor and I’m aware of the problem. It looks like Ted Cash makes his own attachments and I can’t understand why he didn’t contract with Chapman to make them for him. The Chapman bits have a knurled end that extends through the ratchet so that you can turn it with your thumb and finger and also a spring-loaded detent ball that retains the bit in the ratchet (I’ve never had one fall out). From TDC's site: "Don't be afraid to push hard on the head to keep it in the handle. It will stay since it is tapered." It is not, it's a loose slip fit in the ratchet. Chapman sells their bits from $1.50 to $2.00 where Cash’s attachments are $9.60 each. Why didn’t he contract with them to make them and have a better product too? The ratchet from TDC with one attachment is $19.95 and the ratchet alone from Chapman is $7.00.

https://www.tdcmfg.com/product-page/ratcheting-nipple-wrench
https://chapmanmfg.com/
 

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