I’ll never forget the first Ridgid 24” Pipe Wrench I ever owned. I still have it today and I can truthfully say it is better now than the day I got it even after years of use. At work we had an old Ridgid 24” pipe wrench. After years of heavy use the teeth on the jaws were worn flat and it was as loose as could be. The boss ordered a new one and when it came in he told me to toss the old one in the scrap barrel. I asked him if I could have it and he seemed puzzled but said I could have it.
I brought the Ridgid Pipe Wrench home and took it all apart. Right down to the basic handle even driving out the pin that held the heel jaw in place with a pin punch. The next day I brought it back in to work with me and put it in the sand blast cabinet during my lunch break taking the old paint and rust off of it. I brought it back home and shot it with a red lacquer that matched the Ridgid Red. I figured the lacquer would be more durable than enamel paint that would chip from getting banged around.
I went to a nearby Ridgid Tool Dealer and ordered parts for the Ridgid Pipe Wrench. I ordered a new nut, heel jaw and pin, a spring assembly and a new hook jaw. Later when the parts arrived I oiled them up with WD-40 and put it back together. I then brought it into work and put it in my tool box. A few days later the boss and I were working together and both the new wrench and my wrench were being used. The boss was amazed and the only way we could tell them apart was that mine didn’t have the Ridgid decal on it. Other than that it looked and performed like new.
That was a long time ago and I can truthfully say it’s still working well and looking good. Many of the tools in my box are old Ridgid tools. For some reason they last a long time and Ridgid supports their products well with the parts you need to keep them in great shape. Its kind of neat that I can say I make my living with Antique Ridgid Tools I wouldn’t have it any other way.