Ever break a tap?

[ArlyA]

I keep my cobalt bits in a index with sizes clearly marked on it, also have a cheap easy to read caliper lying around close by. Also fortunate to have a big enough tool chest where I can keep my tap and dies in there case which is also clearly marked. Nothing's more frustrating than not putting my tools back and keeping them organized. Until a few yrs ago screwed up a few tap projects cuz I didn't fully understand letter sizes.

Know the feeling but I found online they'll list the letter and actual bit sizes for thae tap. Going one size larger is your freind.

 

[jjeff]

Know the feeling but I found online they'll list the letter and actual bit sizes for thae tap. Going one size larger is your freind.

That's why I found out keeping a hard copy of tap sizes with drill bit sizes in easy reach is invaluable to me anyway.

 

[kozal01]

Ha! Wish I had a dollar for every tap I've broken and removed. 20+ years in Tool and Die and CNC machining will get ya good at it. lol Sadly though, every situation is different and I have not had consistent luck with extractors. A good pick to get the broken tap and chips out of the hole, some compressed air and a small sharp punch to work the tap back and forth if you can get to it. I know its not likely but if you know someone with a Bridgeport you can cut them out with a carbide endmill, takes some patience but works. In the future a good cutting oil is very important as is using the proper size drill. Dont use spiral flute taps, they are not as strong as plug/ hand taps and have less lead chamfer so they take more force to turn as well. The best taps you can have in the garage on my opinion are form taps though. Stronger than any cut tap, creates awesome threads and can be used in most metals except for cast materials. I can share with you the drill sizes needed for form taps if need be, I have a chart I made on my computer.

 

[BravoXray]

I broke a 4-40 tap off in a small piece of aluminum a few years ago, and after some internet searching, I found a method using a concentrated alum solution. I mixed it up in a glass beaker and dropped the aluminum piece with the broken tap into it, and the next morning the tap was completely gone and the aluminum unharmed. Obviously though, that wouldn't work on a steel work piece.

 

[5030]

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I have more than enough stuff in the shop as it is. 2 MIG machines, a TIG welder and plasma cutter, my Lincoln engine drive for field work, Overhead trolley crane in the back bay, 3 lathes, two floor lathes including one LeBlond Servo shift, 2 surface grinders and 2 Bridgeports one is a CNC Versa Trak plus a CNC plasma table and a 4x6 welding table on heavy duty casters, 2 compressors, one is a 10.5 horse pressure lubed reciprocating compressor and the other is a Sullair screw compressor as well as an IR refrigerated air dryer. I really don't have the room for another machine and if I did, it would have to be a wire EDM. Nice thing is everything is paid for.

Additionally, I do all my reloading in the back bay as well. Have a dedicated bench just for that.

All the metal working machines are 100% tooled as well.

 

[Dman1981]

Good tapping oil and a soft hand and never break another also I use a torch for taps hard metal blows out quickly

 

[gstrom99]

Success! Walton Tool. USA made and it worked perfect. I had real easy access, so that helped.

 

[jjeff]

Success! Walton Tool. USA made and it worked perfect. I had real easy access, so that helped.
View attachment 831058View attachment 831059

However I'm slightly envious of your two post lift lol. What brand and capacity is it?

 

[gstrom99]

However I'm slightly envious of your two post lift lol. What brand and capacity is it?

Thanks. It's a Rotary, 10k.

 

[dlctcg]

Success! Walton Tool. USA made and it worked perfect. I had real easy access, so that helped.

Just saw this thread,,, Walton Tool... Great Company!!! They are in my area & a few yrs back I broke a tap off; tried to purchase one of their extractors from a local dealer but they didn't have what I needed & recommended that I check with Walton directly, as they were local (which I didn't know). They were awesome to deal with & allowed me to purchase direct being the local dealer did not have what I needed... Again a great American Company...

Glad it worked for you!!!

 

[muskieken13]

If you're not already using it, a good cutting fluid can make a world of difference.
Note cutting fluid, not lubricating oil. Cutting fluid is designed to bring metals together, not keep them apart like lubricating oil

ok ,I'm GOING TO ADAMIT I KNOW NOTHING, I was drilling stainless steel pipe 3inch pipe 1/8 thick! ruined a lot of drill bits was using wd 40 on the drill bits./ also used transmission oil ... so when drilling should I cutting oil, what should i use next time I'm drilling metal.

 

[MTGreen]

ok ,I'm GOING TO ADAMIT I KNOW NOTHING, I was drilling stainless steel pipe 3inch pipe 1/8 thick! ruined a lot of drill bits was using wd 40 on the drill bits./ also used transmission oil ... so when drilling should I cutting oil, what should i use next time I'm drilling metal.

WD-40 is good for cutting/tapping aluminum only. Transmission oil is good as a penetrating oil (older red Type F best especially mixed 50:50 with acetone) -this is done frequently in 3rd world countries. There are a number of cutting fluids on the market -I use Mobilmet 766 for stainless, but I think that only comes in minimum gallon size. For small jobs Tap Magic or a similar competing product works fine. Check in the pipe threading section of the hardware store if you can't find anything in the tap/die section. Ace hardware even has a house brand cutting fluid and Napa auto parts stocks several products. There are also spray foam cutting fluid products that are nice as they stick to the tap and don't run off immediately.

 

[sandman2234]

ok ,I'm GOING TO ADAMIT I KNOW NOTHING, I was drilling stainless steel pipe 3inch pipe 1/8 thick! ruined a lot of drill bits was using wd 40 on the drill bits./ also used transmission oil ... so when drilling should I cutting oil, what should i use next time I'm drilling metal.

Stainless steel drilling and tapping is a whole different ball game, as with a single speed fluctuate it can work harden to become a serious problem!
Good luck,
David from jax

 

[LD1]

Stainless requires slow speed high pressure

 

[MTGreen]

ok ,I'm GOING TO ADAMIT I KNOW NOTHING, I was drilling stainless steel pipe 3inch pipe 1/8 thick! ruined a lot of drill bits was using wd 40 on the drill bits./ also used transmission oil ... so when drilling should I cutting oil, what should i use next time I'm drilling metal.

In addition to cutting fluid you should pay attention to drill bit speed. Basically, stainless requires slower speeds than steel and much slower speeds than aluminum. Heat is what kills drill bits. Your drill bit has to stay harder than the material you are drilling in order for it to cut, and if you heat it up hot enough it will effectively degrade the heat treatment/hardness of the drill bit which will in turn increase friction which further degrades the hardness and you have a snowball effect.

Slow speed and good cutting fluid is your friend here. If you are bringing up a steady steam of chips you don't run the drill faster. If you are not bringing up chips and you know your drill is sharp you need to put more pressure on the drill as stainless can work harden and narrow/eliminate the hardness gap between work and bit. Using a quality cobalt bit also is helpful. The larger your drill bit the slower you need to go.

If you want to go down a rabbit hole you can look up surface feet per minute (SFM) for the material you are working with and how that relates to drilling. Just keep in mind that the published SFM charts are for machine shops with rigid machine tools with flood coolant/lubrication where time=money and tool life is a secondary consideration. If you use these, I would suggest starting at 50-60% of listed SFM and go from there.

 

[sandman2234]

Stainless requires slow speed high pressure

And if you let off the pressure as you break thru the other side, it work hardens and you break the drill. However, if you aren't careful you will break it as you power thru! Danged if you do and danged if you don't!
David from jax

 

[panamaguy]

As a former tool and die maker don’t use a 4 flute tap whenever possible.
2 flute machine taps are much more robust.
#7 (.201) is the tap drill size.

From what I understand 2 flute is for aluminum. 4 flute for steel

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

From what I understand 2 flute is for aluminum. 4 flute for steel

You’d be wrong. Bottoming taps were typically 3 or 4 flutes but I normally just ground off the lead as required on a 2.

 

[ArlyA]

Back to the OPs question. One must be super careful to not break taps, so occasionally breaking them is the nature of the beast. Tap oil is a plus, but not a guarantee you'll not break them. Tap oil are cheap so I use it all of them time for tapping or drilling.

 

[MTGreen]

From what I understand 2 flute is for aluminum. 4 flute for steel

That's generally true for end mills for the non-production type machine shop, don't think that necessarily applies to taps