A dummies guide to tapping on the lathe

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Brian, in this example we'd obviously only have a 25% overlap. Our aim is to get the amount of overlap as high as possible but still allow us to thread them without cracking. Like I said, the '5' was too cautious and I should have used a slightly smaller hole.
The 'feel' would be fine, as the depth of the cut is what determines the 'snug-ness' of the mating parts.
If we only used a taper tap and an un-adjusted split die ( or one of those solid ones) then we wouldn't have any control over the depth of the cut, irrespective of how big the hole was and what diameter we turned the male piece.
The male and female parts in this topic are actually very tight and I would either have to re-tap with a 'second cut' plug tap or squeeze the die and re-do the male part.
If I had bought the taps in a set of three ( 1st, 2nd and 3rd cut ) then in this instance, retapping with would be the best choice. To try and increase the '5'

Ok, I know that the purpose of the set is to progressively extend the threads into a blind hole but as the taper tap ( of a set )does more work than the other two, then hopefully the less worn 2nd or 3rd tap would remove a bit more material as well.

This is where the use of a metal lathe is so good as these cut depths can easily be adjusted.

In a nutshell though, what we want to ensure is that only the triangle ( or preferably just most of it) from the zigzags is removing material. If the turned part is slightly too big or the hole is slightly too small, then we actually use the flat surface of the flute to remove material.

Hope this helps:biggrin:
 
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Jumped on this thread late in the game, but I'm now ready to learn how to do this and go kitless. For you US penturners, could you shoot me a link as to where I can purchase a good quality tap an die set for penmaking?
 
Jumped on this thread late in the game, but I'm now ready to learn how to do this and go kitless. For you US penturners, could you shoot me a link as to where I can purchase a good quality tap an die set for penmaking?

I got some odd sizes at Victor (www.victornet.com). They had a 25$ min order, but the stuff was at the door from NYC to Fla. in 2 days std mail. Depending on what you want, your local ACE Hardware has M10, 1/2x20 and other standard sizes. I got the HF set that had the M10 with a 20% off for about 30$. Good luck
 
Three follow up questions:

1. Is the inexpensive set offered by Harbor Freight good enough to cut PR and wood?

2. What sizes am I looking for when it comes to making normal sized and large fountain pens?

3. The sets I find online have a large piece that holds the die in place... How does one insure it's perpendicular to the piece being threaded?

I sure wish there was a series of videos on youtube showing how to make a kitless pen with a tap and die set. That sure would be helpful.
 
Jumped on this thread late in the game, but I'm now ready to learn how to do this and go kitless. For you US penturners, could you shoot me a link as to where I can purchase a good quality tap an die setfor penmaking?

Based solely on my experiences so far, I would strongly advise NOT buying a SET of metric taps and dies. Instead I would buy just the handful of sizes I would need for using in penmaking. I believe I too bought almost all the taps and dies I needed from Victor tap and die.

Making "kitless" pens on a regular basis for almost two years, I routinely used just three or four different threads. I am on a SLOW connection now and can't do searches in a timely manner but if you search the forum for "taps and dies" or "threading" you will likely run across a post I made where I listed all the sizes I used and the types of sections that were compatible with each.

A "set" of metric taps and dies that would cover the range of what you would need including the oddball pitches you would use would be expensive AND contain MANY sizes you would likely never use.

When making an "ink tight" fitting, the difference between using .25 and .75 pitch is the difference between leaking or not!:)
 
If I wanted to start making my own threads for kitless pens, what size taps and dies should I start with? I have limited funds so I can't buy it all at once.
 
Sean, at first I was desperate to use multi start taps and dies, but that novelty wore off pretty quick once I saw the prices:eek:
I also find they come loose too easily as well.

I have now settled on single thread 'Metric fine' as my standard. I use M12 x 1mm for caps and part for bigger pens, M10 x 1mm and M8 x 0.75 for most other things. These are all very easy to cut on my metal lathe, though I almost always use taps for the internal threads.
Metric stuff is the standard in the UK, but I think it's catching on in most engineering places around the globe.
 
Given that we have a nice Group Buy on the go (thanks TURBOWAGON), this nice tutorial by Steven may help to demistify some of the "things" you need to know with taps/dies.

Thanks Skippy this really does help a self-admitted dummy.:biggrin:I'm beginning to "understand" this stuff better.
 
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