what size tap and die

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MedWoodWorx

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i am doing a list with all the tools that i need to make kitless pens and i wanted to hear your opinion about the thread size. i am thinking about M12 for the cap and body of the pen and M10 for the section (also a No6 Bock nib). What is the difference between lets say M10 x 1 vs x 0.75? is that number indicative of the size of the threads per se?
 
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M10x1 is a drillbit 9mm M10x0,75 is a drillbit 9.25mm (=9.3mm) If the wall thickness is going to be a problem, this can make a difference.
I have a m13 tripple start tap and die (most common?) But I am a beginner making kitless pens.
 
In an M10-1.0, the diameter of the threads is 10mm and the 1.0 tells you how much the screw/bolt (whatever) advances in one revolution, in this case, 1mm.
In an M10-0.75, it advances 3/4 of a mm.
A rule of thumb for what drill bit to use for metric threads is the diameter minus the pitch so a 10-1.0 you would use a 9mm bit and for a 10-0.75 you would use a 9.25 bit.
 
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Fred Bruche said:
M12-M10 could work depending on what material you want to work with, but it will still be quite a challenge for a beginner. If I were you I'd start with M13-M10 or M12-M9 (though that combination might be tight of a Jowo #6).
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You mean that the wall thickness would be too thin? I could try M12-M9 i suppose and in the future switch to M10. I would buy all the dimensions if i could but the thing is that i cannot find good quality stuff in Greece and i have to order stuff from beaufort uk ( expensive!). I plan to use ebonite for section and sleeves. Cheers
 
I agree with Fred. Almost every failure I have had was using M12 for the cap threads and M10 for the section threads. . M13 cap threads and M10x1 or m10X x .75 works really well for me. I also use M14 or M15 to make larger pens. M13 is my workhorse with a few M14's.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
MedWoodWorx said:
You mean that the wall thickness would be too thin? I could try M12-M9 i suppose and in the future switch to M10. I would buy all the dimensions if i could but the thing is that i cannot find good quality stuff in Greece and i have to order stuff from beaufort uk ( expensive!). I plan to use ebonite for section and sleeves. Cheers
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This is the cheapest tap and die set I know of. I have this set. It is not the best Quality but for plastics it will do. https://www.hbm-machines.com/nl/p/h...7gHw_YjYuPzv_geANvO88grx7h62XDOhoCXb4QAvD_BwE
Can be shiped in Europe
 
Fred Bruche said:
M12-M10 could work depending on what material you want to work with, but it will still be quite a challenge for a beginner. If I were you I'd start with M13-M10 or M12-M9 (though that combination might be tight of a Jowo #6).
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I agree with everything Fred said. Will add that my personal favorites to make and use is m14-m11 and a m15-m11 but I like a bit larger pen.

Squeezing a Jowo 6 in the m9 section can certainly be done (depending on material) but I have had several failures and is not something enjoy. I usually step down to a Jowo 5 for this size.
 
MedWoodWorx said:
You mean that the wall thickness would be too thin? I could try M12-M9 i suppose and in the future switch to M10. I would buy all the dimensions if i could but the thing is that i cannot find good quality stuff in Greece and i have to order stuff from beaufort uk ( expensive!). I plan to use ebonite for section and sleeves. Cheers
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I haven't looked but for single thread tap and dies I'm surprised there are no shops like VictorMachinery in Europe. Penmakers are surely not the only ones that used these tools. Victor Machinery likely ship overseas since they have listed a phone number for international calls. m13x1 tap and die should get you started and you could invest in triple start later. Note that Don, Eric, and myself all encourage you to go m13 to start. If you are superstitious well... that is another story 😅... I'd go m14 rather than m12.
 
haha no i am not superstitious, so M13 and M10 it is; i will listen to you guys. thank you very much for your answers!!cheers
 
another question but i think its a simple one; beaufort ink sells three types of taps: starter, intermediate and plug tap. What is their use? Which one do i need? thank you
 
wimkluck said:
I have orderd the intermediate tap. If you want to use them in stainless steel you need the starter to.
I assume that member of a metalworkingforum can make them for you.
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no i need it to thread acrylics, ebonite etc. so the point of using a starter tap is that it can "grab" hard materials easily and thus start the threads?
 
Hi

Just in the process of turning my first kit less founding pen.

I went with the following

13 x.75 single thread for the cap and barrel. Will eventually move to tripple threads once I know I can successfully turn one. Plus I can't afford to drop over £300 on a tap and die set at the moment.

10 x 1 for the section, I went with that because its what Bock section sleeves are made in and I will be using them until I can justify a set of Bock size taps.

Hope this is of help
 
Paul-H said:
Hi

Just in the process of turning my first kit less founding pen.

I went with the following

13 x.75 single thread for the cap and barrel. Will eventually move to tripple threads once I know I can successfully turn one. Plus I can't afford to drop over £300 on a tap and die set at the moment.

10 x 1 for the section, I went with that because its what Bock section sleeves are made in and I will be using them until I can justify a set of Bock size taps.

Hope this is of help
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thank you for sharing this, i will do the same. I suppose you bought bock nibs etc.from beaufort (?).

Long live Medway!!cheers
 
Traditionally the starting tap made it easier to start the tap perpendicularly to the hole, the longer taper making it easier. The intermediate, second, plug tap on this side of the pond was then used to finish the threads to size in a through hole. The plug or bottoming tap here is used to thread all the way to the bottom of a blind hole. The starting tap for the most part isn't needed in pen making, reasons already cited. The intermediate/plug is the mainstay. The plug/bottoming is best put to use to cut a thread that stops cleanly after three or four turns in transparent or translucent materials. If you just use the middle one the threads will have to run longer before fading out. Some people don't mind that look and others do. You will have to decide if it merits purchasing.
 
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