WTB 1/2"x28tpi tap & die

these taps and dies are hard to get and expensive,(order them locally) no way around that, the alternative is a lathe ;):D or some one that does! and knows how to use it:rockOn:
leannejason said:
Where can I buy 1/2"x28 taps and dies ?
Seems most shops have to special order with crazy high prices and long wait times.
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leannejason said:
Where can I buy 1/2"x28 taps and dies ?
Seems most shops have to special order with crazy high prices and long wait times.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've got no idea what you're talking about. Amazon.ca has a 1/2-28 tap for $13 and the matching 1/2-28 die for $13.60.

http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=sr_nr_seeall_4?rh=k%3AMerlintools+1%2F2-28%2Ci%3Amisc&keywords=Merlintools+1%2F2-28&ie=UTF8&qid=1366128148
 
1/2" Ultrafine won't likely be a stock item anywhere. (I doubt that even the superb Hardware Sales in Bellingham would have it on hand.) I quickly checked KBC Tools and they don't have it, either.

However, McMaster-Carr does show both the tap (http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-taps/=mcim09 under "Generel-purpose HS steel hand taps") and the die (http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-dies/=mcil2l, under "Special thread size round adjustable threading dies.) There isn't much McMaster-Carr doesn't have.

I forgot about Amazon which has just about everything; they even have an Industrial and Scientific section now, at least on their US site. At the prices "blastattack" shows, they won't be industrial-grade and if you check the seller it says, "Shipped from China." Might be good enough for casual use, though.

:) Stuart
 
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Blastattack said:
Been looking at those expanding reamers... want to get some steel stock and ream it our for a cannon barrel. Do you use them by hand or in a machine?
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There are both kinds (Machine, and Hand) reamers available.

Simple way to tell them apart. A machine reamer generally has a 45 degree bevel at the front, that is the actual cutting edge. A hand reamer has a long slow tapered cutting edge.
It's a minor PITA to keep a machine reamer running in straight, because it does not align itself with the hole well. The long slow taper of a hand reamer makes for a heavy load on the shank, lots of opportunity to chatter, when used in a lathe. Seen MANY twisted wrecks that way. At the price of expandable reamers, using a hand reamer in the lathe is a poor way to waste money. And unless you are reaming through a hole, you end up with a taper at the bottom, with a hand reamer.

Make a D-Bit reamer. Cheap and practical. Also called a cannon bit, for some strange reason. Maybe something to that. :)

Cheers
Trev
 
Just a thought... A tap will not cut straight enough unless the work and tap is held in a fixture or a lathe. The die will not cut threads concentric with the bore. Sure, the threads will look good, but they won't be concentric with the bore. This will cause the brake, fake can or whatever to be "cocked" to one side with the chance that the bullet will hit the brake/etc. You don't want this to happen. If you are attaching something to the muzzle, the threads on the barrel should be cut in a lathe with a single point tool. The inside threads on the brake will be concentric enough if the brake is held in the lathe chuck, with the tap centred by a dead centre in the tailstock, and started with a taper to centre the tap.
 
ricksplace said:
Just a thought... A tap will not cut straight enough unless the work and tap is held in a fixture or a lathe. The die will not cut threads concentric with the bore. Sure, the threads will look good, but they won't be concentric with the bore. This will cause the brake, fake can or whatever to be "cocked" to one side with the chance that the bullet will hit the brake/etc. You don't want this to happen. If you are attaching something to the muzzle, the threads on the barrel should be cut in a lathe with a single point tool. The inside threads on the brake will be concentric enough if the brake is held in the lathe chuck, with the tap centred by a dead centre in the tailstock, and started with a taper to centre the tap.
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Yeah. Seems unreasonable to turn the barrel down on the lathe (so that it can be threaded) and then to not use the lathe to thread it properly.

Seen it again and again. Guys get so worked up worrying about grinding tools and thread cutting, that they try to avoid it, when what they should be doing is spending the time practicing the stuff on some scraps.
Of all the girls that went through the shop, even the one nearest to being hopeless as a tech, managed to grind a lathe tool, and cut good threads. It seemed to me that the females in general, had fewer preconceived notions about how hard it was going to be, so they just read the directions, and followed them. Maybe something to that, eh.

It ain't rocket surgery. Or brain science, either. Just skills that don't happen unless you try.

Cheers
Trev
 
trevj said:
Yeah. Seems unreasonable to turn the barrel down on the lathe (so that it can be threaded) and then to not use the lathe to thread it properly.

Seen it again and again. Guys get so worked up worrying about grinding tools and thread cutting, that they try to avoid it, when what they should be doing is spending the time practicing the stuff on some scraps.
Of all the girls that went through the shop, even the one nearest to being hopeless as a tech, managed to grind a lathe tool, and cut good threads. It seemed to me that the females in general, had fewer preconceived notions about how hard it was going to be, so they just read the directions, and followed them. Maybe something to that, eh.

It ain't rocket surgery. Or brain science, either. Just skills that don't happen unless you try.

Cheers
Trev
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Can't agree more. Dunno how many pieces of scrap steel I threaded until I screwed up (pun intended) the courage to cut into a real barrel. That was probably 20 years ago. As you said, it's not rocket science. Just follow the directions and practice.
 
+1 we order tons of tooling through them for work, great service and quick shipping and they usually have everything in stock.

I would tend to agree though that when alignment is critical such as threading a barrel to use a lathe
 
Blastattack said:
Been looking at those expanding reamers... want to get some steel stock and ream it our for a cannon barrel. Do you use them by hand or in a machine?
Click to expand...

These are hand reamers. Made in India, so likely not commercial quality, but OK for what I needed them for. Probably not the ideal tool for a cannon barrel, though.
(Hmmm... gotta look up D-bit reamer/cannon bit now!)

Victoradjreamer_zpse3e98341.jpg


:) Stuart
 
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