Thread: Are these taps good quality?

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone have used these taps before? NPT TAP SET 1 plug & 1 intermaite 2 taps 3/4 X14tpi - eBay Cutting Tools, Consumables, Metalworking, Metalworking, Woodworking, Business, Industrial. (end time 11-Jan-10 22:15:10 AEDST)

They are carbon steel, I think P & N and Sutton are usually HSS? Dont really want to buy them if are are going to break. I think a brand name Tap in that size would cost about $150, so they are quite a bit cheaper.

Any comments?

Thanks

I looked at them as well, but in 1/2inch for an extra drain in my mill table. He also has complete sets for $130.
12pc NPT TAP SET plug & 1 intermaite 2 tap per size - eBay, Other Business, Industrial, Business, Industrial. (end time 10-Dec-09 08:29:05 AEDST)
I ended up buying a P&N seconed hand taper tap from the local markets for $7, most markets have a seconed hand tool truck bloke.
If you want new, there is another seller on ebay as well as Len
eBay Australia Shop - Om Tools: Cutting Tools, Carbon Taps Dies, Measuring Tools
Dave

Its not about if the tap will break-not unless you are really tough on gear, its more about wear.It will depend on your frequency of use. If its once in a blue moon sure, go carbon steel but if you are looking at a repeated use forget it.
After a few uses the carbon steel will be blunt on average steels and quicker than that on stainless.

I purchased a 6mm HSS Goliath tap last week and that cost me $14.
Sutton /P&N will sell you a carbon, alloy or HSS,Its dependent on your needs.

Grahame

I really cannot see any benefit of HSS in hand taps/dies..

HSS's only advantage is it will not soften at elevated temperatures, so unless you can spin the tap/die at a few hundred RPM's it really is of no benefit...

However... HSS taps/dies are probably made from a higher quality tool steel and that is where the advantage lies..

Also be aware that some el-cheapo HSS taps/dies are still going to be inferior to the likes of a Sutton/P&N chrome steel tap/die. I recently purchased an Asian HSS 5/8W die..I could not even complete one thread before the die was destroyed...I tested it's hardness with a file and I could easily mark the die....I took it back to the supplier and they gave me another one of the same make..I tried marking it but could not...The first one I bought had not been heat treated properly..

I,m always wary when the can,t even supply a photo that is in focus

Hhmmm, about here there should be the warning of "YOU ONLY GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR".

Or, what do you want, the finest quality oats, or the oats that have been thru the horse ?

You pay crap prices for CRAP.

If you want them to last, then pay for the GOOD QUALITY brand named ones.

John

"I,m always wary when the can,t even supply a photo that is in focus "

ha ha ha, me too.

I bought a set of taps off the net somewhere. They are one of my favourite tools. I use them all the time, especially for faceplate work on the lathe. I must have tapped 50 holes in mild steel with the 8mm tap and its still as new. I have only done one hole in stainless though.

It was this set...

Tap and Die Set 110 Piece Metric and Imperial - New - vShop Item 5849429

The toolman bloke is good. I think I had the set on my doorstep in about three days from clicking buy now.

I have bought a set of BSP taps of him,

Wernt to bad, Nothing to complain about.

Also posted it out before my E cheque on Paypal cleared!

I bought 2 sets of taps/dies..one metric one UNC/UNF..

When ever I wear/break one I replace it with a higher quality product as the ones that get the most use wear out first and benefit from a better quality product.

I find that Len,,(LPR Toolmakers) Is a little bit on the expensive side for the quality of what he sells.Not that I am acomplainer but I have found much cheaper for the same quality product on EBAY.
Just my 2 cents worth.

You can buy chrome steal taps made by Suttons and you used to be able to buy them made buy P&N before they became a mear name owned by Sutton. The threads on them are not ground like the HSS taps but they are much much cheaper. I never buy HSS taps if I can avoid it, as far as I'm concerned they're a complete waste of money. I have many HSS Sutton taps from when I worked in the trade. They don't last longer than the chrome steal ones and they're not harder.

If you need a thread of high accuracy for some reason, ground HSS taps could be worthwhile.

Perhaps forgotten in these threads (sic) are the holes themselves.
Thread taps frequently get the blame for poor thread quality or rejected threads and it is natural to look to the tap itself as the culprit.

In fact, the tap is often the victim of a poorly drilled hole. You can't create a great thread out of a bad hole!

Following are some issues and possible resolutions.

1. A dull drill bit will create a very rough torn hole. Expect poor or incomplete threads.

2. A reground drill bit must be perfectly concentric. The cutting lips must be of equal length and be ground to the same angles. Failure to create a concentric point will cause the drill to cut on one side more than the other and a crooked, bent hole will result making an attempt to tap that hole very difficult. This can also produce an oval egg shaped hole.

3. Non drilled holes, s in some castings sometimes have a tapered hole so the part will release easily. Threading requires straight walls and tapered walls are impossible to thread correctly.

4. Undersized holes are difficult or impossible to thread.

5. In some steels, holes that have had the surface work hardened by too high a temperature in the drilling process can become too hard to thread effectively.

6. Materials,ie plastics, that shrink or close-in after drilling are undersized for tapping.

7. Holes too near welding or flame cut areas can become hardened and difficult to thread.

Consider good hole quality as essential in producing quality holes and if you are having difficulty, do not forget to investigate the drilling process in addition to the tap.

Grahame

Thanks for that Grahame, that seems like pretty good advice.

Originally Posted by blackfrancis

You can buy chrome steal taps made by Suttons and you used to be able to buy them made buy P&N before they became a mear name owned by Sutton. The threads on them are not ground like the HSS taps but they are much much cheaper. I never buy HSS taps if I can avoid it, as far as I'm concerned they're a complete waste of money. I have many HSS Sutton taps from when I worked in the trade. They don't last longer than the chrome steal ones and they're not harder.

If you need a thread of high accuracy for some reason, ground HSS taps could be worthwhile.

Hi, would you be able to add a photo of one of these chrome steel taps and the packaging that they come with so that the writing is clear and can be read ?

If you meant Tungsten Chrome Alloy, then they are just the run-of-the-mill stock standard older type of taps, which are made from Carbon Steel.

These HSS taps you have left over " from the days when you were in the trade ", any chance of packaging them up and sending them to me?

John

I still want my taps, sorry. Yep the chrome ones are just the carbon steel taps. You can still buy them made by Suttons, you may have to get them ordered in. I think they are about a third the price of HSS ones.