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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Brisbane, Qld
    Posts
    33

    Default Die holders/chucks/etc

    Hi folks,

    Forgive another beginner machinist question - but there seems to be a fair few options to hold dies on the lathe, and I'm struggling to figure out the pluses and minuses from simple die holders which would be relatively easy to make, to sliding die holders, to what look like fairly simple chucks, to impressively expensive chucks with torque limiters.

    What are people using? To start with I'll be aiming to make some pens, so will be working mostly with sizes from around M8 to M14...

    Cheers,

    Danny

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Melbourne
    Age
    35
    Posts
    1,522

    Default

    I made some fixed ones for pipe dies and they worked pretty well. I think for small sizes in soft materials you would need the sliding style.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,945

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rtyuiop View Post
    Hi folks,To start with I'll be aiming to make some pens, so will be working mostly with sizes from around M8 to M14...Cheers, Danny
    Hi Danny, I think you'll find that the threads for pens, are not your standard type of threads.
    The standard threads are too coarse as you'd need something real fine like 32 or more TPI and are a triple start, otherwise to screw the cap off will be a 2 minute effort. To get a tap and die made to suit your M8 to M14 in triple starts are around $150 each one, so a set would be around the $300 mark, landed in Australia, DAMHIKT.
    I'm a member of another group, that is purely Pens and that price was for a group buy!!! PM me for details of it, if you're interested.
    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tap-Die-...frcectupt=true
    Something like the above will be fine for standard taps and dies.
    Regards,
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Brisbane, Qld
    Posts
    33

    Default

    Thanks Kryn - yeah, the price of triple start taps and dies is upsetting! I keep an eye on the IAP as well as a few aussie pen turners groups in case a group buy comes up, but I suspect I will just buy a few from turners warehouse in the end.

    Planning to use a few cheap non-pen tap/die sets to learn with before splashing out on the real deal.

    Danny

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,443

    Default

    Hi Danny,

    You can easily make a sliding die holder, the peg is used to prevent rotation and to limit the length of thread.
    For fine threads of small diameter I just grasp the die holder with my hand relying on the guide rod for alignment.

    I'll post a picture of mine later.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Picnic Point, Sydney
    Age
    77
    Posts
    312

    Default

    Seeing you've got the lathe then you can turn up a holder that fits in the tailstock chuck.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
    Posts
    292

    Default

    I have made a few pens from scratch and had the set Kryn linked been available I would have bought it. What I did when buying some of the single start taps and dies for the section etc., was to get the holders in the pictures below and used them with a transfer punch in the tailstock chuck. They are cheap and as I hand feed like BaronJ does they work just fine with ebonite and the usual plastics we use in pens. They are simple enough that you can make them if you want to. The tapping I used my hand tap handle with a spring loaded tapping guide in the end of the tap holder. https://www.victornet.com/detail/MAY-SC2323.html You can likely find them closer to home instead of ordering from the US.

    The other thing I'll mention is that Beaufort Ink in the UK stock triple start taps and dies along with the ones for the fountain pen sections they sell. You can check and see if there is any savings getting them from the UK over the US.

    Pete
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