Taps- Educate Me

[chapbenc]

Well I kind of stumbled upon a big group of usa taps - my neighbor needed some money so I bought these and some other tools. - I think they are all USA - some are Vermont Brand, not sure if these are USA or not. - Anyway, what are some good brands to look for? More Importantly what are these worth give or take? Most are 7/8 to 1 1/8 along with some smaller and a few bigger? Any market for these on Ebay? Just have one pic of the group for now.

- Wasn't sure what forum to put this in, feel free to move it if necessary

[Papaw]

The post is in the right place.
Vermont American is good, if they are not new stuff that may have been outsourced, I am not sure.
Tough sell on Ebay due to the availability of good taps on the retail market, and shipping might be the deal breaker.

[chapbenc]

Thanks for the info, supposedly he bought these 15 years ago so the are probably usa. Some of the other brands I have found are Card, Brubaker, Pratt and Whitney, Greenfield, Morse and some others. Any of these better than the rest?

[Papaw]

I think all those are good makers, though I am no expert. Your best hope is that you have some individual pieces that a buyer needs to complete a set.

[scottg]

  Postage won't be too bad. You can ship 70 pounds in a flat rate box! 
  There are some sizes I could use. Pipe taps too, if there are any.

    I guess with so many and this is the way you got them, there isn't too much you can do about it now, 
 but personally, 
   I prefer my cutting tools sharp, not tossed into a pile banging against each other.
 Taps, drill bits, reamers, files, rasps etc. can all chip, or at least rub the edges dull in a hurry.
 They ship the good ones in padded packaging, wrapped in rust paper, for a reason.
 
  Many people toss them in bins and some even do that to sell them.
 I've seen buckets of loose brand new rasps in Home Despot! 
    But I wince whenever I see it.
  You might as well go rub them on the sidewalk or toss them into a cement mixer!

   What do people think these things are made of, you can treat them this way?
 I try to baby my tools whenever I can.
    And then they work when I need them to.

Oh, Vermont American was always a pretty cheap brand, even USA.
  Greenfield, Greenlee, Morse, P&W, and many others, were the better brands. Much more expensive new.

 Not that it matters on the used market.  They all sell about the same used, it seems to me.
    You'll get a decent rate in groups on ebay. Probably do ok on the whole shootin match too, if you want.
     yours Scott

[rusty]

The ones marked Card are probably bordering on antique status by now, card has been gone quite a while...

The bucket - o - taps, makes me cringe a bit as well, taps are made from steel that is very very hard, but as a consequence, brittle. The thin cutting edges chip very easily, particularly when they collide with other very very hard things..

However, they are still usefull as roughing taps, and for chasing crud out of threads, I pick them up at the flea once in a while. On rare occasions I find taps nicely dipped in wax, and then I smile, because I know some thoughtfull machinist preserved them just for me : )

[bird]

Hi folks, I've never found a screw or tap extractor that has worked well. But, I will say I picked up a set of vermont tap and die screw extractors.  I couldn't pass it up... a wooden box housing each individual "extraxtor" , with ornate brass hinges (albeit, painted green) conecting the thick, cardboard, outword shell to this little gem. The label reads, "Carbon Steel Screw Extractors, set no. 16, vermont tap and die corporation." It also says on the box, "TME 54-G"
Anyhow, I bought the set because I hadn't seen anything quite like it before. I'd love to hear what anyone has to say about it.

Well I kind of stumbled upon a big group of usa taps - my neighbor needed some money so I bought these and some other tools. - I think they are all USA - some are Vermont Brand, not sure if these are USA or not. - Anyway, what are some good brands to look for? More Importantly what are these worth give or take? Most are 7/8 to 1 1/8 along with some smaller and a few bigger? Any market for these on Ebay? Just have one pic of the group for now.

- Wasn't sure what forum to put this in, feel free to move it if necessary

[lzenglish]

Hi folks, I've never found a screw or tap extractor that has worked well.]



I agree 100%, and I'm sure many other members have been dissapointed in the performance of "Screw Extractors" as well! I have tried the cheapest HF brand, to the most expensive ones on the market, with the same basic result. They twist, break and deform, and the broken screw still sits in place in most cases. This is one of the tools we could have offered our new college member, who was looking for a tool to improve on. There are many more effective ways to remove a screw from an exaust manifold, or engine block, if you have a torch, and a stick or wire feed welder.

Wayne

[scottg]

Easy outs seem to fall to me in the neighborhood.
 I have broken some, but mostly, the more you do, the better it gets.
  Oh, I'll always weld a nut to the broken stub and walk it out hot, given a chance.
 But there are times when nothing else will work but an easy out. 
 
  The trick is getting the hole very near the center. Use a pilot bit first, then take up to just shy of the threads.
 Drill all the way through, or at least way deeper than you need to. You want to rob the stub of its strength.
Then tap in your extractor, connect your wrench and work it.  Pressure on, let off.  Use more penetrating oil. Go again.
  Light impact helps. Whack the wrench handle with a small brass mallet.  Go some more. Never rush.
 Patience is your only hope. It'll come.
 
 Doesn't always work, especially with tiny manifold and exhaust bolts that corrode so bad. Nothing gets those easy.
 But it does work more often than it doesn't.
  yours Scott