Which tap and die set

Will N said:
What parts on the Model A have a Metric thread as the original poster claimed?
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I think you are reading something into his post that can be merely written off as language/usage/translation differences.


His thread: A model A is build up with Lots of bolts and nuts. Even metric so i’ve noticed.



Should probably read: MY model A is build up with Lots of bolts and nuts. Even metric so i’ve noticed.



But who really knows what happened in Europe 90 years ago when the boat with nuts and bolts coming from Henry was late? Did the plant manager source something local to keep the line running?
 
The best tap and die set I bought was from an estate sale where the old guy was a machinist. The sets you buy at places like Harbor Freight are junk, in my opinion.
 
nkaminar said:
The best tap and die set I bought was from an estate sale where the old guy was a machinist. The sets you buy at places like Harbor Freight are junk, in my opinion.
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I agree about HF. Their tools are good for some things, but I do not trust them for anything critical or precision. i have had excellent luck with taps and dies from MSC Industrial Supply for critical or oddball sizes, and from Drills And Cutters for run-of-the-mill stuff. Best set of taps and adjustable dies is a set of Greenfield Tap and Dies (1/4"-1", NC and NF, adjustable dies) that I found at a flea market.

We're fortunate in a way, in my part of the world manufacturing in the semiconductor industry has shifted from Silicon Valley to places overseas and there is a lot of surplus precision tooling and equipment floating around in the used market. I've accumulated way more than I will ever need, but of course if I get rid of something I'll need it two weeks later...

One thing is for sure, though: in taps and dies, cheap you get what you pay for.

JayJay
 
JayJay said:
We're fortunate in a way, in my part of the world manufacturing in the semiconductor industry has shifted from Silicon Valley to places overseas and there is a lot of surplus precision tooling and equipment floating around in the used market. I've accumulated way more than I will ever need, but of course if I get rid of something I'll need it two weeks later...

One thing is for sure, though: in taps and dies, cheap you get what you pay for.

JayJay
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I agree with what JayJay said here and often, older stuff is better so long as it hasn't been ruined by misuse. With the younger generations having no clue what this stuff is, as our generation falls off the perch, some of this equipment turns up now and then for sale.
It has been many years now since a girl I was working with said that her father had lost his job as a maintenance fitter with a big company. He was at his wits' end worrying about his future. He was staying with his daughter for a while and the morning routine involved him going to the corner shop to get the daily newspaper and some milk. He came back one morning very soon after leaving, his arms loaded with several obviously heavy flat wooden boxes. He insisted that his daughter get her car out and come. She resisted but eventually relented. They made 3 trips back and forth carrying more boxes. She had no idea what they were but could see how excited her father was. It turns out they were boxes of drills, taps, dies etc put out on the side of the road for the council hard rubbish collection.
Acting on a hunch, later that day, dad went back to the house and at the end of a long driveway was a large tin shed. He reckoned he knew what was in there so he knocked on the door. A lady answered and he explained what he wanted - to look in the shed. Sure enough, it was full of the engineering machinery the stuff on the nature strip was for. He offered to buy the lot but she said he was too late. A scrap metal dealer had offered $400 for the lot. He said he would double it and won the deal. Neither she nor the kids had any idea what all this old stuff dad used to play with was - just more of his junk!
His house had a large area underneath the front of it and by the time he got all of the equipment in there, he had a well set up workshop for $800 and some trucking. He began doing small odd jobs for people and didn't look back
One door closes, another opens.
 
TomInCologne said:
some threads in the Zenith carburettor are metric... M5x0.75.
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I thought I had heard that was true at some point. My recollection is that it's the threads on the jets that are metric. I never understood why, but another poster mentioned that Zenith had French origins.
 
I’ve had good results with ModelA29’s suggestion of cutting a relief in a spare bolt. Also using a spiral wire brush low speed in drill. Letting the brush thread it’s self into the hole stopping at bottom and repeat as needed.
 
I purchased a set of rethreading dies from Amazon and so far it's served well. Pretty flimsy storage tray but I filled the underside of the lower part of the package with epoxy and it's now quite robust.

I can't get the link to store, it's
Lang Tools 2581 26-Piece Thread Restorer Tap and Die Set, black


JayJay
 
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