Cleaning small taped holes

[TuxMan]

On my current build there are a number of 2-56 blind holes. I was having difficulty getting all of the swarf form the holes. Compressed air did not work well. Repeated running the in, withdrawing it and brushing off the swarf was time consuming. I came up with a simple tool that I find helpful.

The tool is simply a small sewing needle, some cotton thread and a piece of wood dowel for a handle. Simply wrap the thread around the needle and insert into the hole to be cleaned. Move the needle around in the hole and withdraw. Swarf tends to get caught in the thread and tapping fluid will be soaked up. Wibe of the swarf and repeat. It may take several insertions but I find it quicker that other methods I have tried. When the thread gets saturated with tapping fluid simply move to a fresh section of thread.

The needle I have been using worked well for 2-26 holes but was too large for 0-80 and M1.6 tapped holes. I will have to find a smaller needle for the very small holes.

The photos below should make this clear.

I would be interested in seeing other methods for cleaning small holes.

Eric

 

[mklotz]

Harbor Freight sells a set of tube brushes...

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-piece-tube-brush-kit-95947.html

that work well. For the larger holes the brushes included with some older electric razors work well too.

 

[Lew Hartswick]

I haven't tried it yet but I have an idea that a hypodermic needle and the compressed
air may do the trick. By getting the air to the bottom of the hole first and letting it
blow by the sides of the needle on the way out I hope it'll do the trick. I'll have to
come up with a way to make the transition from the air line to the Luer (?is that the right
word) fitting. or fit to the back of the syringe. Have to be a bit careful of the pressure
or it may blow the needle off.
...lew...

 

[Ken I]

That's what I do - I have a fitting that screws into my air gun and has the correct taper to fit a hypodermic needle - they can blow off but generally don't.

Grind the beveled end off the needle.

Wear safety glasses - the swarf tends to come straight back at you at speed.

Ken

 

[rudydubya]

I use a regular old pipe cleaner for small tapped holes. When the end get dirty, cut the dirty part off. Use it over and over until you need a new one.

Rudy

 

[picclock]

I've found that immersing the parts in paraffin and agitating/changing the orientation of the part every 5-10 mins finds all sorts of swarf that other methods don't.

I have a compressed air gun which is OK for the large stuff, but for the small holes gravity and paraffin work every time, and as a bonus you can see how much extra has fallen out of the hole you thought was clean ;D

Best Regards

picclock

 

[jmshep]

I have some small brushes (like miniature bottle brushes) for cleaning between teeth. They are available in various sizes from the chemist (drug store). I suspect they would be useful for this, and come to think of it, many other uses in engineering.

 

[Donrecardo]

I swish the parts about in acetone that i keep in a small tupperware type box.
It disolves the thread cutting paste and the swarf just drops out . The
clip on box lid stops the acetone evaporating away so I use it over and over
till it gets too dirty to use .

Don

 

[peatoluser]

What a neat idea. The only way i can think of improving on it is to use a wine cork instead of a wooden dowel. Although i think it's best to stick the needle in the cork before drinking the contents ;D.
serious though, I like these low-tech ideas, and this ones definately on the to do list.
thanks for posting,
peter

 

[TuxMan]

Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. There are definitely Some things here that I will be trying in the future.

Eric