tiny taps and screws

[messe]

I need to locate a source for .5mm taps and screws. Have been using 0090 but need smaller. Thanks in advance
Mike

 

[stevehuckss396]

McMaster Carr has .5mm taps available. They have 000-120 and 0000-160 taps also.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#

 

[Dan Rowe]

Scale hardware has them.
http://www.scalehardware.com/

Dan

 

[Mainer]

Look at http://www.morris01550.com/
Their screws, nuts, and bolts are beautifully made. Their taps and dies, I am sure, are of equal quality but are ungodly expensive.

 

[deadin]

but are ungodly expensive.

Considering it usually takes several of the miniature taps for me to successfully tap a hole, I think I had better pass on these...... ;D

 

[doc1955]

I usually get my small fasteners from MicroFasteners they also sell taps and dies.
I am always happy with their fasteners never ordered any taps or tools from them.
http://www.microfasteners.com/catalog/products/TNMTAP.cfm

 

[Mainer]

I think I too would buy my taps and dies elsewhere, but J.I. Morris is a great source for tiny screws and nuts.
[edit]: I notice tap prices at McMaster-Carr roughly match prices at J.I. Morris for a 0000-160 (about $85). There may not be an "elsewhere."

If you're breaking several taps per hole, you may want to review your tapping technique. That shouldn't be happening. Are you using top-quality taps? A really good tap makes a huge difference. Are you using any kind of support for the tap wrench? One of these http://www.waltontools.com/products/spindle-charts.htm or similar helps a lot, though I notice the smaller one only goes down to #0 taps.

 

[stevehuckss396]

Considering it usually takes several of the miniature taps for me to successfully tap a hole, I think I had better pass on these...... ;D

Maybe the fact that you are breaking alot of taps is due to the fact that you aren't purchasing a good quality tap. It's a "you get what you pay for" kind of thing. Most of my buds think I'm nuts to pay 15 bucks for a tap when they are paying 3 but they always seem to be over here using my tools to extract broken taps.

I'm just saying. It works for me.


Cheers!

Steve

 

[steamer]

I would guess that supporting taps this size is really critical.

A tapping block or guide is in order....all you need to do is twitch and you'll snap a tap that small.

Dave

 

[Mosey]

Being lazy, I prefer Balax Thredfloer forming taps over cutting taps. No chip, no backing up. Of course you can break them if not careful/lucky, and they ain't cheap. Once I started using them I can't go back to what I consider primitive cutting taps. I don't work in hard materials, so don't know about that. Brass, alum, and softer steels is OK.
Get them anywhere like MSC, etc. and they go down to 000-120?. They come in all styles of bottoming. Made in USA.
Good holding and guiding and lubricant is essential.

 

[maverick]

Threadfloer or forming taps work great for the materials and reasons Mosey listed, like getting to the bottom of a blind hole.
Just make sure to use the proper hole size chart for the Threadfloer taps. Because the tap displaces material as it threads, the tap drill
hole must be slightly larger than for a cut tap. Charts are readily available online and from the manufacturer.

 

[Mosey]

Maverick is right. The holes for forming taps are very large in relation to the tap size, they seem to almost be too big at first, but be careful to use the recommended size and you will go right.

 

[mklotz]

The DRILL program on my page will find tap drill sizes for thread forming taps (option 'F' in the menu).

If you don't want to use the program, the formula is:

TD = MD - 0.0068*DOT/P

where:

TD = tap drill size
MD = major diameter of thread
DOT = depth of thread (%)
P = thread pitch (tpi)

For metric threads the formula is:

TD(mm) = MD(mm) - DOT*P(mm)/147.06

For comparison, a 1/4-20 conventional tap, 75% DOT, requires a tapdrill of 0.201". The equivalent thread-forming tap requires a tapdrill of 0.225", some 24 thousandths larger.

 

[messe]

Thanks guys for all the info. Have located the taps and screws but cannot locate a socket wrench to fit. Help again please.
Mike

 

[90LX_Notch]

Mike-

What size wrench do you need? I recently bought a machinist chest that had a bunch. If I have a duplicate of the size you need it's yours.

-Bob

 

[messe]

Bob, I need a socket wrench for a .5mm hex head screws. Very tiny. Be glad to pay any costs. Am working at a very small scale and 0090's are a bit large.
Thanks
Mike

 

[rleete]

Use a socket head cap screw as a wrench.

 

[messe]

What a great idea rieete. I can even turn the dia. down to get into tight places. you guys are really sharp. Thanks again.
Mike

 

[Dan Rowe]

Mike,
I am assuming you are talking about the scale hardware bolts which have a .76mm AF hex. That is a problem with metric set screws. Here is a link to the DIN 916 standard:
http://www.inokssan.com/ProductPDF/din916_a2.pdf

There is a .7mm and a .9mm but no .8mm listed for dimension s.

The hex spec works out to .030" anyone know of a socket head screw with that size key?

I have some of the .5mm nuts and bolts and they are tiny I mean tiny.

Dan