Tap advice

[Wizard69]

Hard advice for most of us to take, but YES: toss taps (or resharpen) as soon as they seem even slightly dull. A few bucks saves a few hours, or a part.

Yes it is very very hard to do when you are paying for those taps out of your own pocket. However the grief of a tap broken off in the wrong place can be very painful. There are lots of places to cut corners in a home shop but taps aren't one of them in my mind.

And re Crisco: I'm one of those guys. Taught to use it for reamers 50+ years ago (fill the flutes solid). I use A9 or chlorosulfunated oil for tapping, but for reaming, Crisco is the lube to use- the full flutes float the reamer in, and chatter just disappears. Especially good with hand reaming where the setup is not so rigid.

To be honest I've never tried it. I will have to do so on a home project. The ribbing i would get for suggesting that we stock Crisco in the shop would be endless. We have a lot if guys set in their ways, they even object to using WD40 on aluminum.

 

[bazmak]

Whats Crisco.Nothing wrong with WD40 on anything,i prefer it over any tapping grease,which tends to trap the cuttings and sometimes breaks a tap

 

[goldstar31]

Difficult and very political stuff but it is part of the War of the FIVE food and soap giants. Proctor and Gamble( Thos Hedley) on our side of the Tyne and what was Lever Bros on Merseyside. Then you roll in whales and at least one American president and a million other factors which involve us all.
Ironically, it is not peanuts although Crisco is just that!

I just happily toddle along with lard oil and tallow but even that caused a Indian mutiny-- and the Black Hole of Calcutta.

Norm

 

[Wizard69]

Whats Crisco.

Crisco = All Vegetable shortening. It is commonly used in the kitchen. It is a product of the J. M. Smucker Company. According to the label in is a concoction of Soybean Oil, palm Oils and other "goodies". Basically a vegetable based cooking grease.

I use it to keep all my cast iron cook ware in order.

Nothing wrong with WD40 on anything,i prefer it over any tapping grease,which tends to trap the cuttings and sometimes breaks a tap

WD 40 certainly works OK on some materials.