- Joined
- Mar 24, 2012
- Messages
- 33
Forgive the newbie question, but I have had a problem for some time now in that I often have the need to tap small threaded holes, mostly 6-32, 3mm, 4-40, etc. The problem is I have a collection of hand wrenches to hold those taps, and practically none are reliable - they let the tap slip in it's grip, or the tap chews up the jaws of the wrench due to weak steel, or something else like that goes awry.
We can argue about technique (I use cutting lube appropriate to the material, I try my best to keep the taps sharp and clean, I am careful to use the recommended drill sizes for cutting taps, I back it off often to keep cuttings clear, I use the best method I can think of to keep the tap straight under uniform pressure, etc, etc) but that's not my question as there are plenty of places online to get that kind of technique advice.
My question is where can I get a reliable wrench that has a good grip design for these sizes and uses quality tool steel. I have a small collection of them now (many of them came in tap and die sets, but some were single purchase) and none seem to hold up, and its getting frustrating!
Any recommendations?
We can argue about technique (I use cutting lube appropriate to the material, I try my best to keep the taps sharp and clean, I am careful to use the recommended drill sizes for cutting taps, I back it off often to keep cuttings clear, I use the best method I can think of to keep the tap straight under uniform pressure, etc, etc) but that's not my question as there are plenty of places online to get that kind of technique advice.
My question is where can I get a reliable wrench that has a good grip design for these sizes and uses quality tool steel. I have a small collection of them now (many of them came in tap and die sets, but some were single purchase) and none seem to hold up, and its getting frustrating!
Any recommendations?