Starrett Style Tap Handles

Well done indeed! Could you share how you did some of the operations? When ever I see something as beautiful as this I wonder how it was done. Did you broach the square relief? How did you heat treat the part? Did you heat treat the plunger tip as well? Your tap wrenches are works of art.
 
Well done indeed! Could you share how you did some of the operations? When ever I see something as beautiful as this I wonder how it was done. Did you broach the square relief? How did you heat treat the part? Did you heat treat the plunger tip as well? Your tap wrenches are works of art.
I started by facing one end and drilling the hole for the plunger. Then pulled it out far enough to do the main body and one end, using a live center. I turned the OD and the shorter handle end. Then single point threaded the end. I used a form tool to get the large radius on the main part of the handle. I then flipped it, and used a tiny center drill so I could support it with a center while turning the handle. I roughed it in, and finished the taper on the handle with the compound in two sections, then added the radius on that side with the form tool.

Then I milled the main body flat +.020" or so from finish. I brought it to work to use the CNC mill for the pocket in the middle. I broached the square relief using a custom slug I made to fit the pocket, and machined the flared ends of the main body on the CNC mill as well.

The plunger was just turned and milled manually. It took some playing around with the get the right length and to locate the pin properly. I heat treated the tip with a torch. The knurled handle I just drilled and tapped, turned and knurled, and heat treated.

Heat treating was done in the small heat treat oven we have at work, it barely fit! I had to have it angled up and across the chamber, which is why it warped, it basically just sagged as it got hot. 1750 degrees for a few hours, then once cooled I tempered it at 400 for about 3 hours.

After that I just sanded everything down in the lathe, and polished with simichrome.

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Holy cow.
You are a tool and die man.
Beautiful job. Too pretty to use.
 
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