SO many great little learnings packed into one little project, and nicely explained! Whether one needs to make a tap or not, this is worth watching just to learn a LOT of little tips, tricks, and better ways to do things. (Just a few: why and when to use a spotter drill, not a center drill. Leave the plastic on the end mill. Drill bits are for/better at making holes in X situation; end mills in Y situation, BUT think about these things too which is why you need to actually use BOTH to make ONE hole in a particular, unusual situation. Which you wouldn't do (and would probably screw it up) if you didn't know & think about several characteristics of each! Etc....) THANKS for a great little tutorial.
I have to say, your dremel fixture setup was brilliant. I always fear breaking out that tool as it's the time I always think to myself, "this is where I turn a nice professional looking part into a garage hacked together looking part."
Thank you so much for a very nice technical video. Try this little trick on for size, (from an old Machinist/Tool & Die Maker/Welder/Designer 40 years, retired disabled over 10 years ago.) Put your lathe in 1/2 back gear...In other words, pull the gear handle, but don't pull the pin. That will lock your chuck spindle, if you're going to use a tap handle. On another note, put your tap into a chuck, morse tapered into your tail-stock. Use your spindle chuck key to turn your stock and the chuck on the tail-stock for holding your tap. In this case, don't tighten your tail-stock. At first, lean into it to start the thread. Then just turn the chuck 1/2 turns using your chuck key to turn your stock. Don't use tapping oil...use Crisco Vegetable Shortening instead. You'll break far less taps this way! You'll also find you can power-tap using Crisco. When close to the end of the tapping session, finish by hand and then reverse on back out, after you come to a complete stop, or you'll pop your tap! (If you're tapping Aluminum, use Terpentine as a cutting oil.) You made mention, that your work wasn't supported from behind, when in the divider head chuck. I had a plastic sectional box of WOODEN parallel bars, that I used for this very purpose. Be it in a chuck or in a machine vice, my work was always level. If it got drilled into, so what. It would still work for some things. When it was shot, all it was, was a piece of oak I had machined in my spare time. Chunk it in the garbage and grab another one out of the box. That would take care of your support problem. Also, that was a Kewl jig you came up with, using a door hinge and a Dremel tool, to cut your slot. Here's something you can do, when you're hardening something...crush up a bunch of Walnut Hulls. Then crush up the coals from a wood fire. Don't take it all the way to a powder...that's explosive! Just down to granuals. Mix the shells and the carbon and DRY play sand and put in a metal bowl. Dig a shallow hole in the center, a tad larger than your part. Heat to a dark yellow or light red, whichever works best for your equipment/application. Then lay your part in the hole and immediately scoop more mix over the part. Then pour more dry play sand over it. (this holds the heat and allows the Walnut shells to inject the carbon into the open pores of the surface of the metal.) Forget about it for an hour. Using tongs, reach in and get your part. You have just CASE HARDENED it. Now heat IT up just before red and drop it in oil. This hardens and gives a memory. Then heat it in a shop toaster oven, on about 175 degrees for about 20 minutes...and then let it cool to room temperature on it's own. You just annealed it. If it's TOO hard, it will be brittle, and will break! The annealing takes the brittle out of it. Thanks again for posting a great video!
I enjoy videos of people making things. My primary occupation is in a military firearms factory, and work with mills, drills, CNC machines, and lathes. My hobby is restoring acoustical talking machines and making the cylinder records for early two minute machines. My father makes miniature steam engines so has small lathes and mills. Thanks for a nice video.
I found the Demel / brass hinge set-up to be a stroke of genius. Nothing to be ashamed of there. Your vids are interesting, informative and relaxing. Always learning something. Thanks for the post.
I LIKE This channel. Watching stuff being made on a lathe, mill, (and sandblasting, which you don't) ... is very fun -- especially of the highlights at fast speed. It's hypnotic. Thank you.
Excellent stuff. I recently inherited a mini-lathe. It was completely covered in grease. Using your videos I was able to take most of it apart and clean it. Now I’m just watching video of things you’ve made. Very fascinating!
A really good video, all processes clearly described without unnecessary commentary, very useful for me as I also have a Boley watchmakers lathe needing feed-screw renovation. Thanks.
I usually just put the lead screw in the lathe and then run a thread file on it. It's a lot quicker if you have the right file with the correct thread pitch. But this was still a very cool video on how to make a die.
I found your tempering method interesting. I am a woodworker and sometimes forge my own tooling. I find it easier to temper in my wife's cooking oven. Light straw is usually around 400 deg F. Check your material data chart. Check oven with a thermometer first and let it soak for about 20 - 30 minutes. you can also throw a test piece in and check it that manor. A word of warning, make sure you have removed all the oil from your part. If you fill the kitchen with oil smoke, your survival may be in question.
Tempering in a bed of brass chips seems to be a common traditional method among horologists. I was using this method as I've seen it used in a number of videos about clock and watch making. As you saw in the video, it didn't go all that well. :) I'll certainly try the oven technique at some point, though I may have to wait until the oven is already hot, as it seems wasteful to heat up a large cooking oven to temper such a tiny tool. Thanks for the suggestion!
Making a tap and die? What a courageous effort! Great work. You are my hero! I love the detailed technical explanations and lessons from experience you are passing on. Great stuff!! Keep them coming!
Great stuff Alistair, Well done!! I particularly like the simplicity of your jig idea for cutting the slot. FWIW, I've got an old Aussie made P&N die that's not only split but features a tiny grub screw that forces & holds its gap open. The real beauty of this grub screw arrangement is it acts as a fine adjustment stop so the die can just be used as a chaser. Out of all the dies I own, regardless of their sizes, this is the only one with this particular feature. regards Colin
Thanks Colin! I'd love to know how they cut the thread for that grub screw. Since I made this video I've used die wrenches with much finer adjustment screws, which give much finer adjustment of the die depth, and I'm considering an upgrade to my tailstock die holder to make it easier to control the die depth of cut.
I have had great success using 3 flute end mills. A lot of chatter is occurs because the cutter can react against the opposite side. This works VERY well with facing cuts.
That's the great thing about having a fully equipped shop.. Tool doesn't exist? I guess we will just have to make one! Awesome! I loved the dremel setup as well.. A dremel drill is definitely one of my favorite tools! In many situations, they are able to make what seems like a big problem seem insignificant!
My tiny Proxxon MF70 micromill will chuck a cutoff disc and I use that when I can. Cutoff discs are really brittle but fortunately are cheap. Especially if you buy the ones from Dremel rather than Proxxon. For heat-treating operations I made a "tin can furnace" from instructions all over the internet. Can be used indoors on a flat brick, costs almost nothing. Got to remember that boric acid trick. Well done.
Thanks for the tips! I'm on the look out for an MF70 for fine work, as I think it might fill a gap my mill currently can't quite do. Would love to know more about how useful you find it. The tin can furnace sounds like a good approach, as my current furnace loses a lot of heat into the open. The boric acid trick is a standard horology technique, and is covered in a lot of watch and clock making books. Clickspring covered it really well in his videos, which is my main inspiration here.
The MF70 is no Bridgeport. It will accept tooling with approx.1- 2-3 mm diameter shanks. In fact the collets that come with the mill are 1, 2, 3 and 3.2 mm (1/8") but it is possible by diligent search to find end mills that will fit it. The Proxxon endmill set is very expensive and a bit of Search work is worth the trouble. I have pushed this mill beyond its limits. I have no room in my shop for anything bigger. It is agony to face a 40 mm square piece of flat steel with a 3.2 end mill. But I did it . I think that within its limits the MF -70 is a nice piece of gear. Especially when you are limited for room.
@@juanrivero8 From what I've read the MF70 collet is the same system as Proxxon use in their drilling and grinding tools, so would be the same as my little drill, and would accept the same tooling.
Interesting. If you shop around the internet, you can find a lot of tooling with 3mm shanks. I have some 2mm, 2.5mm, 2mm ball end tooling in solid carbide that I am very pleased with. I can also chuck Dremel tooling, which is a lot cheaper than Proxxon. Maybe not as good so I regard the Dremel stuff as expendable tooling. The MF70 qualifies as a Very Small Mill. I have no room for anything bigger:)
fwiw ; boric acid mixed with water is used as an eye wash under certain conditions. very very well done, i have always wondered how dies were made, now i know. thank you for a very interesting and instructional video.
The only warnings I found were against breathing in the dust, so the gloves were mostly because of the alcohol. However I'm not qualified to tell people what's safe, so in videos I err on the side of caution.
@Just1Guy Metalworks yeah it great though I am disappointed a bit, was hoping to be able to make a full set myself than have to own tap or die to make the other one
Thanks, that would definitely have been essential if I wanted to cut new threads, but I don't think it mattered too much for chasing an existing thread. I'm not certain whether it would be better to cut the taper before hardening, or try and grind it later. Either would be pretty fiddly dealing with a thread of this size.
Maybe it's a regional thing or maybe it's an industry thing. Z-axis and Zed-axis were terms I heard growing up from my Father (a tool maker machinist) and were terms used in Math and Engineering courses I took. (I'm from the U.S too)
That worked great! I love the trick with the steel wool, never thought of that but I'm remembering that for the next time I have to heat treat a small part!!
I first saw the boric acid/alcohol paste on Clickspring. Same for the tempering in brass shavings. I may have to try it next time I heat treat a small item. You might be well served to make a mini forge with a couple soft firebricks and your mapp torch. It would hold the heat in the part much better and more evenly.
Hi, thanks for the shout out on your community post. Just enjoying it this video, and noticed you promise a card at 3:23, and one doesn't appear. The video is in the suggested list below, so I'll go watch to that next..👍
No problem, your videos definitely deserve more views and subscribers than you've had so far. Glad to be able to send a few your way. I just checked the card at 3:20, and it's there for me. Weird that it didn't appear for you. It's timed to appear just before I mention it.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Just checked, and on my PC it is fine - just my phone. Wouldn't be the first time it'd done something odd. All the best.
Very Interesting. Next time you need to do hardening, use extra fire bricks around 3 sides and over the top to make it an oven. Your way you were losing to much heat, even on a non windy day you would still get a lower temperature than if the part was totally enclosed. Thanks for showing all the operations.Use steel wire next time too for handling purposes.
Really interesting video, especially the bits about adjusting the die cutter to take shallow cuts. I knew that it was possible but I haven't seen it done. Thanks for the great info and for your time 😊
Also, you have engineers thumb nail. I have the same thing. Years of damage to the bed of the thumbnail leaves streaks in the nail :) It's like a badge of honour.
Great to see, really interesting, never done quenching with water, was surprised not to hear the pinging sound of the steel letting go. Impressive video👍
I just had a thought in passing - hinges for fire doors tend to be better quality than cheaper ones and the best quality hinges have washers or even tiny bearings and so will have less slop than a cheap hinge - one of the these may give more accuracy for a similar job. I notice that hinge looks to be quite a good one but some are absolutely terrible - for example I can't imaging that operation turning out well or safely with the average hinges iIhave lying about in my workshop drawers :)
Thanks for the comment. I just got lucky when I was making this tap, as I happened to have a pair of brand new, unused interior door hinges. Probably nowhere near as good as the fire door hinges you suggest, but I think easily enough for this die.
I am a toolmaker and unfortunately this guy is a hack and knows enough to call himself a DIY backyard wannabe. Do not use his techniques as most are wrong.
Onetwelfthscale A wonderful video of exercises in miniature engineering. I also own a lot of Proxxon tools and am always amazed at how accurate they are. I have found that using the diamond cutting wheels are a lot more secure than the carborundum wheels.
Great video! I would recheck that there isn’t a gross misalignment between the threaded rod and it’s accompanying components. The worst wear appeared to be mainly diametrical which implies the mating member was originally located too low. Great work!
Thanks! I'm pretty sure I understand how the thread got damaged, but I'll also carefully check the alignment when it all goes back together again. There is a ring attached to the shaft with a pin, which keeps the lead screw fixed, and ensures that the nut moves along the screw, moving the slide. This pin sheared, the ring and pin started to work their way down the screw. The broken pin pressed against the outside of the thread, and mushroomed the points. Thanks for the tip!
4:25, on the edge of my seat waiting for the old "snap". That has to be a little nerve racking. A big thumbs up for the link on how all the info for the the die was determined, just before you said it, I thought "how the heck did he determine all the......" Great video and thanks again.
Small thin sections of silver steel should be hardened & tempered in oil, water can sometimes be too harsh/cold and crack the object. What about the burrs on the thread after end milling the holes and de burr’ing?
Idea with the hinge is brilliant. You need to sharpen Die using abrasive drill bit, and make relief angle like when you make tap. just using angle plate or so and drill press or mill
Just a small note about your grinding a slot on 26:15. You should have feed the die from the bottom, not from the top. If the grinding wheel binds, and it can because you are feeding material on the back side, it will lead to real bad disaster.
An excellent result ! However it would have been much easier, (I realise you probably do not "do" easy), to have used a thread restorer device like the Buckingham thread restorer. You should really get some proper centre drills ,they will give you a much better, and accurate hole location than a stub drill ever will, especially on a very light duty machine like you have, also using a 2 flute slot drill would make boring down a lot easier as they have an offset centre and can cut straight down without a pilot hole to clear the swarf, this was a really interesting video, and I like the use of Boric acid ! Chris B.
Nice, but you should get you a small oven like Efco 150 for heat treading with an electronic thermometre or a ramp controller. And you did not use cutting oil on you most important cut, the tread screw. But interesting to see what can be done on the small Proxxons.
Next time warn a man before changing camera angles and increasing the sound when cutting with a dremel! I was so absorbed in the video you frightened 6 years of life outta me! LOL using that hinge was a great idea! Kudos for thinking outside the box! Brilliant result! Keep up the good work!
I know this is an old video but given the included angle of 55 degrees, sounds like a bsw thread. "British standard whitworth" Measured in threads per inch like imperial threads but with 55 degree included angle instead of 60 like imperial threads and also i beleive the courser pitches have a radius at the root and tips of the thread.
I’m new here and thinking of buying the Proxxon pd250e lathe. Have you done a review with pros and cons etc. I saw the quick change bolt you made and was wondering if there is much more you would do? I’m often told ‘buy nice or buy twice’ and don’t mind the extra cost if I don’t have to mess around with the product too much. Proxxon seem to have good support and back up so that’s a huge plus for me over some others. Can you please direct me towards where you might have done a critique. I’m pretty impressed so far. I like how you are not shy about revealing your errors, much to learn from that as well. Thank you so much.
Over the last couple of years I've been trying to gather evidence, and really understand the tradeoff between a cheap Chinese lathe and a Proxxon. It turns out to be quite a complicated decision though, as it's not as simple as the build and quality. The PD 250/e came finished to a very high standard. I was able to use it straight away, and I've never had to make significant adjustments to it. However it is a very light machine in terms of available motor torque, and the weight of the major components, which is a limitation that can't really be improved. It's pretty clear from my videos that my Chinese lathe arrived in terrible, unusable condition, though some suppliers do sell very similar lathes to a higher standard. However, the various parts of the Chinese lathe are very solid. If I view the Chinese lathe as delivered as a kit, then it's entirely possible to use it to build a lathe that is much more capable than the Proxxon, as it's bigger, heavier, and more solid. The downside is the 100s of hours of work and learning required to get there. Obviously this makes no sense commercially, or for anyone who just wants to start making projects, but for a hobbyist with lots of workshop time and desire to learn it would make a lot more sense.
First time viewer. A very interesting process, but is it fair to call it a die? I suspect that it more of a chaser than a die, as it has no lead in taper to be able to initiate a thread on a length of rod. Fair enough, it was made to chase an existing damaged thread rather than cut a new one from scratch, and it seems to be doing the job it is intended for quite nicely. Thanks for the video.
A good point, and you may well be right. Tools like this seem to be called Thread Chasers or Chaser Dies interchangeably in various catalogues, so I'm not even sure what the correct term is. I may yet grind a lead taper and relief, probably just as an exercise.
Dremel setup.... I have a saying in my shop: nobody needs to know how it was done. it's the final product that matters, not the process. I have cobbled up a lot of fixtures that got thrown away when done.
Great vid, lot's of good tips. By the way acetone is not an effective solvent for oil and grease. Panel wipe, also known as pre-paint works much better.
Thanks for the tip! I ended up giving the brass chips a thorough wash in hot water and detergent. They are now grease-free and make no smoke if I heat them.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe and roum22, I have a friend whom does car and bike restorations and his paintwork is the best I have seen in my 60 yrs. In Australia he calls this Grease and Wax remover, years ago when I played with cars I would call it Prepsol. Only mention this so others reading this thread may gain some help from this. Cheers from John, Australia.
