Can anyone tell me what I would need to buy to be able to tap threads and possibly make bolts also of automotive size and smaller. Are the sets available in hardware stores adequate? Metric or Imperial?

I am not sure about metric vs imperial threads in Australia. I remember there were not many metric threads about twenty years ago but things may have changed?

Also are thread gauges worth getting? Would I need a comprehensive set?

Thanks!

Masters sell sets from $20 to $150.All the products are on line on their website. Cheap ones for home top end for mechanics.Look them up

yer only buy what you need as a full set is several hundreds + that you wont use or figure out what you are going to need and buy a set to suit

def wont need anything over 12mm sutton do a set up to 12mm aBOUT $160

when you are cutting threads- dont forget to use "trefolex"? [I think thats what its called] goop- it makes the job lots easier and your taps and dies last much longer.

apart from that, forget that metric malarky.......use proper whitworth threads

stephen

So what exactly are you going to be doing?

You don't need whitworth unless your doing old machinery stuff.
I've forgotten the old Aussie car threads, was it ASA or something like that?

Definatly get thread gauges than if you encounter threads you don't know or recognise you can tell what's what, English stuff still has bspt threads and imperial, use a 5 inch grinder with a 1 mm cutting disc to make your own taps out of bolts.... Cut lengthways in 5 lines( star pattern) about 15 per cent into the bolt, especially good on big bolts where you can't justify spending a 100 bucks on a tap that size (wear a face shield good practice) if you go into repo super cheap they have cheap tap and die sets 4mm to around 16mm $50 should see you with a basic set of intermediate quality. If your using treflex and doing it at high speed causing smoke when cutting threads be careful as its a known carcinogen, rocol cutting liquid I reckon is better. Crc works buts flammable found that out several times and if you got rusty bolts, nuts that won't come apart try soaking them in hydraulic oil if crc fails.

use a cutting lube but remember to always were safety glasses as taps & dies are extremely hard & if they fail they shatter & the flakes are really small & extremely sharp . when tapping a hole or cutting a thread one turn forward one turn back to break swarf& stop jamming up & I agree just buy them as you need them cheap sets break very easy or find a mate whos a fitter & get him to get from work for you

knigit said..

Have a few practice runs tapping into something that you don't care about, don't do your first attempt into an engine block or you will be going up a thread size or 2

then you get to learn all about helicoils, keenserts and devcon

stephen

A tap is made with very hard steel in order to cut normal steel therefore it is more brittle and subject to fracturing. I remember watching an apprentice take a tap I had had for 20 years stick it into a hole and immediately snap it right off. You need to drill out the hole with the exact correct size drill bit down to the 64th of an inch whatever that is in metric.
If you have a bolt broken off instead of trying to drill it and use an easy-out a much more effective and lesser known technique is to use a left handed drill bit, this is a drill bit that cuts as the bit is turning counter-clockwise, when it grabs it will unscrew the broken bolt. Getting the broken bolt out is always better than having to helicoil or whatever.

Depends on the application. If you are making standard shoulder bolts you need alot of hex bar and a lathe, there would be no reason why you would do this ? Studs for engine blocks mabe.
Better to go down blackwoods and purchase the specific taps you require for the specific job.

The best bet would be getting a set of thread guages and a vernier (digital) and work out exactly what threads you need to produce.

Imperial threads are alot course metric threads are more finer. In saying that

The thread diameter May not necessarily indicate the pitch (tooth per inch)of the thread. e.g 6mm bolt

Don't buy ****ty taps because if they break you will more than likley need to use the spark errosion prosess to remove.



I cant Help you unfortunately champ. But if you post a pic of the desired thread im sure the people here would be more than welcome to help you out in finding measuring and identifying the taps and dies you require!