T-handle tap wrench for M1.2 taps?

[nkalanaga]

I also use a pin vise for my 00-90 tap, the only size I regularly use.  I have an old, worn-out one that won't grip small drills anymore, so have a 1/16th inch bit permanently in one end, and the other, smaller end works fine for my 00-90 tap.  I don't leave it in, for fear of breaking it when using the drill bit.  If you have more than one old pin vise, dedicate one to just the tap, and you can leave it in.

[John]

Small c clamp. 

[Lemosteam]

Drill ma hole through the center of a pin vice near the top and epoxy a steel rod the the hole for the T handle.

[Maletrain]

I am considering modifying a cheap T-handle tap wrench to see if I can make it grip tighter by widening the slots.  If that works, I will also drill out the center of the top of the handle so that it can spin around a stud held in a drill press.  If it works OK, I will post the result here, once I get the time to do it.

I was just hoping to be able to buy something that already does what I want.

[Missaberoad]

There's this.

https://ebay.us/m/cqM5iD

The m 1.2 taps I bought are 1.6mm across the flats.
Im not certain a t handle would provide the level of control you want at that size. Interested to see your results tho.

[robert3985]

I also use one of my Starrett pin vices for holding a 00-90 or similar diameter tap when tapping respectively sized holes.  I've been doing this for decades and I've never broken a tap in any of the materials I was tapping which includes brass, bronze, zinc alloy, Delrin or any other type of plastic, fiberglass and Phenolic.

My father taught me early on to lube any tapping job done in metal.  30 weight oil has done the trick most of the time even though I use TAP Magic now because it's handy and I use it when cutting threads with my lathe.

I think this is being over-thought as I've been drilling and tapping small holes since I was a teenager when I started building models and doing HO scale model railroading in 1956 with my first Tyco Civil War train set.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[nkalanaga]

I've broken one tap in the last 50 years - because my hand slipped.

[peteski]

I have never used a T-handle tap holder with 000, 0, 0, or 1 size taps. I have never seen a T-handle small enough to comfortably use it with those small taps. I have tapped hundreds or holes in various materials and only times I  broke a tap was due to my hand slipping.  T-handle would not have prevented that.

I use single-ended pin vise (the top part freely rotates when pressed against the palm of your hand) to hold the taps. I find that configuration most comfortable and stable.

[Maletrain]

FWIW, I filed out the milled slots of a cheap T-handle tap wrench so that the jaws would squeeze down to hold the small M1.x taps that I have. 

I used a cheap tap wrench, but it works as intended.  The upper part of the handle is a tad less than 1/2", so I just use a small piece of 1/2" (ID) PVC pipe in the dill press to hold the wrench in-line with the hole I just drilled, with enough vertical play to accommodate the small screw depths I need for these tiny screws.

While doing that and checking fit, I noted that the square shanks of the M2.x taps were about 0.175", and the M1.x taps were all under 0.161", some as small as 0.155", which is less than the 1/16" (0.1625") that most small tap handles claim to hold.  The cheap wrench I modified would hold the M2.x taps, but not the M1.x taps.  The much better ratcheting wrench I previously used to tap the M1.6" hole, mentioned above, would hold some of my M1.x taps, but not all of them, even holding and not holding different taps of the same thread size.  So, maybe my problem is that the tap set I bought is actually "seconds" for issues like the drive square dimensions.  They do cut nicely, though.

One other thing I should probably mention is that my eyeglasses have progressive lenses that make it hard for me to judge angles correctly, so keeping the tap properly aligned with the hole is something I try to avoid doing "by eye" in anything that is critical.

Works for me - YRMV.

[peteski]

One other thing I should probably mention is that my eyeglasses have progressive lenses that make it hard for me to judge angles correctly, so keeping the tap properly aligned with the hole is something I try to avoid doing "by eye" in anything that is critical.

I can see that being an issue.  I have couple of "readers" glasses with different diopter value,  and of course  my trusty Optivisor. I select the most appropriate magnification for the specific task at hand.  Readers can be purchased for about $3/pair at dollar stores.  Maybe that is something to remedy your progressive lens problem?  I also find that a tap will seek the proper angle once it starts biting into the hole, but a gentle touch is required for this.

[Maletrain]

Single focal length lenses do avoid the angle perception problem that "progressive" lenses create due to shifting focal length over the lens surface.  But, in my case, I also need strong corrections for the astigmatisms in the natural lenses in my eyes.  So simple "reader" glasses from the store leave me with multiple overlapping images due to the lack of correction for the astigmatisms. 

Getting a pair of "readers" custom-made for my astigmatisms is not cheap, so I have been using a pair of interchangeable lens magnifying glasses that fit over my regular glasses .  The version I have is marked as "Bijia -upgraded version", and my wife and I like them a lot.  https://ibspot.com/us/products/bijia-bijia-lupenbrille-mit-2-led-licht-hande-frei-kopfband-lupen-standlupe-fur-hobby-lesen-elektriker-juweliere-nahen-reparatur-und-altere-menschen-5-wechselobjektive-1-0x-bis-3-5x

BTW, the cheap tap wrench that I modified is the small one from this really cheap set: https://www.ebay.com/itm/361054856277