[Noisebridge-discuss] Machine Shop Tap Extractor

[Jake]

I have tapped a lot of holes 6-32 and 4-40 (even smaller) and without 
having seen your piece, i am guessing you need drastic measures.

If the tap broke off because you knocked the work off the table when you 
went to answer the phone that's one thing, but if the tap is broken 
because you were turning it, and it got stuck, it's stuck!  And the tap is 
of course made of some pretty tough material.

I saw the tap extractor you linked on amazon, it's made for 1/4" taps 
which are much larger.  Do they make such things for such a small tap as 
6-32?  i would be surprised.

My guess is that you have three options:
1. Move everything to the side 1/4", leaving behind the tap and the three 
other holes.

2. Use a hardened punch to force the tap through the work, if you can get 
to the other side of the hole

3. Pay a machine shop with EDI or EDM or whatever they call it, when they 
electrically destroy the piece of metal somehow.  I think it's expensive.

-jake

Brian Sullivan wrote:
Does anyone know if we have a tap extractor for a 6/32 NC tap kicking
around in the machine shop?  On hole 3 of 4 I snapped my tap in a piece of
aluminum and am trying to figure out how best to get it out.

Watched a bunch of videos of welding a nut on the end to remove it, but
hoping not to have to go that route.

Cheers,
brian