Got a broken tap in a $10,000 piece of equipment?

[OldAirmail]

For those who don't know, a tap is a hardened piece of metal that cuts threads into just about anything that's made.

Most drills are hard, but have nothing, in the way of hardness, compared with a tap.

On the other hand, a tap is so hard that it's brittle. Bend it a little and it breaks. Didn't use oil, it breaks. The tip bottoms out (hits the bottom of a hole), it breaks. There's more, but you get the point.

This video is fascinating to me, cause I've broken many a tap or drill bit (including carbide bits). I've always gotten them out, but this guy gets paid better.


Jerry's Broken Drill & Tap

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbeKxFBZrF8[/youtube]

[Sinkrate]

I guess it all comes down to cost. He didn't say how much they charge for it.

Now I'm thinking "hmm...could I rig some kind of half-ass copy with a pillar drill and an arc welder?"

[OldAirmail]

Looking at some of his other videos, he does a lot of auto & motorcycle work where other mechanics have messed things up.

As to charges, who knows. A hundred dollars for a restored thread, or a broken tap, in a motor could be a lifesaver for a small shop. Five hundred dollars to work on something that was almost complete, as in this video, could also be worthwhile to someone.

Of course, most backyard mechanics mess up do their own work because they don't want to pay someone else $50 to do it right. I've been there too.