Which Tools - Taps, Dies & Drills?

[elnscale]

So here's the thought process...

I'm looking to pick up some drill bits, some taps and some dies that will be useful in n scale. Example would be body mounted couplers, attaching detail parts and so forth. Plus screws to go into the drilled and tapped holes.

So that's the lead in. Now what's the advice?

TIA

[randgust]

You can get an awful lot done, particularly in N, with the basic set for 00-90 screws:

A .039 (#61) or darn close drill; pretty much the same drill that comes with MT couplers; that's for the basic hole... you can make .035 work in plastic.

A 00-90 tap, get more than one because they do wear out, snap, and get lost.  Micro-Mark has them....
http://www.micromark.com/tap-00-90,6510.html

Until you've learned that you really can only do a quarter-turn at a time with a tap in metal, you'll be getting them stuck all the time.  Part of the process.

A .050 clearance drill bit.  Not precise, but close enough; #55 is usually recommended.

Get two pin vices because you'll get frustrated enough going back and forth with just one.

You know, I bought a 2-56  and 00-80 set including the tap and I've never used it.  But I've worn out several 00-90 taps.  Very useful.

You can get so much prethreaded for 00-90 that it's hard to justify a die.   

[Philip H]

#80 and #75 drill bits in bulk - and corresponding taps.  These are the two most common sizes for mounting details.  Also several packs of the Microtrains drill and tap sets for their couplers.  Takes the guesswork out.

[elnscale]

Randgust,

Thanks for the information. MicroMark has 00-90 screws in various lengths (1/8", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2"). What are your recommendations, just mainly the 1/8"?

Steve

[randgust]

I get an assortment of all of them.   You'll also want flathead and round-head for various applications.  I have a lot of 1/8 and some 1/4, a handful of the long ones.

Darn things are expensive.  Because I do kits I buy in bulk with an industrial supplier.

One thing you may forget is that if you own a decent set of rail cutters, you can usually cut brass screws shorter, much harder to make them longer!  if you're just going into plastic it works fine.

Learning to work with little screws and taps is one of the great evolutionary steps in modelbuilding.  It just makes things so much easier when you can do them yourself.  I seriously don't know how I did modelbuilding before.  Sure was more complicated.  Things like trying to attach pickup wires to a Zamac casting.  Jees, throw a 00-90 screw in there, tin a wire, you're done struggling.   Putting removable jumpers to steam locomotive tenders and getting rid of worthless steam locomotive drawbar wipers...priceless.

[ednadolski]

Now what's the advice?

Don't forget the Optivisors 

Ed

[robert3985]

Yeah...Optivisors!  If you're finding that your little screws are flying out of your fingers into the abyss somewhere on the carpet under your workbench,  sand your fingertips to make your skin more flexible.  Just your pointer-finger and thumb will probably work, but not so much as to draw blood! This works well for me, but after I do that...I have to wear mechanic's gloves to work on my car!

Adding a little lube to your taps before starting to cut threads in either plastic or metal, then adding more about halfway through will save you a LOT of frustration.  Y'know...breaking that tiny 00-90 tap, or it getting stuck so bad none of your pin-vices will grip it tight enough to turn it out, so you have to break it off in the hole!  That sorta ruins your project!

Also, there are two types of taps.  One that is tapered (which is easy to start) and one that will tap threads right to the bottom of a blind hole because its taper is very small.  Get both. Someday soon, you're going to need to tap a blind hole, and the tapered tap won't do the job.

Cheers!
Bob Gilmore

[sizemore]

Be careful on whose #80 drill bit you buy, they are not created equal. Micro-Mark and Chinese bits have been horrible in the face cut surface and thread.

The S.