Help. The taps broken!!!!!!!!!

[Chaplain]

Why not use a tool called a tap extractor? They sell them with the number of fingers to match the number of flutes of the tap. The fingers are hardened, not too hard and brittle, but more like spring steel. You clean out any chips which curl up in the flutes slide the extractor fingers into the flutes, slide the collar down to reduce flex in the fingers and use a tap wrench to remove the tap. If that doesn't work the tap will have to be burned out on an EDM machine. Don't worry about going oversize on the hole. You can always redrill it and use a thread insert or helicoil.

[trularin]

5 pound sledge and a drift pin. If it broke once, it will break again.

[FWB]

for the sole purpose of saving the workpiece, in this case the DOOR !
i have found a left hand cut endmill ran in the counterclockwise direction
will extract all if not some of the tap. the rest can be pulverized with a small
tipped drift. taps are hard but brittle they can be shattered.

[CNGreen]

Go to mcmaster-carr.com and search for tap extractor (it's catalog page 2507).

I broke off a tap while drilling out my spindles. The tap extractor works. Be gentle working it back out. Back and forth, back and forth. I'd wager forcing it is what broke it in the first place. Tap slowly, not continuously.

HTH,

[FWB]

here's the link

http://www.mcmaster.com/

[treblig]

Back drill the hole it should turn the tap then plug the hole or move the hole location. Taps are a ***** to get out.

[Cobra #42]

Glyn, db here, give me a call 214.725.7585

[wetdog]

Baz, in the aircraft industry this happens to the best of us !!! sometimes it is in a part costing hundreds of thousands of dollars EDM is the least destructive and going down the list to a carbide burr on a high speed grinder ..with patience it will eat it up and if not perhaps you can eat the surrounding metal enough to move it or punch it through . I do not have much faith in the tap removers especially after you tried hitting it through. Baz I have used the cabide burr with much success and it is very cost effective feel free to PM me if you need more info ...WD

[Maurice Johnson]

Have you tried shrinking the tap by freezing the area with a CO2 fire extinguisher. Shrinks away both the tap and the base materia. Rag up the area around the hole to confine the CO2. I have used this method many times in removing corroded-in-place bearing cages ,and the like. Common practice for us Salt water mechanics.

[Ross Smith]

Hi Baz,

This is the door lock from my RMC, you can cut through the fibreglass on the inside of the door to expose the back of the plate where the tap is broken. You might be able to get a grip on the tap from there.

Good Luck

Ross

[Andrew429]

Hi Baz,

Have you had a win yet with getting the tap out ?
To add to the suggestions, a stud welder might be an approach worth considering.
Heavy machining/engineering firms, especially mining oriented ones use these.
It will allow you to reach into the back of the tap and should form a weld with a good surface area providing enough strength to back it out.

Cheers

[Rob. Smith]

Originally Posted by Philm

HI Baz,
I did something similar with an NPT tap into a brand new dart block.

I recon I lost 10ltrs of sweat when I realised what I had just done.

I grabed an old spanner and cut one end of and cut the center out, if you like made a 2 tine fork, the tines fit into the groves of the tap.

Then with plenty of tapping fluid and a gentle hand backed the tap out.

Phil

Aha a builder! You beat me to the punch. Once, a long time ago I broke a tap in a bad spot and sweated blood until I made a two pronged "spanner" out of an old screwdriver, hardened it and screwed out the busted tap. I thought I was just lucky.