HQS taps and dies - anyone tried them?

Thanks for replies. HQS=CS then. I can get decent CS over the counter from a local supplier for about the same price, I just wondered if if this HQS stuff was something special and I'd be getting more bang for my buck. Seems not.

As it turns out a forum member has kindly offered to sell me what I need from his surplus stock of British made taps and dies, so I'm sorted. Wonderful!

MichaelG - car boots must be different in your neck of the woods, round here they're fine if you want a 10 year old My Little Pony Stable complete with infantile gnawings, but not so great for taps and ties. Or anything else useful.

Robin.

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Glad you're sorted, Robin

My favoured Car Boot is not very far from Sheffield, so I suppose that must skew things a little.

MichaelG.

HQS is special in that it's at the top end of the range for Tool Steel hardness, which is desirable in taps and dies.

There's a good chance that your 'decent CS over the counter from a local supplier', is HQS, or at least a close relative. Depending on how you use the tool, you might get more bang for your buck, because they cut 10% more threads before going blunt than a softer steel would. But being brittle, you might break it before it goes blunt. This is particularly true of small taps, where HSS or Tungsten reduce the risk of breakage.

Buying tools is a bit of a minefield. Always worth asking on the forum but beware of:

1. Chaps like me, who see tools as disposable. Our mistake is to buy too cheap.
2. Chaps who see tools as heirlooms, recommending only expensive high-end equipment. Their mistake is putting beginners on a budget off the hobby completely. It is not necessary to have a workshop full of beautiful tools to have fun or to get good results.

In practice, most people hover between the two extremes, happy to pick up second-hand bargains in good nick, and not too upset if those cheap drills turn out to be made of cheese.

Dave

Aha. Another veteran...

Have several sets of Tap and Die Co Taps and dies.

Only problem was one Die which split. T & D Co replaced it after a little discussion.

Also use HSS from Tracey Tools. NEVER any problem replacing a faulty item.

Only other problem was of my making; not clearing the flutes of the Tap.

DO use lubricant for steel, such as Rocol STD, Trefolux etc. In extremis, bacon fat will suffice.

Paraffin (Kerosene) for Aluminium.

Howard

Coconut oil for vegetarians

Neil