Broken tap in titanium

C

cutter17

Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
6,873
So I found out just how fragile these taps are. I had the hole drilled and had just tapped it all the way through, 2-56. For some reason I set it down to do something and left the tap and the tapping handle in/on the titanium. As I set it down, I pushed against the handle and snapped the tap completely off in the hole.

I read in another thread about using ferric chloride to dissolve the tap as it doesn't affect titanium in the time it takes to dissolve the tap. First of all, is this the correct chemical to use? Is so, since the titanium is flat, can the FC be placed in a glass baking dish and the titanium placed in the FC? If I'm on the right track with this, how long should it take to "do its thing"? Last, where can I purchase this chemical, what type of store would carry something like this in regular stock?

Thanks for any help you can give me. And if I'm way off base, can someone give me some ideas about getting the tap out.:)
 
Yep, ferric chloride will dissolve it. You can get it at radio shack...they sell it as PCB etchant. Use a plastic container instead of glass. It took about 30 minutes to dissolve the last one I broke off in Ti. Hope this helps and good luck! -Phil
 
Cutter ,
I use the same solution of ferric chloride that I use to etch Damascus , 1 part ferric chloride /4 parts vinegar . All you need is enought to cover the ti . , overnite . If you don't do Damascus , maybe a nearby knife maker that does will give you a few c.c's . If not , try RadioShack & ask for circuit board etchant . It really works ! Time will vary with size of broken tap , temp & strength of solution. Good luck .

Joe
 
One more question. Does the ferric chloride color/discolor the titanium handle? If so I suppose I should place both handles in the solution.
 
to save on the ammount of solution you have to use, make a little well from clay or candle wax around the hole and fill it up.
 
Ok, went by Radio Shack and picked up a 16 oz bottle PCB Etchant. I have an old bowl that I used, glass, as directions said glass, plastic, or rubber. It also said to use full strength. So I placed the piece of ti into the bowl, where it sits at an angle. I filled the bowl with about 8 oz's of the fluid which covered the area where the holes I drilled are located. Did this about 2 hours ago, and just checked it and it appears that nothing is/has happened? Is there something I'm not doing that I should? Thanks for any and all help!

Btw, I just set the bowl in front of a small ceramic, forced air, heater to raise the temp a little, is this alright to do?
 
Last edited:
If you used some kind of lube to tap with then you should give it a good clean before trying to etch the tap out.

How much of the tap is hanging out the other side, you may be able to grab it with a plier and simply turn it out.

Richard
 
I've soaked for two days in full strength Ferric and had a broken HSS tap fail to dissolve much. Apparently results vary widely. Someone, maybe Chuck Bybee, told me to clean the oxides off the surface being eaten. Makes sense, after a while the oxide layer generated by the etching process slows ferric down or even halts it. Some way to scrape or otherwise clean the broken tap fragment periodically may help expose it anew to the etchant.

I think Tinbasher's got a good point as well, you may want to degrease the area with some acetone or something to give the ferric a chance.
 
Sometimes it doesn't look any different, but the thread teeth are eaten away. Wash it off and try pushing on the tap with an awl. It may come out with minimal force.

As pointed out, all oils must be removed, and the area scrubbed every now and then to remove the etch oxides.
 
I'll point out that taps are made of different materials. M2 is probably the most common and has a fair amount of chrome in it and will dissolve slower than a carbon steel tap.
 
Horsewright - I use a plastic container instead of glass for 2 reasons...1 I have an easier time finding a suitable size plastic container laying around as opposed to glass and 2 it seems to be alot easier for me to pour the ferric choride back into its original bottle after use from a bendable plastic container without making a mess. I quit using glass after making a big ole mess once. No other reason...ferric chloride will not etch glass like hydrofluoric acid will...if that's what you were thinking.-Phil
 
if the ferric chloride does not remove it, i'm pretty good at getting broken taps out. i have real small diamond cutters that will eat a tap. i have removed taps and ez outs from aluminum harley cases before. you can also heat up a tap with a brazing tip on a cutting torch and dump ice cold water on it which can crack the tap and make it easy to remove.
 
Thanks for all the answers and the amount od information you have laid out! I have let the ti soak for about 26 hours now. Periodocally I will remove it, wipe away the solution, wash it with degreaser dish detergent, using a tooth brush, rinse and put it back in. No more than 15 minutes out of the 26 hours. All I know is that the taps are HSS from USAknifemakers. I just got through rinses the piece again, and used a little nail and pushed one hole clear. This was the untapped hole, while the other hole is still holding a piece. That hole had splintered tap poking out of both sides, but it now has dissolved it to the point that I can put the nail into both holes, so it may not be much longer.

Btw, this is 3/16" titanium. But again, I want to thank each and every one of you for the help and the information!!
 
Good to hear it's working. Patience is needed, it's good that you haven't done like me and ruined a TI frame with a torch after two days of trying to etch a broken tap out...
 
Still waiting on the one hole to clear. Is there anything that might help, or do I just need the patience of Job?
 
FINALLY! A little light at the end of the tunnel. Just took it out to clean and degrese again, and while out I tapped it with a thin, smaller diameter than the hole, nail, and there is a pinhole in it now. So I put it back in and hoping it will not be long. I did go ahead and tap the other hole last night, and the hole I'm waiting to clear was fully tapped the other day, so maybe I will only need to run the tap through to clean out the threads. Then on with the pocket clip and into my pocket!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top