pocket clip and tapping

C

clevedog

Joined
Nov 1, 2008
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I have collected knives for a few years and I recently decided to try some knife kits. I was hoping someone could could explain the use of a tap wrench, tap, and drill for the installation of a pocket clip on the bolster of a knife before I decide to buy the necessary tools. Thanks for the help.
 
Welcome to BF!
Tapping is the process of cutting female threads in a hole. The tap is held in the tap wrench and it is lined up with the hole then threaded in place with steady pressure. It is important to break the chips as you cut, so you generally turn it 1/2 a turn, then back a 1/4 turn, use a cutting fluid such as rapid-tap, water or light oil. It is nice to drill the holes in a drill press if you have access to one, check what size bit to use for the bolts. I like to tap in a drill press without power by turning the tap in a chuck by hand. This makes it easy to make perfect threads, however,it can be done simply by hand. Small threads will probably be harder though, I don't know then that well.

Other than that, you will need files and sandpaper, epoxy and hardware depending on the kit.
 
Keith pretty much summed it up. However, you will want a good lubricant with extreme pressure additives, you don't want your threads to gall and snap your tap. If you don't want to get a proper tapping fluid (I like castrol moly-dee) for this one project, I suggest moly grease if you have any around.
 
Also, you need to google up a lot of cuss words and memorize them.........
you'll want them ready for when you break that first 1-72 tap !!!!

Seriously, if you have never used a tap, starting with #2 to #0 taps is going to be a brutal beginning.
I would suggest learning on #6 taps in 1/8" stainless sheet. After mastering it, move on to #4, then #2 , and finally #1. Practice on the sheet until you have it down before going to a bolster on one of your knives.

Tapping is not too difficult if everything stays absolutely straight. If the tap is deflected even a tiny bit by any side pressure, if will break off in the hole. That can be a big problem in some cases. Perfectly straight and properly sized holes are critical.
You will break a lot of taps learning.

If you are going to do this as part of knife work, and the cost is justified, getting a tapping jig (tapmatic and others) is a nerve saving expenditure. If you are only going to do it once in a blue moon, getting a gun shop, machinist, or knife maker to do the job (you provide the disassembled bolster, screws, and clip) will be much smarter. You will have to disassemble the knife, BTW to add a clip.
Stacy
 
bladsmth said:
Also, you need to google up a lot of cuss words and memorize them.........
you'll want them ready for when you break that first 1-72 tap !!!!

Seriously, if you have never used a tap, starting with #2 to #0 taps is going to be a brutal beginning.
I would suggest learning on #6 taps in 1/8" stainless sheet. After mastering it, move on to #4, then #2 , and finally #1. Practice on the sheet until you have it down before going to a bolster on one of your knives.

Tapping is not too difficult if everything stays absolutely straight. If the tap is deflected even a tiny bit by any side pressure, if will break off in the hole. That can be a big problem in some cases. Perfectly straight and properly sized holes are critical.
You will break a lot of taps learning.

If you are going to do this as part of knife work, and the cost is justified, getting a tapping jig (tapmatic and others) is a nerve saving expenditure. If you are only going to do it once in a blue moon, getting a gun shop, machinist, or knife maker to do the job (you provide the disassembled bolster, screws, and clip) will be much smarter. You will have to disassemble the knife, BTW to add a clip.
Stacy
Click to expand...

Step one is MOST important!! :thumbup:
 
A tip from Tom Mayo....cut a line with a cut-off wheel just above the threads on the tap, so when it breaks you have plenty to grab a hold of. Or you can just buy a tapping head and laugh every time you thread a 0-80 in .125 ti.

Spencer
 
SAR said:
A tip from Tom Mayo....cut a line with a cut-off wheel just above the threads on the tap, so when it breaks you have plenty to grab a hold of. Or you can just buy a tapping head and laugh every time you thread a 0-80 in .125 ti.

Spencer
Click to expand...

Can somebody explain tapping heads and how they work? Any links? Are they extremely expensive?

And who makes a good tapping jig?...

Erin
 
There are all kinds of tapping tools. Tapmatic makes one that is automatic. Put it in your drill press and away you go. $500+ for new ones. You can sometimes pick them up on eBay for short money. Google tapmatic for more info.

Alpha Knife Supply sells the Higgy Tapper. Higgy used to frequent these boards quite a bit but he has not been around for a while. He made a tapping tool that has become quite popular.
http://www.alphaknifesupply.com/hardware.htm

A tapping tool will pay for itself real fast. Break 5 or 6 taps and you'll be kicking yourself for not making the investment.
 
I have a tapping head and it's the cats meow...

but it does cost some $$$

Keith had a very good suggestion - using the drill press.

all the taps i ever broke by hand, were from not tapping straight.

clamp down your workpiece for both operations.
drill the hole
and then use the drillpress chuck to hold the tap, while turning the spindle by hand.

look at the design and consider what size screws you need...you may find that you can go up a screw size. # 4 instead of 2, #2 instead of 1...
 
fludunlimited said:
you can buy a copy on ebay for about $109 new


http://cgi.ebay.com/1-4-REVERSIBLE-...14&_trkparms=72:1420|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318
Click to expand...

Do you own one of these copies? Are there any issues with quality? Tapmatic seems like a good idea, but $500+ is quite a bullet to bite. The appear to have several different models... I am guessing that most knifemakers are using something like the Rx 30 for smaller screws.

Probably leaning toward something like the Higgy Tapper.

Erin
 
Hypocrite said:
Do you own one of these copies? Are there any issues with quality? Tapmatic seems like a good idea, but $500+ is quite a bullet to bite. The appear to have several different models... I am guessing that most knifemakers are using something like the Rx 30 for smaller screws.

Probably leaning toward something like the Higgy Tapper.

Erin
Click to expand...

I have that same one and it works great.
the instructions suck but if you get one you can pm me and I can help.
when you start you have to set the clutch loose and slowly add untill
it gose in. I broke the first 2 56 tap but that was my falt.
 
I have one of those non tapmatic tapping heads. made in Eastern europe, not china.

works good (i paid 3x more from a local shop...go figure)


Not to criticize a forum members product, but the higgy tapper is just a smaller version of the drill press idea.

try doing a few with a drill press before spending the $

would buy the ebay head, or
instead of the higgy tapper, buy another small drill press, more versatile...
 
Last edited:
Steven Penner said:
I have one of those non tapmatic tapping heads. made in Eastern europe, not china.

works good (i paid 3x more from a local shop...go figure)


Not to criticize a forum members product, but the higgy tapper is just a smaller version of the drill press idea.

try doing a few before spending the $ on the higgy tapper, or for less $, buy another small drill press, more versatile...
Click to expand...

I got the one from knife kits after using mats higgy and the knife kits one
had a instruction manual from harberfreaght. I was P.O.ed.

I paid $100 for it and the hf one is $49



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46502

http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/index.php?cPath=49_211_118
 
Steven Penner said:
clamp down your workpiece for both operations.
drill the hole
and then use the drillpress chuck to hold the tap, while turning the spindle by hand.
Click to expand...

For a non-knifemaker like me that doesn't need volume, this is the exact way I do it. I like being able to control the speed of the tap by hand.
 
SPXTrader said:
For a non-knifemaker like me that doesn't need volume, this is the exact way I do it. I like being able to control the speed of the tap by hand.
Click to expand...


If I were to use this method, I'd have to buy a smaller drill press... mine's kinda big and not a whole lot of fun to turn by hand unless I disengage the belts.
 
I guess I'm lucky that along with the floor stand press, I have a bench top press that holds a 3/8ths inch hand drill. The thing must be 40 years old or older, and still works like a charm.
 
a couple of good tips when tapping-

1: make a tapping block, this really only works for tapping on flat surfaces, but means that it is much easier to get holes tapped straight. Take a piece of 1 inch steel and drill a hole in it in a drill press that is drill to the clearance size of the hole you're drilling- soif it's a 6mm thread, you would have a 5mm hole in your material to be tapped( i think- i haven't got my zeuss book handy atm), and a 6.2mm clearance hole in your tapping block. That way you lay the (flat) tapping block on the (flat) surface to be tapped and therefore the hole in the block is exactly perpendicular to the material to be tapped, allowing you to cut the first three or four threads straight. Don't forget the 1 turn forward half turn back, otherwise getting that broken tap out will really ruin your day.

2: 2ndly and much more easily, clamp what you want to tap to the table of your drill( ensuring the table is at 90 degrees to the chuck, put your tap in the chuck and turn BY HAND for a few threads to startyourself off straight, then go to the tap wrench and finish.

it is important to use plenty of lubricant- i find tamaxol works well
 
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