# Recommend a tap and die set?



## putnamm (Mar 20, 2016)

I'm looking at Harbor Freight for a tap and die set. I want to try making my first kitless pen. I don't need anything fancy. Can y'all recommend a kit? There is a wide variety in price. Thanks.


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## mredburn (Mar 20, 2016)

No, do not buy the set.  It does not have the sizes you need for kitless pens. Unless your going to use it around the house or shop for other things, Dont Buy it.


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## mredburn (Mar 20, 2016)

Instead decide how far down the rabbit hole you want to go and buy only the sizes you need or will use. 
start here,  there are a couple other articles in the Library as well.

http://content.penturners.org/library/general_reference/taps_dies_kitless.pdf


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## putnamm (Mar 20, 2016)

Thank you for the guidance.

If I have components I would like to use to make my own kitless pen, how do I measure them such that I know what tap and die sizes I need?


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## mredburn (Mar 20, 2016)

You can ask here on the forums, most likely someone else is already  doing the same thing and knows the answer or its been mentioned before.  In order to do it yourself you will need a digital caliper that does metric and inches. You will also need a Metric thread gauge. 
You have to measure the outer diameter (OD) and the pitch of the threads. Thats how many threads in an inch (TPI) or in metric its the distance between the tips of the thread.


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## More4dan (Mar 26, 2016)

Victor Machinery is a good source for taps and dies with many non-standard sizes and finer threads for use in making pens.  

Victor Machinery - Metalworking tools and supplies


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## More4dan (Mar 26, 2016)

For my first kitless I started with the front section and the hole diameter for the ink converter to fit in the back and the nib unit from the front.  Those body threads had to have a minor dimension the converter would fit through.  Also check the diameter of the hole in the back of the front section and make sure when you cut the same thread you have enough wall for strength.  

For the cap you make sure your front unit and nib is smaller than the tap drill for the cap thread.  Now check that when you turn the same cap thread on the body you will have enough wall thickness between the body male thread and the female front unit thread.  If not go up a size. 

Look online for a thread calculator that you can put diameters and pitches to look at the dimensions to start stacking them up on paper.  The size of the front section and nib drives the rest of the pen. 

For a Bock #5 my front section to body thread is 9mm x .75.  It leaves enough wall at the rear for the converter using metal or acrylic.  With a metal bodied pen I can use a 11mm x .75 thread. This would result in a wall thickness too thin for acrylic and 12 mm would likely be required.  At 11mm x .75 my front unit has to be smaller than 0.400 inches.  In metal I can use these to make a pen at 0.50 inches in diameter.  An acrylic pen would have to be larger and a #6 nib would drive everything larger.

Also check out this:
http://content.penturners.org/library/general_reference/taps_dies_kitless.pdf


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