# Metric or SAE taps and dies?



## mikeschn (Oct 24, 2016)

So, do kitless pen makers typically use metric or SAE taps and dies? 

Mike...


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## mredburn (Oct 24, 2016)

Most of us use metric. You can use Sae but the availability of Metrics in finer pitches makes them the favorite.  Most kits and commercial sets of tap and dies do not have the finer pitches we tend to use.  Yes you can make a pen with coarse threads but there are reasons why we tend to favor the finer pitches.


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## duncsuss (Oct 24, 2016)

What Mike said.

Though honestly, my reason for using metric is laziness, I don't have to learn or look up on a chart what size hole to drill for a given tap -- it's the tap size minus threading (for example, a tap that's M12 x 0.75 uses a hole that's 11.25mm).


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## More4dan (Oct 24, 2016)

When laying out my Kitless designs I started looking at the same things Imperial vs Metric threads.  There are more/easier to get fine threads in metric than in Imperial.  Finer threads allow smaller diameter pens with tighter clearances between OD of the body thread and ID of the body to nib thread.  The same for the Cap threads verses the OD of the Nib to fit inside.  I use 9 x 0.7 mm for the nib to body and 11mm x 0.7 mm for the cap to body for a fountain pen with a #5 nib and a body and cap with the same OD.


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## mikeschn (Oct 24, 2016)

Thanks for the ideas... I'll go with metric then... 

Mike...


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