# Fountain Pen Tap and Die



## Jgrden (Oct 23, 2012)

After pursing all the current threads to determine the dollar amount needed to invest in the correct and usable taps and dies to complete a kit-less fountain pen; I have found the following:

14 X .8 Triple Start
11 X .75
10 X 1.
14 MM M/S  (?)
M12 X .8
M 9 X .075  (.075 ?)
M 10 X .75
12 X .75
11 X .75
9 X .75
M 12 X 8 Triple
Bock Feed # 5
Bock Feed # 6
Drill Bit:
9.5 MM
6.4
8.
9.
1/2"
33/64"
6.4
7. MM
7.3 MM
8.2 MM

I know some are repetitious. Have I missed any ??? We have an account at Grainger. Has anyone used Grainger as a supplier?

John


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## mredburn (Oct 23, 2012)

grainger is higher priced than victornet.com and I dont believe they have the finer taps you have listed.  You dont need triple thread taps and dies, single thread sets will do.  Your list will complete more than one size of pen. If your trying to ease into the process and dont just want to throw money at it, choose a 12mm or 14 mm cap thread size and see if you want to invest in the rest.


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## Jgrden (Oct 23, 2012)

mredburn said:


> grainger is higher priced than victornet.com and I dont believe they have the finer taps you have listed.  You dont need triple thread taps and dies, single thread sets will do.  Your list will complete more than one size of pen. If your trying to ease into the process and dont just want to throw money at it, choose a 12mm or 14 mm cap thread size and see if you want to invest in the rest.



Gotcha, thanks.


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## MartinPens (Oct 23, 2012)

John,

I thinks itsa good idea to think about what size pen you want to make to start with and then get things for that size pen. I did some buying without a whole lot of thinking but figure I will end up trying out most of it once I get the main jist of how it all works.

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner


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## Donovan (Oct 24, 2012)

*Tap & die*

Just a question is there a place to buy 3 start tap & die's from that does not cost more than a $130. That is a steep price
Donovan


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## mredburn (Oct 24, 2012)

You might find a slightly used set cheaper but the 3 lead sets are not a standard stock item. There have a been a couple of threads about availability or a different manufacturer as a supplier but we have not been able to find one that we dont have to buy a 100 years supply up front.(China)  Right now they are a custom order item.


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## Donovan (Oct 24, 2012)

mredburn said:


> You might find a slightly used set cheaper but the 3 lead sets are not a standard stock item. There have a been a couple of threads about availability or a different manufacturer as a supplier but we have not been able to find one that we dont have to buy a 100 years supply up front.(China)  Right now they are a custom order item.



Thanks so it looks like I will have to sell a kidney lol


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## mredburn (Oct 24, 2012)

Or simply use a single thread set. Many people do. I recommend it for people starting out anyway. Then in the future if its right for you bite the bullet and buy a set.


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## Donovan (Oct 24, 2012)

mredburn said:


> Or simply use a single thread set. Many people do. I recommend it for people starting out anyway. Then in the future if its right for you bite the bullet and buy a set.



I have been turning the triple tread on my lathe but the internal thread is a pain in the neck(or maybe two foot down) and takes a long time, also easy to screw up. I have been using M12 and M14 x 3. I am planning a pen that will have a ivory barrel and can not afford to screw that up.


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## Robert111 (Oct 24, 2012)

I'd suggest the 14 x .75. You'll be making a larger pen (think El Grande, Churchill) but if you're starting, the larger size is easier. Later you can move on to the smaller size


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## frank123 (Oct 24, 2012)

I'd just buy the basic ones needed for whatever pen you want to make first (unless cash is no problem).  Experience will show you what additional ones you want as you need them.

I don't really like triple start cap threading, but it's a matter of personal preference.  A single start with 1 to 1 1/2 turns to lock is what I like.

I've been using the Schmidt FP feeds and nibs from Indy Pen Dance and find that a 6.5 x .5 tap works perfectly in place of a 6.4 x .5 for them and the cartridge rollerball system too.  You can find that relatively cheap on Ebay once in a while but not all the time.


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## chugbug (Nov 7, 2012)

*Custom penmaking suppies...*

Hi John,

If you will be making 'custom' pens, eventually you'll find you'll want to drill odd sized holes as you go along for one reason or another. One investment I made early on was to buy a pair of metric drill bit sets-- one goes from 1mm to 5.9mm in .1mm increments (1, 1.1, 1.2, etc), the other goes from 6mm to 10 mm and in the same increments. It is a fairly big investment just for drill bits (about $275 for the pair), but I found them to be invaluable and would do it again in a second. Sometimes the correct size bit just won't drill the right size hole, or you'll want to drill a sligtly smaller or larger hole than what's called for, or just need to tweaked a little. So it's nice to have the flexability to drill almost any size hole you want.

The sets will cover 95% of the holes you need drilled. I say 95% because you'll still need larger bits for drilling for cap threads, but those you can buy as you need them.

I purchased my sets as well as other standard and speciality sized bits I needed at McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com). You can also get standard size taps and dies there as well as other speicalty items.

You will also eventually find that you'll want some different sized threads for specialty projects. A few other good sites (besides McMaster-Carr) for taps and dies are Tapco.com (you can custom order special sized taps & dies there), or e-taps.com (they have a lot of odd or hard to find thread size taps & dies in stock).

Hope this helps...JEB


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## Jgrden (Nov 7, 2012)

I am watching and reading and printing all this information. All is welcome. Keep it up.


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## Jim Burr (Nov 7, 2012)

Jeb...after looking at your site...I'd listen to about whatever you say...metrics on the way!


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