12-20 Tap Can You make One?

mwebster51 said:
Has anyone ordered from this company. Something just doesn't seem right? St James Bay Tool Co is located in Arizona. When I placed the order it looks like the company I paid is maybe in China. Things are just not making sense?
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I haven't but that company isn't St James Bay Tool Co, it just says the brand of the tap is. Google says St James Bay Tool Co is permanently closed although I have seen this mistake with Google before. Their ebay store is still up.

This 12-20 tap search is very familiar. I remember a while back someone was also looking for them. IIRC they were also looking for 12-20 threaded rod. Can't remember if that was here or on another forum though.
 
On the St James Bay tool Co web site there are 2 phone numbers an 800 and a non 800. The 800 number takes you to an agressive sales pitch about Med Alert devices and the non 800 is not in service. I left a message on eBay to the seller but havn't received a return message.
 
mwebster51 said:
Has anyone ordered from this company. Something just doesn't seem right? St James Bay Tool Co is located in Arizona. When I placed the order it looks like the company I paid is maybe in China. Things are just not making sense?
Click to expand...

This is what you get to deal with when dredging the bottom of the internet. It is also the reason companies like MSC and KBC exist- so you can turn your efforts into something other than a resource drain. Also, with companies like MSC, you can call for off-catalog items and find out what the deal is with stock and wait times.
 
Are we talking about the LSteamerz website or St. James Bay Tool Co. In my post I was refering to LSteamerz.

I just looked up LSteamerz. Looks very fishy to me. Seems to be fairly new, no talk about them anywhere on the net, & they do not list any contact info. They list all sorts of random products. I'd be very hesitant to buy from them. Smells like a scam website to me.
 
We are talking about LSteamerz who in theory is selling the St James Tool Co product. There is no indication that one is dealing with someone out of the country until payment. I went through Paypal and when the payment completed it showed a bunch if I assume Chinese symbols saying that is who was receiving the money. So...web site looking like a distributer offering St James Tool Co product to American customers. So why would China be selling a product to American customers that is made in Arizona. I spoke to Paypal, and they will help if there is a problem. I have also contacted the company and asked to have the order cancelled. We will see.
 
pontiac428 said:
This is what you get to deal with when dredging the bottom of the internet. It is also the reason companies like MSC and KBC exist- so you can turn your efforts into something other than a resource drain. Also, with companies like MSC, you can call for off-catalog items and find out what the deal is with stock and wait times.
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Yep!
 
mwebster51 said:
Yep!
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You know I had to ask, because the summation of the three threads on the subject seemed to point at you scrubbing the earth for a $4 Chinese tap.

Gunsmiths tend to be meticulous machinists and also shy away from Chinese steel on principle. The fact that many gun screws are "wildcats" would point to gunsmithing suppliers (Numrich, Brownell's) as sources of USA made taps. A USA tap under 1/4", even a fistful of custom ones, should cost very little over $10 per each, so why even pursue taps from China? Seems to me your recent experience with taps falling apart under mild use has not helped to persuade you in the right direction.

This response is a little on the harsh side for this forum, and I do feel a little bit bad for that. Maybe I get annoyed with shopping for Chinese garbage metal on eBay and I'm projecting that on you (likely). I just checked and Grainger says they can supply that tap, item #4AKK9 on catalog page #2270 (the size is off-catalog, but is on the web). "Grainger" is not an eBay seller, they are a big nationwide industrial parts supply house that sources domestically-manufactured tools and supplies and has an exchange policy as well as a 800 number with people on the other side who want do help give you their business.
 
Funny, I was watching a video the other day and there were some tools that were nothing more than steel yet they were made in USA w/ global materials. Really? I get power tools & stuff that have electronics in them made overseas but a metal tool? Companies really have to source the metal from China to make the tool here? That's so disappointing.

I just looked up Grangier #4AKK9, unfortunately that comes up as a Widia/Greenfield 1/2"-20, not #12-20. I remember searching for #12-20 taps & dies when this came up before (again not sure if it was here or on another forum). Looks like it's one of those thread sizes that are obselete & no longer used these days.
 
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