Pay cash or pass?

[Batmanacw]

I made a trip to my favorite tooling surplus place just for fun. The pickings were slim but I did find a couple odd gems. $5 a pound so not expensive to pick up odds and ends.

Would you buy or pass?




I may never see a British Whitworth pipe fitting in my life but I have one if I do! Cost around $2 and is brand new. USA made. I'm glad I bought it.


This one is a complete mystery. No markings. 0.773 at the thickest over the thread. 7 tpi. I figured what the heck! Lol!



I also bought a brand new 1 3/8-6, a 1 1/4-9, 1 1/8-8, and a few others. Only picking new or near perfect taps.

I skipped on a few really big taps because I knew I'd turn my little mill before I could produce enough torque to make them cut. I'll most likely never buy anything over 1.5". Stll, hard to pass on a new $300 tap for $5 to $10.

All of my bigger taps were bought surplus. That way I have lots of mostly USA made quality taps for pennies on the dollar. Most are new or like new.

 

[toprecyler]

Sounds like you got some good buys. If you only ever have to use one, you got your money’s worth.

I would have a hard time passing, even on the bigger ones.

But, I will also admit, if I’m working on the lathe, I tend to single point with boring bars, anything over 1”, even if I have the taps available. My coworker, though not so much. He looks for the tap first. I don’t like giving my arms the workout.


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[woodchucker]

That first one looks really sharp, new.
The second looks like an ACME tap. But it's probably not, since it looks like it cuts a wide V. Not a clue what it is..

 

[MrWhoopee]

I would take them all and start listing them on eBay. A tap like that could easily bring $30-$40 from the guy who needs it.

I'm with you, I will single-point anything an inch and over, even if I have the tap. I had to tap some 3/4 npt in stainless a while back. That was a workout I don't care to repeat.

 

[Batmanacw]

That first one looks really sharp, new.
The second looks like an ACME tap. But it's probably not, since it looks like it cuts a wide V. Not a clue what it is..

Pretty fricken weird, huh? Lol

 

[Batmanacw]

I would take them all and start listing them on eBay. A tap like that could easily bring $30-$40 from the guy who needs it.

I'm with you, I will single-point anything an inch and over, even if I have the tap. I had to tap some 3/4 npt in stainless a while back. That was a workout I don't care to repeat.

I would definitely single point anything over 1" if I'm on my lathe. I have ratchet adapters for my taps but they aren't going to help once you're that big.

Those hug taps are nice for cleaning up threads. Maybe I'll grab a few of the larger sizes next time if they are still there.

 

[Batmanacw]

Not the same brand, but the same quality as the new 1 3/8-6 I bought today for $5. Not too bad.

 

[woodchucker]

I have a problem with big taps. I have a tap wrench for them, but the biggest problem is holding the material. They generate so much torque they slip in the collets, and if I put them in a vise, same deal if round. Even with a V block or other things to assist, any thing will leave deep cuts in the material if it has teeth. So mostly I single point, or start it with single and finish (if possible using taps). It sucks having them and not using them much, or the wrenches...

 

[7milesup]

I have purchased a lot of taps on auctions and resold them on eBay. All of them were new and in original packaging. I find that I can get about 30% or so of the new price.

 

[BWS Arms]

I wish there was a place like that near me. I don’t know of anywhere similar in GA.