View Single Post
Old 05-26-16 | 05:47 AM
  #13  
sch
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,057
Likes: 166
From: Mountain Brook. AL
One of the better sources for taps and dies with both high quality and diversity of sizes is Victor Machinery - Metalworking tools and supplies. Unlike the Park tool
pedal taps which are carbon steel (more brittle and easily broken than high speed steel) they sell what amount to pedal taps in
HSS for ~$40 for both (R = $15, L = $25). They also have dies for these as well. For those concerned the vast majority of
Victornets taps are US sourced. For really odd ball threads, they will have taps. As noted by others, bike metric threads are
all standard, however the English threadings are all 'non-standard' eg French RD hanger thread 10mmx 26TPI.

Granted, for cleanup of threads carbon steel is fine and 9/16 taps are really hard to break, never the less, HSS taps normally
sell for 30-50% more than carbon steel for the same size and carbon steel taps are meant for clean up only. Craftsman tap/die
sets were almost always carbon steel.

Last edited by sch; 05-26-16 at 05:50 AM.
sch is offline  
Reply