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Hi, Roy. That is a good point. I had thought of recommending Helicoils, but the expense of the special taps and insertion tools seemed somewhat prohibitive at our level. Used many a Helicoil myself to get a million dollar light bulb-making machine going again. Not as impressive as saving a 10 million dollar jet fighter, but they do work great, if you have enough depth to use them. I have cut them off to use in shallower holes, but I was getting paid to do that, not playing on my own time. They are a wonderful tool to have in reserve when just nothing else will work.
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Rance, don't be afraid of using steel for making things; it machines nicely, and is pretty darn common in junk and salvage yards. Don't be seduced by stainless steel for making parts, unless really needed. It sounds superior, but for a novice it can be a nightmare, mainly because of it's "stringy" toughness when machining. Wait a bit until you see how other materials cut, then practice on some stainless to see the difference. All part of the learning curve, Babe! BTW, remember to use coarser threads in soft materials, and finer threads for harder ones. For example, 1/4-20 for aluminum, 1/4-28 for mild steel. That's why the different thread sizes are there, not just for marketing purposes, as it sometimes seems. Which brings up another point: when did hardware store like Sears stop selling fine thread fasteners? It seems like everything is now the coarse thread (NC as opposed to NF). At least thats the way it is at my local Sears. Ron. ---- roylowenthal <roylowenthal@...> wrote: A common method of making strong threaded holes in aluminum is with |
