Drill Bits & Taps
Have a job coming up to replace a Domestic Coil on an older Burnham. So I’m looking for suggestions on a good Drill Bit & Tap set for bolts and screws, want to be prepared in case any of the bolts snap and need to be tapped. I know there’s a ton of different sizes and threads but just looking for a good brand or kit that may come with an assortment of sizes
Comments
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I mean there is no real sense to buy a complete tap and die set.
Most likely the bolts are 3/8"-16 national coarse thread which would use a 5/16 drill bit. You should get a starting tap and a bottoming tap and a tap wrench.
If they are 1/2" dia bolts (doubtful) you would need a 27/64 drill bit and the tap would be 1/2"-13 thread
7/16 dia bolts are a possibility you don't see them very much but 7/16-14 national coarse you need a letter U drill.
If you want real good taps Starett is probably 1 of the best. Craftsman and Hanson are decent brands and there are others. McMaster Carr would have tap sets and there is always Harbor Freight for cheap stuff
Depending on the work you do I usually never bought a tap set. Nice to have but too many sizes you never use.
I just bought taps and drills that I needed.
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You can any get a kit. IDK well known brands but I wouldn't go cheapest. What you need are good drill bits. Start small and gradually increase to tap size. Also get a little Zoom Spout oiler or something to keep the bits from burning up.
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oh yeah I’ve drilled and tapped plenty of things but that with all tools at work. So just looking to get a good set of stuff for myself. Usually use WD40 to keep it cool while drilling
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Last one I bought was Vermont American...not sure they are still in business. Mad Dog
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good to know thank you I’ll check it out
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I admire your preperation. This type of job is the type that I hated, and I do mean hated to do the most.
Before starting, I would get more drill bits of the needed size. They, as you know can break. I would also double up on the taps just incase something happens to one. But probably not an entire kit.
As to what @EBEBRATT-Ed says above, you don't really need a entire set. A good grinding wheel and a center punch is good to have too.
I hope the bolts come out without needing all of this. The only one that didn't give me much trouble was a Utica boiler. I think it was a star fire three or something like that name. It had stainless steel bolts and came out the easiest.
And some never seize on the bolts when your done.
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yeah definitely intend on getting a few of needed size, I wasn’t looking to get a set with 30/30 sizes but I know they make kits of 5 or 6 up to 1/2” that is just good to have for other applications as well
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I like to use left hand bits if i'm dealing with broken bolts.
Get actual cutting oil like tap magic with extreme pressure additives, it makes a huge difference vs just nondetergent sae10 oil or water displacer.
A tap and die set is nice to have for a lot of other reasons. An option on the drills is to buy some common sizes of good bits and a cheap full set of letter, number, and fractional just to ream the holes to finished size. A good drill, decimal, fractional, metric and tap chart is a good idea to have.
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I agree cutting oil is better for drilling and taping.
I buy individual taps at a nut and bolt supply place.
Or if you spot a Snap on truck, theirs have lifetime warranty.
Amazon has different price and quality taps and diesBob "hot rod" Rohr
trainer for Caleffi NA
Living the hydronic dream0 -
I'd bring a left hand set for that whole job. They do exactly the same thing with the added benefit of very commonly unscrewing the bolt.
Miss Hall's School service mechanic, greenhouse manager, teacher, dog walker and designated driver
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If they break you can grind the bolts flat and try and center punch the middle.
Depending on the condition of the old threads I have drilled them oversize on occasion and gone up to a larger diameter bolt. 3/8" to 7/16 for instance
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Being a pump guy, I've never worked with boilers or burners, but have fought with broken studs and nuts for decades.
For rusted stuck nuts, I like to use a nut splitter. Next best thing is penetrating oil. WD 40 is not very good. Tests I've read say Liquid Wrench is better than P B Blaster or Kroil. Best is a 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone.
Dennis Pataki. Former Service Manager and Heating Pump Product Manager for Nash Engineering Company. Phone: 1-888 853 9963
Website: www.nashjenningspumps.com
The first step in solving any problem is TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM.0 -
Retorque the bolts after 6 months or a year once or twice as the gasket compresses so it doesn't happen again.
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Has anyone melted wax or a crayon on the bolt and had that work? Would really like to know.
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About the only thing that I have found that worked to actually break something that was seized loose was heat. Various penetrating products made it easier to unthread over rust but it didn't make the difference between it breaking free or not.
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For removing broke bolts Reverse Drills make it so much easier.
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that’s perfect thanks, great thing to keep handy
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and cheap enough!
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J Keep in mind the tap differences, a thru tap will push the chips into the hole but will start much easier due to the many gradual teeth leading up to a full profile, where as a blind spiral flute (different than spiral point) will be very difficult to start and will draw the chips back toward you. (out of the hole)
I bolted down an old coil plate to my broken stud and used a bushing to keep my hole in alignment. It worked very well
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Karoil is the best IMHO
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Also I wouldn't over think tap quality unless you're doing a lot of holes. Just my limited experience but high cost taps are for difficult materials like stainless or lots of uses over and over. I wouldn't go to harbor freight but any hardware store is not likely to carry a tap that will fail in the first five holes, and if it does than that's more likely to be operator error, which is not resolved by using a higher cost tap. Also if you're tapping for new fittings an H3 or H5 size tap should suffice but you can purposely go to a higher h number to make the threads bigger to be more forgiving for used or worn fittings.
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nothing worse than a broken tap in the hole.
Bob "hot rod" Rohr
trainer for Caleffi NA
Living the hydronic dream
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yup then you’re in trouble
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I've replaced dozens of coils, blank coil plates, and plate gaskets over the past 50 years; never needed any taps, dies, or lube.
I drain the boiler, remove connected piping and wells, and grind the heads off of the bolts.
After carefully prying the plate off, I heat the remaining studs red hot and let them cool. I reheat the studs again and cool them with ice cubes. The studs have always come out easily & whole with a 6" pipe wrench.
Perhaps the customers have been lucky I've never had to spend extra time drilling & taping.
I will note that I don't or won't attempt this type of repair during the heating season, and I've always had drill bits & taps on hand..…
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It is the heat. the heat breaks down the crystal of the oxide to a soft, dehydrated powder.
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