So P.O.'ed I can't even see straight....

[jonyyuma]

Somedays you just cannot win...Easy outs come in many forms. I have broken at least three types, and it wasn't thru misapplication or brute force...If you do enough bolts it will happen. Plus most of these broken were not imported.I am very cautious with the newer imported taps..As some one else said, a lot of the time it siezed tight before it broke?

 

[Short Game]

Nope, it isn't...

Most folks I've heard of breaking taps forget to back them out a 1/4 turn for every turn cutting a thread. Backing out, for those who don't know, clears the chips out of the tap.
And not using enough cutting fluid or other lubricant...

The one that is fresh in my mind was using the tiniest tap I ever used. I drilled the proper drill size for the tap. It was to mount a little 4X scope on an old .22. I guess I just didn't have the right feel for such a small tap. I have no clue how to get the tap out and have a second chance at it. It's just a single shot, but it drives tacks. I got it free because someone had hit something with it and cracked the stock and bent the barrel. I glued the stock, straightened the barrel, and re-blued it. I found the scope at a garage sale. It would fit perfectly and it would mount off center to leave the open sights clear. I'd sure like to have that second chance on this.

 

[RoyJackson]

The one that is fresh in my mind was using the tiniest tap I ever used. I drilled the proper drill size for the tap. It was to mount a little 4X scope on an old .22. I guess I just didn't have the right feel for such a small tap. I have no clue how to get the tap out and have a second chance at it. It's just a single shot, but it drives tacks. I got it free because someone had hit something with it and cracked the stock and bent the barrel. I glued the stock, straightened the barrel, and re-blued it. I found the scope at a garage sale. It would fit perfectly and it would mount off center to leave the open sights clear. I'd sure like to have that second chance on this.

Since you like the rifle, and have so little money tied up in it, I suggest you take it to a gunsmith. He'd be used to working with those small threads (probably a 4-40 thread, BTW) and it's likely he's worked with small broken taps.
BTW, as I'm sure you're aware, receivers are hardened steel...not difficult to snap a tap in them.

 

[jonyyuma]

How about a tap remover? No? Maybe two small drill bits inserted beside the flutes and turned with a small crescent/w?

 

[Short Game]

Since you like the rifle, and have so little money tied up in it, I suggest you take it to a gunsmith. He'd be used to working with those small threads (probably a 4-40 thread, BTW) and it's likely he's worked with small broken taps.
BTW, as I'm sure you're aware, receivers are hardened steel...not difficult to snap a tap in them.

I have little money tied up in anything except the tractor and a few implements. That's because I don't have the money in the first place. If I can't do it myself, I usually can't do it at all.

I was guessing it could be hardened steel, but it drilled easy enough. I can still use the open sights, and usually prefer them. I just thought it would be neat to have the scope option. I have pretty good eyeballs. They are what I used to straighten the barrel. Looking down the bore and thumping it on a chopping block to get the image perfectly symmetrical. The old thing is nice and light and something I can handle, a Remington 514. If memory serves, that 4-40 thread sounds right.

Turning what was junk into a tack driver gives me a good feeling. When I got that scope for a couple bucks, it just seemed like destiny to do this.

 

[Ford tractor]

Update.

Most of the broken part is out, but not all. I bought a new 1/4" ball end carbide burr and used it in the angle drill. It ate the broken extractor out quick.... until it bottomed out. Stupid thing is only 2.000000000 inches long. I need it to be maybe 2.25 to get the last bit out. AAARRRRRGGGHHHH!

Just my luck.:laughing:


So I ordered up some extended burrs that will be able to clear the rest of the piece out. Just have to wait .... yeah, not good at waiting. Tried to get it out with a half dozen 1/4" drills. Dulled them all up quick. Back to waiting....


Someone posted about the bolt being siezed. It may be, but the break wasn't from over tightening, it was (I think) from an impact causing the frame to jiggle while the engine was jaggling. As I was coming out from the job, I had to go over to the far side of the road to keep from the bottomless mud bog and when I went over there the FEL bucket snagged a decent size stump. Pretty big collision. Nothing seemed hurt at the time, even though it did pull the stump out of the ground. That was one reason I gave the machine the stink eye inspection for damage. The other was that it had been out of the shop since the end of June.

 

[jonyyuma]

Yikes, that sounds like a good impact, unless the stump was rotten? No wonder it removed the head or sheared the bolt.

 

[RoyJackson]

Okay, Legal disclaimer: Old but not senile, definitely do not have the answer to everything!:thumbsup:

Well, at least you're old enough to know who Johnny Yuma is...

 

[jonyyuma]

Well, at least you're old enough to know who Johnny Yuma is...

One of my Cowboy images as a kid, we all had our favorites. Back when TV was supposed to be a teaching aid and have some value? BTW, i wanted to ask? Do you always wear your special hat?

 

[Short Game]

Well, at least you're old enough to know who Johnny Yuma is...

...and Johnny Cash did the theme song.

Geez, let's not get this moved to a geezer thread.