Left hand carbide drill bit?

[Flieger]

So I need to drill out a broken-off tap. EDM sounds expensive. Wondering where the best place to get carbide drill bits (preferrably left handed) is.

Thanks in advance.

[911Freak]

I got mine at White Cap out by Chatsworth

[Seabear]

I didn't see any lh carbide-tipped drill bits, but these guys have a great selection of tools:
McMaster-Carr

[Flieger]

McMaster was the first place I checked but didn't see what I needed. Tried Grainger too.

[Seabear]

Maybe one of the local tool houses that cater to the aerospace industry can give you direction.

[DRONE]

Have you tried using a tap extractor? what size tap? is it a 2 or 3or 4 flute tap? thru hole or blind.
I f the tap is 6/32 or better I would use a Dremel carbide burr bit they have more strength and will make short work of a HSS tap, also wax makes a good lubricant

[speeder]

Snap-on, and they're nice and expensive. LH drill bits are not so easy to find.

[Flieger]

Originally Posted by DRONE

Have you tried using a tap extractor? what size tap? is it a 2 or 3or 4 flute tap? thru hole or blind.
I f the tap is 6/32 or better I would use a Dremel carbide burr bit they have more strength and will make short work of a HSS tap, also wax makes a good lubricant

Thanks for the tips. Is a tap extracter like a really hard ez-out?

[fred cook]

Sometimes you can use a small screwdriver or ice pick and a hammer to hit the broken tap and work it in a counter clockwise direction. After a turn or two it will loosen up and come right out. You will probably need to work around the circle hitting each of the "legs" a little bit at a time. I have removed several broken off tap ends this way. Good luck!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by fred cook

Sometimes you can use a small screwdriver or ice pick and a hammer to hit the broken tap and work it in a counter clockwise direction. After a turn or two it will loosen up and come right out. You will probably need to work around the circle hitting each of the "legs" a little bit at a time. I have removed several broken off tap ends this way. Good luck!

I sharpened two Craftsman dental picks and sort of did this, just inserted both and worked them left.

[will944]

A small EDM shop will probably charge you $40 to remove a tap.

[DRONE]

The hardened steel fingers of Tap Extractors fit in the flutes of a broken tap to back it out simply and safely. This effective method has been used since 1908. They are available in every tap size, both inch and metric, as handy sets or individual pieces. will fit both NC and NF taps.
Info. copied from an advert.

[Flieger]

Lots of great info here, thanks!

[John Rogers]

I have a set of tap extractors that were the "finger and collar" type that had a collar you unscrewed and there were three very, very strong fingers that slid down besides the broken off tap. You then tightened the collar so they would not flex and SLOWLY and with lots of lube back the broken tap part out of the hole. I always used Crisco as a tap lube and it was nice as it absorbed the heat and melted and provided great lubrication. A place named Marshall's Hardware in San Diego have them either individually or in sets from 10-22 size to big boys. I can't say where mine came from but they are blessed to work on nuclear power plants.........

[sammyg2]

Depending on how big the tap is and what it's stuck in, sometimes you can anneal it and take out the temper, making it soft as butter.
They do it in my machine shop occasionally. Take it to around 1000 degrees f and let it cool 100 degrees an hour and you can drill right through it (assuming it's tool steel).

Of course, the part it's stuck in may need to be heat-treated again ..............................

[Stutzdriver]

Production Tool Supply form Detroit has thousands of cutting tool types, essentially if they don't have it it can't be found....lots of close out/buyout items too

www.pts-tools.com

[Flieger]

Originally Posted by Stutzdriver

Production Tool Supply form Detroit has thousands of cutting tool types, essentially if they don't have it it can't be found....lots of close out/buyout items too

www.pts-tools.com

Ooooh! That is just the kind of site I wanted. Measuring tools, cutting tools...