Dissolving broken taps

Gallery, Projects and General > How do I??

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AdeV:
Hmm, taxidermists use it apparently (according to that ebay item, thanks Chris), I may contact our local one - there must be one... - & see if they've any spare.

I've not tried it, but I think I can get the end of the sump into the toaster oven, so I can heat it to "hot, but not too hot" to accelerate the reaction. I don't have any carbide end mills/drills :( but that would be an alternative.

I just can't believe I broke 2 taps. That's just careless... As far as I know, both are regular carbon steel (one, that broke almost by being looked at) claims to be "fine carbon steel"...

Ned Ludd:
Hi AdeV,
Do you have any gun shops near you? If so pop along and ask them for some "cartridge case cleaner". The main ingredient is Nitric acid, which will dissolve steel but leave Aluminium alone. It works a treat on broken taps, I completely dissolved a 2.5mm tap in a couple of hours, all that was left was a black sludge. A 6mm tap will take longer but you don't have to dissolve it completely, just enough so that the core can be pulled out.
My stock, bought years ago at an ME exhibition, came from Delway Technical Services. I don't know if they are still going, recessions being what they are, but their phone number was 051-639 3201 although the prefix needs updating.
Ned

Brass_Machine:
Ade,

I have dissolved a few taps with Alum. Got mine in a grocery store here in the states. Your piece is to big to do it the way I did, but I am sure you can figure out how to do something similar. I had water and alum in an aluminum pan and brought up to heat. Just below boiling... threw my part in and waited. Took most of the day (better of 12 hours) to dissolve the tap. I didn't go all the way, just enough to remove it.

HERE is a thread to read. Helped me.

Eric

**fingers crossed. Don't want to see it become a paper weight!

cedge:
Found a neat trick for removing tapsbroken off in steel. Heat the work piece, with the heat concentrated on the tap. When the tap gets red hot, let it air cool. The heating takes the temper out of the tap and a drill bit can be used to drill it out with no problems. The heating doesn't effect the work piece since it was never tempered to begin with. Sometimes the last resort is the solution to the problem after all. Note.... this trick does not work with non-ferrous metals

Steve

Dean W:
Ade, if you get some alum, (which should be called aluminum potassium sulfate just about anywhere, as that's the chemical name),
start with a pint of hot water from the tap. Start dissolving the alum in the water, and keep adding it until no more will dissolve.

Now get some of that modeling clay that folks use for hobby projects. Using the clay, make a well around each hole with the broken taps.
Make them large enough to hold a couple of ounces.

Set your sump on something warm. It doesn't have to be very hot. Just good and warm. Maybe use a hot plate set on low.
Pour the solution into the wells, and tap the side of the sump with a plastic hammer to dislodge the bubbles in the tap holes. You
will probably have to leave it a few days, and change the solution in the wells a couple of times. It will turn the taps into crumbs.
Won't hurt copper alloys or aluminum.

Dean

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