Texatdurango
Member
If you decide to join in the conversation, lets PLEASE try to stay on the topic of using the 14mm multi-start tap and die in making a pen and not drift into other areas such as where to buy nibs or why use multi-start threads or do fountain pens sell well in your area!
Since several members are just starting out with tapping and threading and can't wait to get their first "made from scratch" masterpiece started, there are a few points they may not be familiar with so I thought this might help a little.
First.......... This is not THE WAY way of doing this, it's just a way I find that works for me, feel free to add your own experiences and what works for you. This thread is also NOT meant to be a debate on multi-start versus single start threads, I'm assuming readers already chose the multi-start threads else they wouldn't be reading this thread!
The first thing you want to do is drill a hole in the cap so you can tap the threads. Generally when using metric taps you subtract the pitch from the diameter to arrive at the proper drill size to use. In the case of the 14mm x .8mm multi-start tap we would subtract the .8mm from the 14mm to come up with a 13.2mm drill size. A 33/64" drill is the closest I have to that size so I chose that bit to drill my cap.
Next you will want to turn a tenon on the lower body to accept the die. It is generally accepted to cut the tenon the same diameter as the thread diameter which in our case is 14mm or .551" but I usually find that cutting a hair under produces pleasing results. In this case I turned the tenon to .546", sprayed a bit of aerosol cooking spray then the die cut the threads like butter.
So there you have it, the cap and body have been threaded and below is a shot of what a very quick and crude pen would look like.
I think using these 14mm threads is going to open up some interesting design ideas. In my opinion the "standard" 6mm Berea section looks too small for this pen so a nice larger custom section is in order to make it look balanced. Hopefully today I will find some time to make such a section and will repost the results.
Actually, I bought a new SD chip for my camera so can now take short videos. Would anyone be interested in seeing the Little Machine Shop die holder in action cutting threads using the 1 1/2" die?
Since several members are just starting out with tapping and threading and can't wait to get their first "made from scratch" masterpiece started, there are a few points they may not be familiar with so I thought this might help a little.
First.......... This is not THE WAY way of doing this, it's just a way I find that works for me, feel free to add your own experiences and what works for you. This thread is also NOT meant to be a debate on multi-start versus single start threads, I'm assuming readers already chose the multi-start threads else they wouldn't be reading this thread!
The first thing you want to do is drill a hole in the cap so you can tap the threads. Generally when using metric taps you subtract the pitch from the diameter to arrive at the proper drill size to use. In the case of the 14mm x .8mm multi-start tap we would subtract the .8mm from the 14mm to come up with a 13.2mm drill size. A 33/64" drill is the closest I have to that size so I chose that bit to drill my cap.
Next you will want to turn a tenon on the lower body to accept the die. It is generally accepted to cut the tenon the same diameter as the thread diameter which in our case is 14mm or .551" but I usually find that cutting a hair under produces pleasing results. In this case I turned the tenon to .546", sprayed a bit of aerosol cooking spray then the die cut the threads like butter.
So there you have it, the cap and body have been threaded and below is a shot of what a very quick and crude pen would look like.
I think using these 14mm threads is going to open up some interesting design ideas. In my opinion the "standard" 6mm Berea section looks too small for this pen so a nice larger custom section is in order to make it look balanced. Hopefully today I will find some time to make such a section and will repost the results.
Actually, I bought a new SD chip for my camera so can now take short videos. Would anyone be interested in seeing the Little Machine Shop die holder in action cutting threads using the 1 1/2" die?

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