Author Topic: Irwin Hanson Carbon Steel Tap & Die Set  (Read 5037 times)

Offline petertha

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 782
Irwin Hanson Carbon Steel Tap & Die Set
« on: November 12, 2012, 12:04:31 AM »
I?m wondering if anyone has this set & would appreciate comments regarding quality. Also, I?m not familiar with that particular style of ?adjustable? die stock. How does it work?

Rant: I think I have the world?s largest collection of ill-purchased Asian knockoff die stocks. Aside from general crappy quality, the positions of set screws & gap set screw seem to vary. Some are 180 deg opposed, others are in a cluster about 30 deg apart. Apparently there was an International Die Stock Convention, but my manufacturers skipped that conference!

So recently I gambled again. I just received a ?USA? die stock from MSC which I had high hopes for. Amazingly, it was also made in China. I?m not opposed to Chinese tools, I have many. But for $40 it looked like it was hacked out with a chainsaw. It?s going back.

I've been buying dies as I need them, but that hanst turned out to be a smart plan either. Some dies are good quality, others are junk. So I?m thinking of trying this Irwin Hanson set. Failing that, I?m at the point of making my own die stock. I?m sure I can exceed the quality of what I have thus far.

Offline b.lindsey

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13860
  • Dallas, NC, USA
    • Workbench-Miniatures
Re: Irwin Hanson Carbon Steel Tap & Die Set
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2012, 12:17:21 AM »
Those seem to be pretty large sizes for modeling work. You would know better if those are sizes you would use.  Personally i prefer hss, but the hss price seems very high to me.

Bill

Offline Don1966

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6817
  • Columbia, MS
Re: Irwin Hanson Carbon Steel Tap & Die Set
« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2012, 01:47:58 AM »
Those are 1" adjustable dies, I do use 1" dies but not those. The set I have is both imperial and metric hex dies and taps built by the same company. I have had no problem so far with them and seem to be good guality. I also buy there drill bits which are decent. Also check your local Ace Hardware store they carry them.

Don

Offline petertha

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 782
Re: Irwin Hanson Carbon Steel Tap & Die Set
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2012, 02:29:33 AM »
Those seem to be pretty large sizes for modeling work.Bill

Yes, I agree. Thats kind of what got me into the 'buy a seperate 13/16" OD die stock & collect dies as I need them' game to begin with. I couldnt find a decent graduated 13/16" based set. Depending on the die maker, seems like 13/16" OD ranges from 0-80 through 5/16". The 1" OD ranges from 4-40 through 1/2-20. A bit of overlap but I would think 13/16 would be better. Maybe I will just make a better die stock for myself & carry on.

Im still curious about the Irwin Hanson die stock though. Those 3 pin looking things.. are they more for centering the die or somehow locking it into the handle housing without set screws?

Offline ScroungerLee

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 299
  • Southwest Connecticut, US, North America, Earth
Re: Irwin Hanson Carbon Steel Tap & Die Set
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2012, 01:51:18 PM »
I can't comment on that exact set, but I do have a set of Irwin taps and dies, carbon steel, that I have been happy with.  I had an older set of metric "how can that be so inexpensive?" taps and dies which was completely useless, the Irwin set is much better than that.

Lee
Mmmmm.... Shiny!

Offline b.lindsey

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13860
  • Dallas, NC, USA
    • Workbench-Miniatures
Re: Irwin Hanson Carbon Steel Tap & Die Set
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2012, 02:38:43 PM »
I just looked here at work and we have the same set from Irwin. In the picture, you are looking at the back side of the die stock and what you are seeing is a plate secured by three thumb screws. As the plate is rotated, three fingers (similar to a three jaw chuck) close or retract so as to engage the end of the piece you are threading as it comes out the back side of the die, presumably to help keep everything centered.  Think of it more as a follower rest built in to the die stock. The die itselt is still held in by three set screws on the opposite side of the die stock.

Bill
« Last Edit: November 12, 2012, 02:58:13 PM by b.lindsey »

Offline jonesie

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 127
Re: Irwin Hanson Carbon Steel Tap & Die Set
« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2012, 02:53:46 PM »
 i have an irwin set at work and it is not bad.if i need good taps or dies that i will use often i buy  hhs single ones from travers or msc.i use the irwins also so they are not to bad  a lot better then some i have seem.

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal