Because I'm cheap-- resharpening pipe threader dies

[Iron Beaver]

I have like 15 Ridgid pipe threader dies, mostly 00-R from my latest scrap yard run. They are all dull, because of course they are.

Not complaining though, as I did get a very good deal on them. But since I'm a cheapskate, I was wondering can they be resharpened? One looked just a little dull and I probably gave it 400 strokes with my coarsest diamond stone to no effect. I don't think I have enough control with a bench grinder to do much good. Has anyone had any luck resharpening those?


Yes, I know NOS cutters are cheap. But so am I

 

[metaldad]

throw them away
even IF you could sharpen, that will change the thread engagement on the pipe being threaded.
mcmaster sell oo-r size dies for $80/set

 

[Iron Beaver]

Yes it will change thread engagement, but thanks to the miracle of tapered pipe I was hoping to get one resharpening out of them. I'm not building nuclear reactors over here and thought it was worth a try

 

[PelicanPines]

Sorry... I agree with metaldad... toss them.

Nobody was ever cheaper than my uncle... who used to try to sharpen "Taps" his company tossed out. And he wondered why none, not one... worked right again.

That said... you need a diamond file specifically designed to sharpen things like that. If you can't get it sharpened with the diamond file... please give up.

 

[Iron Beaver]

I had a feeling that was the right thing to do. Fortunately NOS Ridgid dies are cheap on eBay.

 

[Renegade1LI]

If you want leaking joints you can try resharpening, we thread thousands of joints a year & once those teeth start chipping or dulling replace. So many bad joints from damaged threaders & lack of ability it's mind boggling, when that geometry is off the joint will never make up right, don't cheap out on the important stuff.

 

[Iron Beaver]

Thanks for the input everyone. I guess I'll be getting new dies, though probably not for all 15

 

[Jland]

Sorry... I agree with metaldad... toss them.

Nobody was ever cheaper than my uncle... who used to try to sharpen "Taps" his company tossed out. And he wondered why none, not one... worked right again.

That said... you need a diamond file specifically designed to sharpen things like that. If you can't get it sharpened with the diamond file... please give up.

That is great.. resharpen a tap!! I'd buy that man a few beers just because he tried

 

[Lassen Forge]

I agree, pretty heroic in a semi-sadistic way!

 

[tarmy]

If you want leaking joints you can try resharpening, we thread thousands of joints a year & once those teeth start chipping or dulling replace. So many bad joints from damaged threaders & lack of ability it's mind boggling, when that geometry is off the joint will never make up right, don't cheap out on the important stuff.

Yep. When you least want it to...they will leak, sooner or later (like after the walls are closed up!)

Just buy the ones you have worn down or damaged...you are still ahead cause you are saving money doing the threading yourself anyways!

 

[NORTON'S SHOP]

That is great.. resharpen a tap!! I'd buy that man a few beers just because he tried

In a previous life, I sharpened thousands of taps when I worked in a tool crib. It's not rocket science.

We would touch up new taps before being used in production because a lot would drag on their heel.

Your Ridgid dies can be re sharpened. Not that big of a deal. Not a whole lot different than dies used in a Geometric head.

 

[PelicanPines]

My uncle justified resharpening his taps... by saying they worked perfect as long as you ran a brand new tap in the hole after the resharpened tap... "Just to make sure, it's good".

I bow to your skill Nortons Shop.

 

[NORTON'S SHOP]

My uncle justified resharpening his taps... by saying they worked perfect as long as you ran a brand new tap in the hole after the resharpened tap... "Just to make sure, it's good".

I bow to your skill Nortons Shop.

Thanks. Spent many hours standing by a Royal Oak grinder. Amazing machine.

 

[Sumboodie]

Reminds me of the summer my Dad decided to paint the propane tanks on the grill, camper, etc.

Gave us some ****** old sandpaper and expected the tanks to have a body shop finish so he could paint them.

Now I'd have just swapped the tanks out or sandblasted them, but didn't know better then.

 

[rlitman]

throw them away
even IF you could sharpen, that will change the thread engagement on the pipe being threaded.

Please elaborate.

Have you ever threaded on a lathe? Before the days of carbide, re-sharpenable single point thread cutting tools looked like this:

To sharpen, you just grind back the top a little, to expose a new point, and rotate the cutter to keep the rake angle the same. A similar style with a straight edged cutter that you raise up when you sharpen also existed.

With a tap (or step drill), the geometry is very much the same as the "snail" above. You cut back the face, being careful to advance the rake angle to compensate for the cutting edge moving back, and you're golden. This works, because the wear is only at the tip. Now I'm not advocating for sharpening taps. That's a recipe for broken taps. But back to dies...

Ok, so why can't you sharpen it again?

 

[Renegade1LI]

Please elaborate.

Have you ever threaded on a lathe? Before the days of carbide, re-sharpenable single point thread cutting tools looked like this:

To sharpen, you just grind back the top a little, to expose a new point, and rotate the cutter to keep the rake angle the same. A similar style with a straight edged cutter that you raise up when you sharpen also existed.

With a tap (or step drill), the geometry is very much the same as the "snail" above. You cut back the face, being careful to advance the rake angle to compensate for the cutting edge moving back, and you're golden. This works, because the wear is only at the tip. Now I'm not advocating for sharpening taps. That's a recipe for broken taps. But back to dies...

Ok, so why can't you sharpen it again?

That sounds like a fun retirement project, but we are a union contractor, at 120$ per hour for labor I can buy lots of taps & cutters, just not worth it $$$. Plus one leak could cost well over a 1K$ to clean up & repair. Even worse for a small shop, just not worth the risk.

 

[dnschmidt]

Why not talk to a professional sharpening service. Worse that can happen is that they tell you to bug off. I have a service that sharpens my router bits, drills and circular saws. Come back as good as new.

 

[BD1]

Return to scrap pile. We use are Ridgid pipe threading dies daily. Lots of cutting oil when in use, and they last forever.
Our dies get replaced when chipped which is more common then not cutting.
We wouldn't even consider trying to sharpen.


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[MushCreek]

Just dull, I would try sharpening them, but I have a surface grinder. Free hand would be sketchy at best. If they're chipped, they're scrap. I sharpen taps often, with good results, but I have 45 years experience as a tool maker.

 

[Iron Beaver]

Return to scrap pile. We use are Ridgid pipe threading dies daily. Lots of cutting oil when in use, and they last forever.
Our dies get replaced when chipped which is more common then not cutting.
We wouldn't even consider trying to sharpen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Should probably clear something up here: The dies I have are the complete round gizmos that go into the ratchet. Confusingly the cutters in them are also called dies. No way is it worth it to take the dies back even if I have to buy all new dies (cutters) for them.

 

[Iron Beaver]

Just dull, I would try sharpening them, but I have a surface grinder. Free hand would be sketchy at best. If they're chipped, they're scrap. I sharpen taps often, with good results, but I have 45 years experience as a tool maker.

That's the rub. Some of these have actual chipped teeth or the tops of the thread profile worn off and I would never try to salvage those. But some look like I could just take 0.001-0.002 off the top and be good. With 15 of them and like $50-80 each for a new set, I was actually contemplating assembling some Taig lathe parts I have on hand and adding a jig to get the angles correct and repeatable. It would be a great thing to have, if it resharpened the dies properly.

Before taking the $100-300 gamble though, it would be nice to have some idea how it might turn out

 

[Iron Beaver]

Correction: I should have said off the cutting face. To make the cutter a bit thinner there. Regrinding the thread form is a huge lost cause. Also, I'm not a pro so my spare time is not necessarily worth all that much. Plus I always love a good challange when the rewards are high enough

 

[MushCreek]

Should probably clear something up here: The dies I have are the complete round gizmos that go into the ratchet. Confusingly the cutters in them are also called dies. No way is it worth it to take the dies back even if I have to buy all new dies (cutters) for them.

That's different. I thought we were talking about the individual inserts that some die sets use. I don't know how you'd sharpen those- maybe a Dremel tool? I could sharpen them at work in a machine called a jig grinder. Because of the relief, as you remove material from the cutting edge, the die will cut bigger. Removing a small amount from a tapered pipe die might still work. BTW- I agree; throw them out, but sometimes I like a challenge.