Broken tap

[A.Merrill]

   I seen it on here before but can't find it now.  6-32 tap broke off, how do I get it out?    Al

[FALout]

Break it, beat it, smash it out of there.  You will likely have to go up to the next size when done.

[chubby]

A lot depends on where and if its carbon or h.s.steel!  Chubby

[flehto]

To begin.....what is the item w/ the broken tap? Carbon taps are easier to remove than HSS if a punch is used.  Is there a tool shop nearby? Many have EDM machines which will "burn" the tap out and save the hole.

We had in the toolroom a tool for unscrewing a broken  tap which succeeded some of the time....it was called an "easy out". Otherwise a small, hardened punch is used to break away parts of the tap. Usually the hole is ruined using the punch and the next size tap is used......Good luck.....Fred

[Tim Crosby]

  Try a search on "broken tap" be sure to use the parn's.

     Tim

[FlintFan]

If you know someone with a mill, a broken tap can easily be removed with a carbide 4 flute endmill.  If it is a manual mill slowly feed the knee up into the endmill with the quill locked, instead of lowering the quill down by hand like you would with a drill.

I have removed dozens of broken taps this way and it works extremely well.  Some people use a carbide drill, but that can deflect and can break especially in smaller sizes. The endmill will cut on it's own center without deflecting on the ragged end of a broken tap.

Feed slowly and back out often to remove chips and loose pieces of the tap.

[Steeltrap]

If it's in a place where you cannot drill\tap up to the next size, see if you can find a local machine shop that has a "Tap Burner". As a former machinist who worked on a drill press (a drill press that likely won't fit into your living room) I've broken off many taps and removed them with a tap burner. It's a slow process when removing large taps, but large or small, it gets the job done without damaging the surrounding material.

FWIW

[Bob Roller]

If it is a cheap tap  you may be able to heat it to a bright orange heat and soften it
so it can be drilled out IF a drill can be started.The 6x32 to me is a wretched thing
that is weak and I never use it in anything I make. A 6x40 is as coarse a thread as
I will use on a .130 diameter screw.Try and avoid these hardware store taps if possible.
Bob Roller

[Mark Elliott]

I have a carbide tap/drill extractor set that I bought from MSC some time ago.  It requires drilling out the tap and then breaking out the shell that remains.   It is not an easy process.

[FDR]

A local machine shop with an EDM machine will take it out with no damage to anything. I have had more than one removed that way.

Fred

[Berksrifle]

If you have the equipment, do what FlintFan says. I have removed taps this way using a ball carbide end mill. I also used EDM on plenty of taps.

Ken

[bptactical]

I have taken aerosol keyboard duster, turned it upside down and blasted the broken tap until thoroughly frozen. A couple of sharp raps with a punch will usually shatter it.
Works on taps up to 1/4x28, havent tried it on anything bigger.

[Ky-Flinter]

This is probably a long shot, but depending on what is left of the tap in the hole, you might be able to persuade it to back out with a small punch.  I actually got one out once using 2 small pin punches, one in each of the opposite flutes of the tap, then put a screwdriver between the punch handles to turn the tap.  I was amazed that it worked.

-Ron

[A.Merrill]

I'll let you guys know how i get it out.   Al

[jerrywh]

Heat it red hot with a tig welder a couple of times. let cool naturally. A lot depends on this like, how far down in the hole it is broken, what type of steel or material is it in. Sometimes a drop or two of ferric chloride will eat it enough to let it come out easily. If it is not too far down in the hole you  could weld an extension on it with a tig torch. Heating it with the tig will loosen it enough to where a tap extractor will take it out. I have never seen one I couldn't get out by some means. But I haven't broken one for years.
 No tools, no luck.

[Scota4570]

I cut them up with tiny diamond burrs I got from my dentist.

[jerrywh]

I cut them up with tiny diamond burrs I got from my dentist.

you could use one of those to cut a screw slot in the top and then maybe screw it out.

[A.Merrill]

  Diamond burr used in my dremel chewed it up enough to loosen it. It was only about an 1/8in in.   Al

[flatsguide]

I’ve heard from numerous sources and now Bob Roller on how easy 6-32 taps break compared to other taps.
Richard

[Pukka Bundook]

Al,

You've got to go and break a great deal more taps, before you can try out all these great ways of removing the broke bits!

[45-110]

If you use a end mill for plunge cuts make sure to use a "center cutting" style. Not all end mills are ground this way. For a #6 tap the operation should be done in a vertical milling machine as the cutter will not endure any flexing.
kw

[heinz]

I use Ky-flinters technique.  I use an awl tip on small diameter taps, a punch on larger diameters.  Apply penetrating oil liberally to the stuck tap, get the awl tip as flat horizontal as you can with the tip where you can apply force in a counter-clockwise direction and tap gently with a small hammer. Once you get it to start backing out, drop two pins down the relief flutes in the tap and grab them with a vice grip until you bak the tap out far enough to grab the tap itself. 
Taps made in China are worthless.  South America is only slightly better.