Holding a finished piece in a vise without damaging the finish, and choosing a tap

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Thread: Holding a finished piece in a vise without damaging the finish, and choosing a tap

  1. #1

    Default Holding a finished piece in a vise without damaging the finish, and choosing a tap

    I'm repairing a few pieces of anodized aluminum and don't want to damage the finish; when holding them in the mill's vise, what's the best way to keep them secure without any scratches or scrapes? My current ideas are to use either my sheet of 1/32" silicone rubber or a few layers of masking tape as interference, but is any of that even necessary? I'm not going to be doing heavy machining, just taking off about 1mm of material in a small area and drilling a hole.

    Speaking of drilling holes, I am tapping M2.5 holes in aluminum - blind holes, but I can drill much further than there needs to be threads (I only need about 4mm of thread and I can drill as deep at 10mm). I'd like to power tap using a milling machine, but I'm having trouble deciding between a spiral flute tap or a thread forming tap, I was hoping to get some recommendations or advice.

    Thank you!

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  2. #2
    Community Moderator Jim Dawson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Holding a finished piece in a vise without damaging the finish, and choosing a ta

    Clean steel jaws normally won't scratch anodized parts, if you're careful. A single layer of masking tape would work also, no need for several layers.

    I would use a form tap. We use them all the time and they work very well.

    Jim Dawson
    Sandy, Oregon, USA


  3. #3

    Default Re: Holding a finished piece in a vise without damaging the finish, and choosing a ta

    thanks for the tips!



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Holding a finished piece in a vise without damaging the finish, and choosing a tap

Holding a finished piece in a vise without damaging the finish, and choosing a tap