Carbon Steel Tap and die questions?

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Hello yall,I am curious to know, on what metalic matreials, is the carbon steel tap and die kit not recomended on?Will they work on chormoly parts?
Reply:You might get one hole threaded with carbon steel taps.  Use proper high speed steel taps.  They are more costly but will stand up longer.  Use a good quality threading lube.  Carbon steel taps are simply taps made from carbon steel alloy that are hardened.  They quickly lose strength if the cutting edges are overheated during use.  High speed steel is an alloy of carbon, vanadium moly,chromium and other elements.  It will maintain its hardness and toughness longer than carbon streel.   Carbon steel taps would be acceptable for home/hobby use once and awhile but they don't stay sharp long.  I have even noticed a difference cutting aluminum threads when using cheap carbon steel taps and quality ones.
Reply:High carbon steel ( HCS, toolsteel, etc.)is a longtime staple and works fine on just about anything under say RC 30-35 or maybe a little more- given the proper tools and methods. HCS and HSS can both be hardened to about the same range (though I believe HCS may still go a tad higher- almost all steel tools are not normally left at full hardness-they are drawn slightly to prevent easy breakage), the diff is that HSS is tougher at high temps. it also doesnt shatter as easily when hardened as does hardened hCS. there are a lot of crappy- cheap tools made recently stating they are HCS and they might be the right chemistry, but the fact is sure that they are poor work and just bad quality tools. Union, hansen, and greenlee and many others have been making quality HCS tooling for a long time and it works fine, not exactly the same as HSS but then again, CS should be somewhat cheaper on a same-quality comparison. HCS has a bad name because some of the offshore mfg's are just making crap, doesnt matter what material ( many lies there also) they use, its still crap. Ive seen so-called HSS drills rub their sharp edges and points right off on mild steel and "CS" twist drills take a permanent 1/2 turn and not break- this is an impossibility with a properly made tool. blame the toolmaker,not the steel
Reply:This sounds like a question I just responded to in another forum.   First; a general answer to your last question:    Carbon steel taps do work, but that does depend a bit on how you define work.    They are seldom cost effective in any material where you expect to make more than a couple holes.    As for chormoly that again depends on the state of the metal.Second; as to reccomendations, frankly I don't reccomend them for most usage.    A quality HSS tap will be stronger and last much longer.    If you like the catalog approach to shopping try McMaster-Carr or MSC.    The number of taps they have is amazing, for most work though you don't need their super taps, rather a general purpose hand tap.   In this realm I like the TiN coated taps as they seem to reduce sticking.    These can be either the tapper/plug/bottom trifecta or the 2 flute spiral point (gun) tap.Just for clarity I don't want to leave the impression that carbon taps don't work at all.   The problem is they don't work very long.    Further is you have critical thread quality needs a carbon tap breaks down quickly.    You don't need to spend a fortune on HSS taps though it is easy to do.ThanksdaveLast edited by wizard; 04-23-2006 at 01:05 PM.
Reply:Try mscdirect.com
Reply:i have nothing to add to all the above posts because they are all correctgood work guys ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I use Greenfield taps and dies, I think they're the best and you can get them for cheap if you don't mind using 50 year old tools.  Otherwise, I've had really good experiences with Triumph drills.  They're making taps now, too and they are probably good as well.