where can i find taps for large diameters?
 

i wanted to tap the barbs into my next top, so i got some of there things. they're called 3/8 fittings, but they are 1/2" ID. this is the closest thing to true 1/2" we have in hardware stores in this retarded country. anyway, so i go to the drill bit isle, and surprize surprize, they dont have taps that big! i went to home depot, lowes and advance auto parts. no one has shit. how do y'all tap things that big? do i have to order a special tap for this?

jtsmachine has them, I know that. are you looking for 3/8 NPT or BSP? I beleve its BSP?


Jon

you might want to try www.mcmaster.com

i just had an idea as i was looking at your pic. the fitting looks like 3/8 npt close, how about you get a pack of 3/8 npt to 5/8 brass barbed fittings to replace those 3/8 closes, so that way you get true 1/2 flow plus hose bars for better leak proofing.

You've got a tapered pipe fitting. Very common in the plumbing industry. Technically it's a 3/8" NPT (National Pipe Tapered) nipple.

If I understand it right, you want to attach your hose to the fitting directly? It's going to be really hard to seal the tubing that way.

I had trouble finding the fittings I was looking for, too. The big hardware chains all had the same brass fittings in color coded bags as seen in your picture.
Here's a picture of a fitting from one of the big chain store that I had left over from an earlier watercooling project:

http://webpages.charter.net/whinz/watercooling/barb.jpg

This is the style, but smaller ID than I used on my latest project. I ordered the larger ID fittings from McMaster. Here's the Link to the catalog page. I used the 91465K181 1/2"hose ID x 1/4" pipe size brass hose barb.

I put a center drill in the chuck of a drill press, clamp the part being tapped to the drill press table centered on the drill's chuck, bring the center drill down to engage the center dimple of the tap, and turn the tap with a wrench.

Probably... You'll need a 3/8" NPT tap and a 37/64" drill.

that'd only make it harder to find a tap that big, wouldnt it? i think these will seal just fine. but i also found fittings that have the same thread on one side only, the other is smooth. the ID of them is the same. which leads me to show you this picture, in it you can see that the thing is 1/2" ID. that looks like im squeezing it between my ass cheeks, but that's not what i did:)

My god man... if you wore your levi's that tight,you got bigger problems than pipe fittings. ;)

Eh? That looks like a 3/8NPT nipple to me, exactly the same thread size as a 3/8NPT 5/8 inch barb: 3/8 NPT.

Oh.. thats not levis. Thats his girlfriends chest. :eek: :D

just sold a tap and die 3/8 NPT set on ebay...too bad you missed it. Try ebay though, where I have bought my taps.

Ok, so I have 1/2 inch ID tubing. I need 1/2 inch barbs right? And what size of tap do I need? What size of hole should I drill?
Thanks!