1/4" BSPT Taps? UK people help me!
 

I've ordered my copper and barbs but i'm having trouble finding a suitable tap. I've searched the forums here for info but most of you guys seem to be in the US so use NPT barbs. Anyway i've been googling for ages and even looked on ebay and can't seem to find what i need. I've ordered 1/4" BSPT to 1/2" barbs from here. i'm assuming i just need to find a 1/4" BSPT tap? Any got any suggestions on where to find them?

thanks for any help

i used these before fast and stock almost all sizes.

www.tapdie.com

also look at www.rswww.com they sell brass 3/8 bspt barb with 1/2 ID. i know tapdie sell 3/8 bspt taps have one :)

www.chronos.ltd.uk have a good range.

a good range they have everything :drool:

personal fav http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/bracestn.jpg :)

yeah I got mine from chronos. I just went with a bsp tap (non tapered) and bspt barbs. I just used a couple of turns of PTFE tape and screwed them in finger tight. I don't mean this to sound patronising as I don't know what kind of experience you have but don't forget the 11.8 mm drill bit

Don't worry, this is my first attempt at block construction so i need all the help i can get. i actually intended to ask what size drill bit i needed but forgot lol so thanks for that. I think there should be a sticky that contains all basic info on tools, i.e. explanation of barbs sizes along with what drill and tap needed and some info on materials etc... would be very useful for people like me getting started.

Thx for the link, the site really does seem to have everything!

After browsing and looking for a while it raised a few more questions:

1) I often read of people snapping small taps in their blocks which i really want to avoid (i know you should to 1/2 turn fwds, 1/4 turn back) but what size screws and tap should i go for so i don't snap it? i was looking at 6BA x 3/4" Steel Cheese Head Screws. does BA6 mean they are 6mm? What is a 'cheese head'? is it an allen key type head?

2) What additional stuff do i need for my tap to use it (sounds like a stupid question lol) ? Do i just need a Standard T Handle Tap Wrench?

3) What size BA studding fits through mobo mounting holes. i'm assuming NB and GFX holes are smaller then CPU holes.

Sorry for all the stupid questions but any info will be very helpful. thanks

6BA is not 6mm, the metric sizes are Mx (M3 and M4 are common for the sort of mounting you're likely to be doing).
According to a handy site I found, 6BA is 2.8 mm.

OK thx, that's very useful. damn why do there have to be so many different standards for threaded stuff. lol

On the mounting holes... cpu holes should take an M5 bolt/studding. I think NB/GPU will usually take M3, you might squeek an M3.5 in if you're lucky.

Does the drill bit for drilling holes for the barbs need to be PRECISELY 11.8mm or will 12mm not make any difference? would 11.5mm be better?

actually I think I used 11.5mm can't b sure now I'll have to check later

Too late now lol, i just ordered the 12mm. if it's too big i'll just get another. I'm sure it'll work out with a bit of PTFE tape :)

If you're buying taps, the same place should have been able to sell you an 11.8mm drill (I got a 1/4" bspt tap and 11.8mm drill from chronos a while back).

I am a bit lost looking for the right type of tap and drill. First for the thread used on 1/2" barbs, would I need 1/4", 3/4" tap? the blocks I have use 1/4 while my 1250 eheim pump uses 3/4 on inlet.
I know the type is BSP but my dad has said there are four types.
The type I would need is tappered, so that its at an angle, allowing the barb to bite into all of the thread and making it harder for high pressure to push the barb out. then there are three types of parrelell tap, whiere the first is slightly tappered and is used first, then the other two (second and plug) are used so that the thread is made parrelell. Using parrelell threads with tappered barbs wouldnt be very good becuase only the top of the barb would bite into the thread.
I thought maybe the tappered one listed on there site is fully tappered while the other two are for making tappered into parrelel?
What size drill would I need? I thought 11.5 or 12mm but it seems the BSPT barbs have 16.5mm diameter threads? ....... <edit>16.5mm was from a 3/4" bspt thread, ill need 1/4" threads, although I *could* use 3/4".
Ive measured a 1/4" thread. The smallest part of it (as its tappered) is 11mm while the biggest is 14mm. this means its probabaly best to drill and 11m hole and then a 12mm hole but with this only 3/4 of the way in, so that the bottom part of the tap is still used instead of wasted by using too large a drill... and then tap it with a 1/4" fully tappered tap.
Chronos dont seem to have 11.8mm drill bits on there shop?

I used 13mm barbs which had a 1/4 inch bspt (the t means tapered) thread (I wish we could just decide on metric or imperial) so I used an 11.8 mm drill bit and a 1/4 inch bsp tap (ie non tapered). My reasoning for this is that the barb was already tapered so I might as well use a straight thread in the top. Also I've never tried tapping tapered holes and I'm not sure if it would entail. It seemed to work alright the following site might be useful

http://www.newmantools.com/taps/bsp.htm

my 12mm drill bit and 1/4" BSPT tap should arrive tomorrow or soon so i can let you know how it works out

kbn: you want a taper tap, the other are for making BSPP tapped holes. For a drill, I'd suggest a 15/32" drill (that's 11.9mm).

Well ive just spent £51 at chronos for various stuff, mostly tools for making waterblocks and lots of alu bar for mounting of blocks. I left out the drill and tap for the barbs becuase i wasnt sure. They dont have the right one on there site so i might email them depending on the prices i get from the quote i asked for at tapdie.com.
How long do chronos take to deliver? and what delivery company do they use?

http://www.newmantools.com/taps/bsp.htm recommends 11.2mm for BSPT.
Ive found a problem that the MAX diamater in the chuck on the cordless drill i have is oly 10mm, so what can i do? I noticed the blacksmiths drills section with reduced ones but it doesnt say how much they are reduced.

Um, I'd suggest getting a better (corded) drill, mine cost about £15 from B&Q and holds up to 13mm drills. You'll drain a cordless drill battery very quickly drilling metal anyway. On the tap drill size - you should probably follow the imperial size and go for 7/16" instead of looking for a 11.2mm metric drill - it'll be easier to find.

I like the cordless drill as it makes about 1/50th of the niose. I think my dads corded one can take 13mm drills.
tapdie.com have the 1/4 BSPT tap for £11.85 + postage + vat + 3% credit card surcharge, so its about £17 from them just for the one tap.

Large taps aren't cheap. ;)