# Holding brass rod while threading it



## Amber (Jul 29, 2011)

Does anybody have any suggestions for a tool to hold onto brass rod while threading it? I was threading some brass rods for my mine car project and I haven't found a good solution for holding the rod so it doesn't turn while I'm threading it. I was putting 6-32 threads on the rods and a pliars just scrapes up the rod when it slips in the pliars. This evening, I tried an old 3/8ths drill chuck that I had sitting around, but it's hard to tighten the chuck tight enough to keep the rod from slipping. Maybe if I had a hollow handle on the chuck I could get a better hold on it when I'm tightening the jaws with the key. 
Has anybody come up with a good way to do this?


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## Budd (Mar 22, 2008)

@import url(http://www.mylargescale.com/Provide...ad.ashx?type=style&file=SyntaxHighlighter.css);@import url(/providers/htmleditorproviders/cehtmleditorprovider/dnngeneral.css); Clamp the rod in a vice? and use some lubricant on the rod - proper cutting compound, grease, petroleum jelly or even oil will help.
Or use a pair of vice grips.


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## Budd (Mar 22, 2008)

Where did those extra words come from, I didn't put them [email protected] url(http://www.mylargescale.com/Providers/HtmlEditorProviders/CEHtmlEditorProvider/Load.ashx?type=style&file=SyntaxHighlighter.css);@import url(/providers/htmleditorproviders/cehtmleditorprovider/dnngeneral.css);


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Amber, I would second the vise idea. Just a small one like a 4" jaw will do. If you are afraid to damage the brass put some thin rubber or wood strip in between it and the jaw. Pliers are hard because when you try to thread you concentrate on that and for get to hold the pliers tightly. They also don't have nearly as large of a contact area as a vise will. 

Budd, That happens because of the web browser you are using. Not sure which are the offending browsers but several people lately have been having that happen to their posts. I don't think that there is anything you can do short of switching the browser you use.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Get some scrap leather and keep it in your shop. Fold a piece over your rod and clamp it in your vice. I have a smaller 2 1/2" face vice and it would be plenty strong for that job. 
We used to get scrap from a local leather worker (clothes and hats) or worn out boots. 

John


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I often use electrical tape to cushion the rod and protect it. The sticky goo grips the rod well and can be over a larger area than the tool jaws that are doing the squeezing! Use two pieces of tape on opposite sides, parallel to the rod, not wrapped around it... Like a sandwich where the tape is the bread and the rod is the filler, it is easier to remove that way. Don't be tempted to wrap the tape like a hotdog bun around the hotdog; it is harder to remove the tape that way. And using a vice or "Vice-Grips" is better than just pliers, for the reasons already noted.

Your 3-jaw chuck should work also, but a handle in it might make it easier to tighten... especially with less fear of getting the web of skin between the thumb and index finger in those little teeth of the chuck key (that is always an inhibitor to tightening it)! Also, tighten the chuck using at least two of the holes in the side... I am able to get a better grip on a drill bit with less applied torque on the key if I tighten the chuck as best as I can using one hole and then move the key to another one and tighten it again... the older/more worn (or cheaper) the chuck the more this needs to be done to get a good grip with a chuck.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Get one of these, I just received mine and it works swell, cost effective, and will vacuum clamp down to any smooth surface for portability. Regal

2-3/4" Articulated Vacuum Vise


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

What diameter brass rod are you using for 6 x 32 threads? 6 x 32 has a diameter of .138" which is kind of odd sized. 8 x 32 is a good fit for 5/32" rod. 10 x 32 is perfect for 3/16" rod. 5 x 40 is exactly 1/8". 2 x 56 is loose fit on 3/32" while 3 x 48 is a little tight. 0 x 80 works on 1/16"


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

A vise or vise jaw pad (below) for holding tube, pipe or rod come in various sizes to fit vises, some (top) are magnetic. Various prices $$. Below all from Amazon, search on "vise jaw pads."
Some vises come with groves mechined into the jaws. Dremel makes a small vise. Micromark has small vises with grooves. Lots of other sources, i.e., Small Parts, etc. With standard vise jaws and pads might have to wrap rod in leather or thin rubber if piece small dia. Advantage of jaw groves they hold the work piece uniformly so the grip is tight and the vise will not deform the material (i.e., brass tube or pipe).


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## Amber (Jul 29, 2011)

I'm not sure what the diameter is on this rod, I'll have to measure it with the caliper when I get home tomorrow night. I bought it because it looked like it was about the right size as compared to a 6-32 screw at the hardware store. I can tell you that the die does not cut full depth threads on it, it's just slightly too small a diameter for that. The outer edges of the threads are flat instead of sharp. (wrong black keys  ) 
One thing I do like about using this old drill chuck to hold the rod is that it's easier to start the rod in the die straight, I can turn the rod instead of the die this way. I have a hard time starting the die straight if I have to turn the die to start it. I wasn't using any oil when I was threading the rod, I should try that. I also found that if I back up the die a bit every turn or so, the rod doesn't slip as much.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Sounds like you have discovered the proper die cutting procedure... Turn the die a bit less that one turn and then back it up about a half turn. The idea is to break of the chip that is being formed so it clears out of the groove being cut. Lots easier to proceed even though it takes a bit longer. (And the black keys are for playing foreign music, so maybe you have a Metric rod?)


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## Michael Glavin (Jan 2, 2009)

Back in my Metal Shop days, I seem to remember that a 1:2 turning ratio to clear the die was recommended (1/2 turn forward=1 turn backwards) that said it kinda depends on the material in play and if its sized appropriately ... I use collets to hold stock whenever feasible, other times the various vise jaw protectors work great... 

Michael


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## JPCaputo (Jul 26, 2009)

Me 3 on the back up every turn or less. I'll add to clean off the fresh threads now and then since the chips like to build up by the die. (happens with plastic n soft metals often ) A drop of wd40 or other light oil works great for making the cut easier, but also attracts chips like mad requiring cleaning the treads often. 

try tapping a bunch of 2-56 threads in a brittle block of acrylic.That's a lot of cleaning n backing up often to not seize the tap, or crack the acrylic.


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

It sounds like 1/8" rod. That will be OK. If the nut fits, you are in business. 

Not all brass is created the same. "Hobby Shop" brass (K&S brand) is called "cartridge brass" It can get real sticky and difficult to tap and die. Sheet brass is almost always cartridge. You've probably notice how troublesome it is to drill and saw. When doing the 2 steps forward, 1 step back, use oil to lubricate. Any oil will work.


Home Depot and Lowe's sell brass rod too. It's "free machining". Much better stuff to work with. "Free machining" does not require oil, but it helps.


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## Amber (Jul 29, 2011)

When you say "cartridge brass" do you mean as in the brass they use for ammunition cartridges? 
"The black keys are for playing foreign music..." LOL! 
I think the rod I was threading is 1/8th inch, it measures .ii5, a bit smaller than 1/8th inch, so who knows, it could be metric. I bought a 3 foot piece of 1/8th inch brass rod today from the hardware store to make the long rods for the mine car, and it actually does measure .125 with my caliper. It's probably the same harder brass, I guess I'll find out when I cut and thread it.


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Amber on 30 Jan 2012 09:16 PM 
When you say "cartridge brass" do you mean as in the brass they use for ammunition cartridges? 
"The black keys are for playing foreign music..." LOL! 
I think the rod I was threading is 1/8th inch, it measures .ii5, a bit smaller than 1/8th inch, so who knows, it could be metric. I bought a 3 foot piece of 1/8th inch brass rod today from the hardware store to make the long rods for the mine car, and it actually does measure .125 with my caliper. It's probably the same harder brass, I guess I'll find out when I cut and thread it. 
I don't know. But ammo brass is not the best stuff to cut either, especially when its loaded (eek!). Seriously, "cartridge brass" is called Alloy 260. "Free Machining" is Alloy 360, it's also called "half hard brass". If you ever order brass on line, look for the alloy numbers instead of trade names. That .115" could be 3mm then. The 3 foot length stuff from the hardware stores is good material to work with.


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