If butt is close to surface, mount a (diamond) cutoff wheel into yer dremel and cut a grove, in the said buff, for a flat head screwdriver. Sure worked for me, as I wuz having a mild heart attack looking at a busted 1/4 tap in a shaft of a brand new 3 phase motor :) I wuz DT-ing for a retaining bolt.
Another way to get a busted tap out
Sep 23, 2006
3 Replies
Ah, you just broke it wrong. I allways break mine off down inside a way :)
Karl
One of those cheap fiber cutoff wheels works just fine. In fact, the harder the metal, the better they seem to work. I use them the same way when I get a Phillips head screw that is wallowed out, just cut a slot across the head and use a flat screwdriver. This has always been the most common use for my Dremel.
Vaughn
They not only work fine, but they're the proper choice for such an operation. Diamond does not work well in iron (iron alloys----steel, for example) due to it's affinity for carbon. If you achieve a high enough temperature, the diamond is absorbed into the iron. That makes for a dull diamond, which cuts hotter, which accelerates the absorption. Diamond should not be used unless speed is kept very low, to prevent heating to redness at the point of contact. That's hard to do.
Harold
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