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BobM3

Cast Iron
Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Location
Minneapolis
I just purchased a portable Chevalier EDM machine. My initial use will be to remove a bunch of broken taps from parts collected over the last few years. I'm a novice. What fluid and electrodes would you recommend for tap removal?
 
I am assuming that you are talking about having an EDM hole popper not a wire machine. I like to use an electrode that is sized just big enough to cut the center out of the tap. A three flute tap is usually alot easier to remove than a two flute. You will need to size your electrode according to the size of the tap to be removed. sometimes to remove really big taps, you can pop a series of holes in a line to cut it directly in two, try and cut from chip relief to chip relief instead of flute to flute that will give you something to poke at with your picks. hope this helps. Brian
 
as far as fluid I am really not sure what you are talking about, most edm's use deionized water that is filtered of all possible impurities to flush the cutting surface. Three most important things about EDMing is Flushing, flushing, flushing. The more ash you can get moved out of the hole the better it will cut.
 
I like the use of the word "ash" in common762's post. Never heard it called that, but technically he's right. An excellent term for discribing EDM to those who no nothing about it.
The electrode material choice for busting taps would be copper-tungsten rod. Cheap enough and you can get it in all kinds of diameters so you won't need to fabricate anything.
I'm not familiar with that machine, but odds are you will be using a water based coolant. Actually, that is a total guess just going off of the "portable" adjective from your post. Just can't picture oil base Ram's as portable... I use Red Line synthetic hole popping fliud. I get it from Electrodes. I'm sure they would be more than happy to point you to exactly what you need.
I would add this also, if your spindle doesn't rotate... not index... rotate..., I would see if you can get a retro-fit to make it do so. Makes "blowing through" stuff a lot faster.
Good luck and welcome to EDM noob... You'll get hooked I'm sure..
 
COPPER TUNGSTEN IS THE WAY TO GO WHEN EXTRACTING A BROKEN TAP, AND IF YOU HAVE EVER READ ANY OF THE HISTORY OF THE EDM PROCESS YOU WILL FIND OUT THAT REMOVING BROKEN IS HOW IT ALL STARTED OUT.
AS FOR THE DEIELECTRIC USED DEPENDS ON THE TYPE OF THE BURNING PROCESS. RAM EDM USES A SYNECTIC OIL, WHILE WIRE EDM USES A DEIONIZED DISTILLED WATER FILTERED TO 3 MICRONS.
THE RESIDUAL WASTE BYPRODUCT THAT YOU HAVE LABELED ASH ACTUALY HAS A NAME. IT IS CALLED "SWARF". BELIEVE ME I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP. HOPE THIS HELPS YOU OUT. ANY COMMENTS EMAIL ME [email protected]
 
Hello, Ive been down this road very recently and found the following helpful:
Build a Metal Desintegrator, Ben Flemming, Lindsay Publications.

electroarc.com. Their website has a lot of info and their branch in the UK were very helpful in supplying the necessary Molybenum electrodes.

Just a week ago I extracted a brokem M12 tap using a home made Desintegrator. The diaelectric used was tap water.
Hope this helps. Michel.
 








 
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