According to 0_Qed :
Readership ,

How do you hand-cut 1/2" NC( 13tpi ) with a plain vanila tap & die set
???

Whats the 'secret' to geting the 'die' started properly ???

cold rolled rnd stock.

Some die stocks (wrenches) have an adjustable guide on the other
side which will help get the die started straight onto the workpiece.

However -- have you checked the dimensions of the cold rolled
stock? I think that it typically is a little oversized to allow
machining to final size. This makes it more difficult to thread in any
case.

If you had a lathe, you could trim the OD to the proper size,
and could also turn the end to the minor diameter for 1/8" or so to help
get the die started straight.

If your dies are hexagonal shaped, they are probably rethreading
dies -- used for cleaning up damaged threads, and not for generating
new threads. "tap and die sets" are often supplied with these -- and
with only carbon steel taps. Round dies, with a slot to the center and
a screw for adjusting the size are more likely to produce good threads,
and these should be marked "HSS" (High Speed Steel).

You don't say *which* cold rolled steel -- some steels are
easier to thread (and to otherwise machine) than others.

You don't say whether you have used any cutting fluid. Go to
the Home Depot and check around for a blue bottle of "Rigid" high sulfur
cutting oil -- usually in the plumbing department. It will stink, but
it will improve the quality of the threads.

In any case -- you need to back up the die about every 1/4 turn
to break off the chips to keep them from clogging the die. (This is
even more important for taps, which have smaller recesses (flutes) to
allow the chips to accumulate.

Good Luck
DoN.


P.S. For whatever reason, everything except your original article
seems to be marked as expired. I can probably bring them back
later, but not while in the middle of the newsreader. So -- I
don't know what others have replied.
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