Hey Xray,

If this is something that you have been doing with success in the
past, and now without anything else in your methods changing you are
having trouble, then look first to the aluminum material being a
different grade or quality, and second to the taps as being either a
poor grade or somewhat odd-size as in plus .003" or something like
that.

Take care.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:14:37 -0800 (PST), wrote:

I routinely have to tap 6-32 holes in the sides of 6061 aluminum 1/4
round by the hundreds. I thought I had it wired for a while, because I
was able to go through about 500 pieces before breaking a tap. Not the
end of the world. But today I broke 4 to go through the same amount.
I'm doing it the same way I did in the past, but something is going
wrong.


SNIP