The more you get involved in fettling lanterns, the more you need certain tools to fix broken or damaged components. I'm constantly on the look out for old imperial tools and have just won this set on eBay. The price was extremely cheap, even with postage and although there are a couple of taps missing, these can be replaced easily enough. This is 'as it came' but I will be cleaning up the case and treating the mild rust on some of the taps and dies. I have a metric, a BA and now a BSW set so I'm now looking for any UNC and/or UNF sets. There are some new ones on eBay but old ones would be nice.
Great buy Colin. Those old Presto taps and dies are of excellent quality. I inherited various sets from my father who was an engineer all his life and use them regularly. They'll outlive me!
I paid £15 plus postage which was a bargain! You have to bide your time and haunt the for-sale sites until you find what you want... it'll turn up eventually.
I wanted one of those sets a while ago, I found the perfect one on eBay and bought it. It wasn’t until I got it in my hands that I found it wasn’t a proper set, it was a mix of all different BSW, BA etc. So far, I’ve had a tap in all the sizes I’ve needed but one day I’d like a nice full set of each like you.
That was a real bargain, Presto, Dormer, Eclipse HSS taps and dies were all top quality, and will outlast many sets of "carbon steel" taps you find today I worked 49 years in Engineering and its wonderfull to see good quality tools like these rescued from the scrap heap. I have to stop myself looking on e-bay sometimes I have quite a lot of micrometers and measuring tools which I could not stand to see wasted, problem is I already had a good colection from my own working days.
Old tools are awesome... quite often they were made better and they tend to last. I inherited quite a few tools from my dad who was an engineer but it's great to find more! I sometimes wonder if he's looking down nodding his head in agreement when I find something new. Quick story... when my dad died, my mum told me I should take his tools as he would have wanted me to have them, but he was always so protective of them I felt really guilty. I remember sitting on the floor in front of his tool cabinet promising him I'd look after everything! Even now there are times when I'd love to ask him about some tool or process... and he died 35 years ago! He always had the answer to any technical, engineering problem and knew exactly what to do! Still miss him!
That is an excellent set. I'd not be lucky enough to get the older sets. So for me, any HSS would do. As long as they are dimensionally correct. In most cases, we'll not be working with hardened or stainless steels but brass. So they'll probably last a very long time.
I've finished cleaning up both the box and de-rusting the taps and dies. Before I leave it, I intend to oil the parts to ensure they stay bright and rust free. And now couple of questions for the engineers among us... there are a couple of empty slots top right and bottom left. Would anyone know what they might have contained? One could be for a steel rod to tighten the tap wrench as there's a hole for one but the other? Small screwdriver? Also, what's the best oil to preserve tool steel or doesn't it matter?
My dear wife just solved it... the top right is for a small tap wrench as evidenced by the marks left on the lid... Which means the other is for a tightening rod! Well done Mrs Geer!
I'll have to keep my eyes open for some replacements but would anyone have a spare 1/2 inch BSW bottoming tap or a 1/16 inch BSW bottoming tap? That's the problem with collecting stuff, you get OCD!
If you ask me, on the bottom left, that slot looks like it's been custom made to house a Tilley dipstick. Gotta be, surely...
Bottom left could be a small screwdriver to adjust the die holder when using the split dies, possibly taken out to do something else and not put back. Top right may be for a tap wrench with small bar similar to this
If you look at 'Google Images' ...Vintage Presto tap and die set...it's a small tap wrench and yellow handled screw driver..
For protection of your newly cleaned tap and die set, I would recommend looking at firearm protection oils such as Ballistol (Ballistol Multi-Purpose Oil – Ballistol UK) or Legia spray (Browning Legia Gun Oil Spray 750ml). I have used both for protecting my machine tools and clockmakers instruments. As a bonus, neither of these products is harmful to wood.
