How to Make the Coolest Little Tap Wrench that you can no Longer Buy

[@PaskMakes]

Brass Hammer Giveaway: paskmakes.com/brass-hammer-giveaway/ This was a fun little project, I learned from it and gained a bit more experience on the lathe and milling machine. I also really enjoyed nickel plating which turned out fantastic. :)

[@tonywilson4713]

Well done. This is one of those simple straight forward projects that many people can easily do with quite a few things that can be used on all sorts of projects. Its the first time I have seen that type of nickel plating demonstrated.

[@asyoz]

I'm very excited to have entered the hammer giveaway! I did just want to mention that there are a couple of odd things in the Ts&Cs of the comp, though (just in case it makes a difference with the powers-that-be who make you put things like this into raffle terms). The 'value' area is blank, and the dates look odd (in that the comp is theoretically over as of 3 months ago). Anyway, I assume these things won't affect the comp, but I wanted to let you know in case it makes a difference.

[@ChrisJames-cj8sw]

@pask makes when you say setting up what just configuration or do you need the electrics doing as if so could give you a hand I am registered with the NIC just let me know

[@tonywilson4713]

@@ChrisJames-cj8sw Chris at Clickspring just did a great video on plating.

[@blackkeyba8757]

😊😊😊

[@R.Craig.Collins]

this project just blows me away... you are growing so much as a machinist, to compliment your metal and wood working skills

[@PaskMakes]

Thank you! I really am enjoying machining even though I still feel like I have a lot to learn. That's the reason I think I like it so much! :)

[@seanwood1306]

Your order of operation always impresses me. I do love when you share that you’ve made errors though, show’s you’re human like us!

[@acid_8]

Not sure if anyone has seen the 'My Mechanics' channel but that Swiss man has a way with making things from scratch. This was a great video, pretty much all your vids render inspiration to do more in life.

[@The_Modeling_Underdog]

​@@acid_8 My Mechanics is not from this world, to put it mildly.

[@kinbolluck476]

Thanks bro, you too

[@erinfinn2273]

Ok, that tap wrench is ADORABLE. Don't ask me why tiny versions of tools are adorable, they just are.

[@ykkfamily]

So true ❤️

[@niqhtt]

Soooo... that's what she said..?

[@JOSEPH-vs2gc]

@@niqhtt An Over-sized tool has been known to cause more damage than good. have you learned nothing from the video?

[@machinist_matt]

Yep, I can't resist. 😬

[@_J.F_]

Aside from the usual fantastic craftmanship, ingenuity, and attention to detail, the tools you have been making lately are not just tools but pieces of artwork too. Fit equally well in a toolbox/drawer or a display. Watching the process is a real treat too.

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks very much - glad you like them! This tap wrench is a copy of an original tool though, so I had nothing to do with the design. :)

[@utoddl]

So many (true) comments about the shop skills, but I'm continually impressed with the quality of the videography. To make what you do is impressive, but to capture it all and edit down to such a quality presentation deserves high praise as well. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[@irishwristwatch2487]

As a tool & die maker I must say its very satisfying professionally to see you grow in capabilities the way you are. Its always more satisfying using your own tools!

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks very much I really do love making tools, I think they're my favourite projects!:)

[@banditoincognito8950]

@@PaskMakes Well I bet it saves a ton of money.

[@slysi84]

Found one of these at the bottom of a box of random taps I'd been given. Cleaned up and its an absolute joy to use. I love it.

[@skitzochik]

i knew you'd be really good at the metal work because of how prestine your woodwork is. very heartfelt gesture to your friends, having made them something so handsome and functional.

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks very much! :)

[@johnsonhunglo1993]

Congrats on hitting the million mark!!! I hope that you are enjoying Atlanta, et, al!!!!

[@dannyberg4294]

“I’m not sure what it is, but I know it’s free” 😂 Beautiful work as always! I love seeing your creative solutions to problems and your ability to get things done with what you have available!

[@flubba86]

He said its "free-machining", that means it is easily worked on the lathe. Though the double meeting of free-material works too I suppose.

[@PaskMakes]

Glad you enjoyed it! The steel is off cuts from a local CNC workshop and while there were free as Ashley mentioned they are free machining meaning they machine well. :)

[@dannyberg4294]

@@flubba86 Gotcha, I wasn't aware of that term

[@jrmintz1]

The fact that you can make beautiful precision tools at home is mind-blowing to me. Great video!

[@tanyeewei]

Nice! I learned from Clickspring that you can countersink the plate before putting the rivet for peening. Then the rivet could be sanded down totally invisible and flat. It stays fixed because the countersink gives it space to expand

[@dominicm6144]

Mate, I love that you just made this when you realised you couldn't buy it. I admire the skill and the will! Keep on making things, its a pleasure to see it come together. As always.

[@wagneralencar]

Magnific tiny tool, i love the process to make and final result. Deserves to be in a glass frame so beautiful.

[@markamy357]

Wow the quality of your work. I have the larger eclipse No246 tap wrench and your right, it’s just so much nicer than other wrenches.

[@corinkayaker]

I have that one also (as well as the 244 and 245) they are all beautiful to ise

[@sargents1175]

As a machinist myself I gotta say your machine tool skills are very impressive and you’ve progressed quite a bit

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks very much - I feel like I'm gaining experience all the time. I really enjoy the learning process. :)

[@pumpkinheadghoul]

This isn't merely a tool. This is a piece of useful art. If I could afford such a tool, after seeing the care and love that went into making it, I'd cherish it and hand it down to my grandchildren. When I was 14 years old, I made my grandfather a phillips screwdriver out of carbon hardened steel in 8th grade metal shop. When he passed away at the age of 93 nearly a decade ago, he still had that screwdriver in his toolbox. I'm now 56 years old and that screwdriver now resides in my toolbox, and my son will some day have it in his. It's the care and love that goes into making such a tool which makes it special, not merely its usefulness.

[@greglamphier4430]

This was really cool to watch.. I’m normally here for the woodworking but watching your machining process is just as satisfying! Thanks for the entertainment and ideas, always appreciated 👊🏻

[@PaskMakes]

Glad you still enjoyed it Greg! :)

[@garagemonkeysan]

Great video, love the split screen. Wrench is a work of art. So small, like clock making. All those jigs. Cool nickel plating process. Mahalo for sharing! : )

[@Victoria-jo3wr]

Stunning work Neil! It's been really exciting watching your evolution as a craftsman over the last few years. It's given me a lot of encouragement and inspiration!

[@joewhitney4097]

Super cool little tap wrench. Love the detail and how it turned out. Thanks for sharing.

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks very much! :)

[@TR-rz1xt]

As always, a huge pleasure watching one of your creations come into life Neil! Thanks for showing :)

[@MadMathMike]

I had no idea nickel plating could be done that way! Neat project and great video! Thanks! 👍😊

[@PaskMakes]

I didn't either until I started looking into it. It really is a great process! Glad you enjoyed the video! :)

[@nicktecky55]

Who knew? Just by chance, I found out yesterday it was the Romans. Yup, over 2000 years ago. If you want the story, from an historical viewpoint, Metatron has produced the vid.

[@elisabethreeves1786]

I am gobsmacked! You have such skill and patience and _precision_ and it is just the most impressive thing. Thank you for sharing.

[@Venge94]

A nice little wrench, i have an old one that i have never seen anywhere else, its usual because it has 4 moving jaws that close inwards with a single thumbscrew, ive never taken it apart to see how it works though.

[@bonesstones6584]

Stellar result, really amazed by the quality of your craftmanship!

[@AlphaMachina]

What a gorgeous little tool. I love little handcrafted devices like this.

[@frattman]

Every one of your videos drags me somewhere new and interesting. I initially started watching your scrap wood challenge videos when I was doing the same and I haven't ever really been into metal work but it is very cool! It's always been interesting to me that a fair amount of woodworkers transition to metal, but maybe this is just a natural progression of a curious artistic person changing medium. I came to woodworking via being a tileman of all things - the tile pays the bills and the wood makes the gifts and feeds the soul.

[@dawsie]

My Dad has one in his tool collection never knew they stopped making this tool😳 well with all the modern tools that can be bought to do so much of the fine detailed work. When Dad is better we are going to have to go through all of his boxes of tools. Some of them he designed and made 40-50 years ago. Some of his tools were second hand when he bought them so they are well over a hundred years old 😹😹he spent as much time working on engines as he did at night school to advance his knowledge. He and Mom wanted to come to Australia as early as 1969 but he decided he wanted to learn more on the mechanical side of engines not just how to service them but how to rebuild from the ground up. So he crammed 10years of study into 5 years passed with honours and one of the top 10 students in the country. Because of this when they applied to move to Australia finally they actually paid to bring us out we only had to pay for our personal belongings. Goodness knows what tools he has in his kit 😹😹I do remember helping him make some of his tools with howlers of sanding metal to the specks he gave me😹😹umm okay that explains why I always revert to hand sanding the closer I get to the finish of anything I make now😹😹😹old habits die hard😹😹

[@vasja_vasin]

1:26 I really liked the sanding method. Simplicity and efficiency. Thank you.

[@mandyleeson1]

Precision work and so good to watch. Brilliant, Neil.

[@homemadetools]

Neat little project. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎

[@HP41CY]

The variety of processes you mastered so far is amazing !!! 👍👍👍

[@Justinr1993]

I use the same technique to etch my makers mark, I would suggest weeding prior to transferring the vinyl and dedicated transfer tape works wonders

[@scottcarr3264]

I've used one of those Tap wrenches when I was at the Apprentice Training centre, Newcastle Steelworks Australia, back in about 1977. It was great for 1/8" taps, it gave you very good "feel". Very well done, There are certainly a lot of steps to build this, but it is worth it, if you tap small holes.

[@baptistec.4546]

Hi Neil, great work again ! I’d love to see your handmade rebuild of the Stanley Odd Jobs in the future. Im sure you’d find ideas to make it better again.

[@ironicallysimple645]

We got several of these at the workshop & they get used all the time. They are great little Tap Wrenches.

[@dnngskn62]

Great to see your machining skills grow. Well done and you get a very useful tool as well.

[@rikityrik]

That was a fun little project, it turned out great! I really enjoyed watching. Hoping you enjoyed your time in the states, from all of us here in Texas.🙏

[@georgeblair7129]

I 3d printed a thumb knob to run tiny tiny taps. Very cool mini wrench!

[@coptotermes]

Beautifully made! Thank you for showing us your skills and helping us learn.

[@freddyrosenberg9288]

Cool. You and I have the same approach to turning on lathe. Cut small feed rates. Everybody loves to overload lathes and see what's the most they can cut in one pass. My tools last for ever and my lathe still works like new.

[@chriscmoor]

Very nice work! A little tip for the vinyl etch resist: If you have a laser cutter/engraver use it to vaporize away the tiny trapped areas that would otherwise need to be weeded. It will take a bit of experimentation to find the right power/speed settings for your laser engraver to get that perfect "kiss cut" to remove the vinyl without punching through the backer. It's worth the effort in the long run, though. Larger areas can just be outline laser cut and weeded as normal. I do this for vinyl heat transfers onto garments and bags. I can achieve incredibly fine detail that exceeds the capability of my blade plotter and which would be impossible to weed cleanly. It is important that your vinyl be super flat to get uniform results. I use a sheet of machined aluminum with neodymium magnets on the back to hold it to the honeycomb and a low tack spray designed for screen printers to to hold the vinyl to the aluminum platen. Thanks for sharing your shop with us.

[@PaskMakes]

Thanks Christopher, I don't have a laser but that does sound like a great idea! :)

[@Tomas.Giudici]

Such a nice piece of tool you made there! Really neat and tidy! Quick tip: use glass jars instead of plastic in the ultrasonic cleaner. Plastic absorbs a lot of the vibration and therefore attenuating the cleaning.

[@paulmcdonough9595]

Nice one, they really need to make these again. Like you I saw one in a friend’s workshop and tried to buy one only to find that they have been discontinued, I have been looking for a used one ever since.

[@luisurbina5115]

Outstanding. Now I need a metal lathe, a mill, knurling wheels, and all sorts of metal tools. Thanks, Pask. My wife wont like what's coming!

[@ItsGoodEnough4GovernmentWork]

As always, great results and super fun to watch the process :)

[@PaskMakes]

Glad you enjoyed it Justin! :)

[@AgiHammerthief]

if it weren’t for that mentality painful moment when the caliper got abused as a marking tool on steel 😢

[@BlackBackLioness]

You're my favourite tinkerer/maker to binge watch when I want to relax. Do I have any idea what it is you're making? Not at all! Will I still watch it? Happily! Is the end result beautiful? Always!

[@thndrgrrrl]

You are such an amazing creator. I cant imagine all the knowledge you must have about tools and tricks and just creating from raw materials. I love your videos so much.

[@StevesProjects]

I have the same tap wrench left for me by my granddad who was a jig and tool engineer. Great work!

[@ericjohnson4768]

Really nice! That nickel plating is amazing.

[@Vickie-Bligh]

Neil, this is one of my favorite types of making you do (oh who am I kidding, I love whatever you make). Whenever you say, "I'm gonna give it a go" I know we are in for great machining, wonderful education, and a lovely good time. I wish I could get to Atlanta to see you, but the distance from me to Atlanta is similar from you to Perth.🥹Thanks for this and have an awesome trip.

[@thedabblingwarlock]

Blade used to be a yearly trip for me and my uncle when I was growing up. It was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy it. :) This is a fun looking tap wrench, by the way.

[@brianmunkres1767]

That was awesome. I can see why you want one of those. I hope you enjoyed your trip to the US. Great Job.

[@Handleyman]

While you might learn something, I definitely will. As I always do watching your channel.

[@mattiashammelfelt7803]

Thats a tool that i would keep in my pocket all the time. I small its handmade and i love it

[@Abrikosmanden]

What a great little tool - so well thought out!

[@Gilyarth]

What a gorgeous little tool, love it!

[@montoyajj]

I know this is an old video but when weeding small details like that I bought a cheap pack of sharp metal dental picks and it works amazing ! Also wanted to ask how you liked the US? I got to go to the UK last year for work and loved it over there! It’s crazy what is taken for granted when you grow up and live in the same place for a long time, hearing how excited you seemed to go made me smile!

[@coolruehle]

The grinding of this piece in the beginning is pure genius. I didn't even know you could do that!!!

[@Awkward_Fox]

Beautiful project! Only thing I would have done differently is a brass thumb wheel for adjustment. Otherwise, excellent! Would love too have one like this in my toolbox, but it's a shame they're discontinued from production in general!

[@briangoldberg4439]

That's a great little tap holder. I use a small one made by Starrett who make a full range of them from teeny tiny to very big.

[@corinkayaker]

These eclipses are so nice to use.

[@paulwomack5866]

Some great use of aluminium supports and fixtures. On eBay (UK) an Eclipse 244 is going for around 20-30 GBP at the moment, but they don't come up very often.

[@snafu2350]

V nice little wrench, both the original design & your making one! :) I hadn't realised this design was no longer available; I guess the fully enclosed movable jaw & nut was a bit fiddly to mass-produce for cost reasons, which is why you only seem to get the knurled nut/adjuster on the end of the wrench nowadays..?

[@RDAUGIRD]

I have one of those tap wrenches and I love it. Have been trying in vain to find another for a long time. P.S. I have been watching your videos for a long time, using mostly hand tools, and always said to myself, "If he had access to machine tools, imagine what he could accomplish!"

[@stevo68]

I've got one of those little fellas. I don't use it very often, but when you do it's really handy.

[@rjtumble]

I hope you enjoy your trip to Atlanta! Hope you get to spend more time in the US than just at the blade show.

[@pietscher1727]

Great work as always! I especially like the jigs you improvise.

[@brentspepper2087]

I took tool and die class in high school and made a full size tap wrench as a project. That was over 30 years ago and I still use it. I may have to make one of these as well.

[@korgan7779]

Absolutely amazing work, Sir! I'm a bit surprised that you decided to pin your guide tails rather then tap and screw them in case you would have to do any repairs down the road. Have a safe and exciting trip!

[@pauldevey8628]

I love your surface grinder!!!!! Most of us wont get a real surface grinder but this is very doable for most of us.

[@jackkuehneman9300]

I can already imagine having so much fun breaking taps with this instead of breaking them with my boring tap wrench!

[@sharvil-sss]

This man is a genius you can tell that by the way he uses his tools in a creative way

[@Bigfoot0510]

great work, perfection as always. have you seen the cylindrical hip flasks made by a company called wingback? i think you could make an excellent version of those. would be great to see you take on something like that.

[@0hellow797]

so beautiful, amazing work! had no idea saltwater could be used so easily to etch like that!

[@darylcross5610]

Brilliant work and video as always, topped off by educating us all as you go along.

[@micknolen]

Great project. I hope your visit to the US is great. Make sure you stop by the Varsity when in Atlanta, even if it's at one at the airport.

[@IanSebryk]

i find slightly sharper edges on chamfers help with indexing much better than smoothed ones. regardless, this is a great project and i thank you for sharing. :)

[@MindForgedManacle]

I thought the thumbnail was an industrial pregnancy test

[@YTias]

i feel like that’s a video you’d see on a youtube channel for sure. someone hit up simone gertz, geirtz idk but im subbed to her

[@tiov3001]

Shows you if she has been tapped.

[@brainkill7034]

Congratulations, it’s a baby tap! 😂

[@ScarryMarian2012]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@RJ-wx3fh]

Congratulations- it's a female thread!

[@kz6fittycent]

That plating solution is awesome! I’ve never known about it until you shared this video. Thanks!!

[@DorisS75]

I hope you enjoy Atlanta! You're just in time for the beginning of summer, so it's pretty nice out.

[@mcswordfish]

I had no idea what this was until the very end, but I loved every minute of the journey nonetheless. Many thanks

[@MonkeyWrenchMechanicManiac]

This man can make anything he wants . respect..

[@rosellabill]

That statement about learning somthing was a fantastic attitude to have. You are almost experimenting. Even with your knowlege of the process and materieal.

[@roncouch]

Enjoyed the video - a man of many talents to be sure….and that’s coming from a time-served tool and gauge maker followed by nigh on 35 years in R&D - 10 years in industrial instrumentation the rest in the aerospace industry. Would loved to have worked with you; such an inspiration!

[@J4Julz]

What a great project! Reminds me of watching my dad creating on the mill 💙

[@erebus1964]

I've been working in a department years ago, where we etched combs and blades for electric razors out of 0.4mm hardened stainless steel. If you got only this quite complicated process in mind, it will surprise you totally if someone is using some vinyl cut out, a 9V-battery and a cotton swap to make quite nice etched engravings. Very cool!

[@thebmac]

Was a fun video to watch. Good assortment of techniques and tools. Always a top notch job from ya!

[@Endolas1]

The algorithmen blessed my timeline with this today, very nice Video and craftsmanship.

[@zacplunkett8490]

Love the nickel plating. Looks very clean.

[@Qopzeep]

What a beautiful object in its own right! Your videos continue to be a joy to watch 😊.

[@jimsjacob]

That was really great work. I hope your trip to America is enjoyable and we’re on our best behavior for your visit. Cheers mate!!

[@StephenBrewer89]

Your voice and accent reminds me of “the car cleaning guru” and it’s so soothing.

[@bob3031000]

Incredible work 👏, it was a pleasure to watch.

[@jakeallen4892]

This strikes me of one of my favorite little things you've made. Well done and super useful. Great video as well! Still one of the only ones on youtube without real ads within the video. So refreshing!

[@williamlanphar630]

This is so cool ! I truly enjoy all your projects.

[@Thunsegen]

A little piece of art. Very impressed by the outcome.

[@jum5238]

I just wanted to say, your documented steps were fantastic! And the steps taken and knowledge applied were amazing! A real artisan!

[@Heliosaurus]

God, I had NO idea electroless plating existed. I was already impressed by stuff like that bluing solution so it may not be saying much, but the finish was incredible on that nickel! I'll have to add it to my repertoire for sure.

[@ianvicedomini2648]

You are beyond amazing Neil. It's such a joy to watch each project you accomplish and it's all done with the greatest of precision and the finer details like on this amazing tap wrench is outstanding. Fantastic video mate 👌 👍🏽🏅