- Pen kits
- Bushes and barrel trimmers for pen kits
- Pen blanks
- Marlas Feathers pen blanks
- DiamondCast pen blanks
- DC Silver Series pen blanks
- DC Radiance Series pen blanks
- Divine Island pen blanks
- Gilbert House pen blanks
- Crafted Makes Spangle Series pen blanks
- Crafted Makes Braided Series pen blanks
- Crafted Makes Carbon Fibre series pen blanks
- Blankwerks abalone pen blanks
- Flower Girl pen blanks
- GPS Alternative Natural pen blanks
- GPS Ranger pen blanks
- GPS Alternative Semi-Precious pen blanks
- GPS California series pen blanks
- Kirinite acrylic pen blank collection
- Kirinite Ice series pen blanks
- Kirinite Pearl series pen blanks
- Kirinite Stardust Glitter series pen blanks
- Minerva Acrylics pen blanks
- Cullinore Acrylique - Spellbinder pen blanks
- Cullinore Acrylique - acrylic pen blanks
- Chestnut acrylic pen blank collection
- Semplicita SHDC pen blanks
- Semplicita Nastro pen blanks
- Ebonite pen blanks
- Wood pen blanks
- Whisky cask pen blanks
- Choose pen blanks by colour
- Pen blanks - reduced to clear
- Marlas Feathers pen blanks
- Bowl blanks, spindle blanks & project blanks
- Fountain pen nibs
- Understanding nibs and choosing the right one
- Bock standard size 6 fountain pen nibs (type 250)
- Bock standard size 5 fountain pen nibs (type 180)
- Beaufort standard size 5 fountain pen nibs
- Bock short body #5 fountain pen nibs (type 060)
- Bock wide shoulder #5 fountain pen nibs (type 076)
- Bock standard size 8 fountain pen nibs (type 380)
- Calligraphy (italic) fountain pen nibs
- Bock twin point #5 fountain pen nibs (type 020)
- Music nibs
- Left handed fountain pen nibs
- Non-engraved fountain pen nibs
- Ready made section sleeves for kitless pens
- Ready made nib sections for kitless pens
- Refillable rollerball nibs for kitless pens
- Understanding nibs and choosing the right one
- Fountain pen ink
- Pen refills
- Pen presentation - pen boxes, pen pouches & pen stands
- Writing accessories
- Pen making tools & drill bits
- Pen tubes, springs & spares
- Mechanisms, ink converters & pencil inserts
- Ready-made nib sections and section sleeves
- Clips for kitless pens
- Thread taps and dies
- Kitless pen making - tools and supplies for custom pens & bespoke pens
- Tutorial - An introduction to custom pen making
- Collets & collet chuck sets
- Keyless drill chucks
- Engineering micro-chucks
- Tailstock die holders
- Tailstock tap holders
- Morse taper lathe centres
- Mandrels for kitless pens and custom pen making
- Marking & Measuring
- Triple lead thread taps and dies for pen caps
- Single lead thread taps and dies for pen components
- Thread taps for Bock fountain pen nib housings
- Thread taps for Bock ready made nib sections
- Thread taps for kitless pen rollerball nibs
- Section sleeves and thread sleeves for kitless pens
- Bock ready-made fountain pen nib sections
- Clips for kitless pens
- Refillable rollerball nibs for kitless pens
- Drill bits
- Threadable pen blanks for kitless and custom pens
- Lubricant for pen makers
- Tutorial - An introduction to custom pen making
- Casting moulds for pen blanks
- Starbond CA superglue
- Abrasives, steel wool, finishing & polishing
- Beall Wood Buff buffing system
- Collets, collet chuck sets and expansion collets
- Versachuck wood lathe chucks
- Lathe faceplates & micro-chucks
- Lathe spindle thread taps & spindle thread adaptors
- Shield Technology - lubrication and rust prevention
- Super Nova1 chuck key
- Shop by Brand
- Beall
- Beaufort Ink
- Blankwerks
- Bock
- Chestnut Products
- Crafted Makes
- Cullinore Acrylique
- DiamondCast
- Divine Island
- Flower Girl
- Gilbert House
- GPS Agencies
- Kirinite
- Liberon
- Marlas Feathers
- Micromesh
- Minerva
- Mitutoyo
- Penblanks & Moulds
- Rotur
- Semplicita
- Shield Technology
- Starbond
- TapCo
- Versachuck
- Volkel
- Yorkshire Grit
- Beall
- Special offers & clearance
Blog
Blog Search

Thread taps needn't be confusing.
There are choices to be made when you're buying thread taps for making custom pens, or so called kitless pens or bespoke pens. Unless you have a little engineering experience, it can be difficult to know the differences between each type of thread tap and what they're used for, so below is a simple explanation of each one, to help you decide which type or types you need.
Essentially, there are three main types - the underlying tool is the same thing in each case, but some of the cutters are ground away in certain ways to enable them to perform different functions. Confusingly though, they’re known by different names in different countries. The name by which they are known in the UK is in bold, so importantly, don't get your plugs in a muddle, as 5000 miles of water between here and the US could mean the difference between happiness and disappointment.
#justsaying
1. Starter Tap (in the US this is called a Taper Tap)
A Starter Tap has the first 6 or so cutters ground away to a taper. This makes it easier to insert the tap and begin the cut.
2. Intermediate Tap (in the US this is called a Plug Tap)
An Intermediate Tap also has tapered cutters, but only about 3 or so. It can be used to begin a cut if you have the confidence to do so, but it’s main purpose is to continue the cut begun by the Starter Tap, so that it’s quickly widened to the full diameter of the thread.
3. Plug Tap (in the US this is called a Bottoming Tap)
A Plug Tap is primarily for tapping into a blind hole - a hole previously begun with one of the taps above, were the exit is narrower than the entrance or where there’s no exit at all. All of its cutters are intact and it has a flat end, therefore the tap goes right up to the end of the hole at the full diameter of the thread. It isn’t suitable for beginning a cut, but it is useful for continuing a cut in translucent or transparent material, where you’ll see the thread from the outside. In such cases it’s desirable to have a clean finish to the thread rather than appear to just peter out, which is the effect you’d see with either of the other two types above.
So, not particularly complicated once it's explained, in fact very straight forward, and we'll talk about thread dies, triple lead threads and other perceived mysteries in future blog posts.
We have an entire article dedicated to answering some of the frequently asked questions surrounding custom pen making, to help you come to terms with some of the basics you are going to encounter at the start of your journey, so if you don't want to wait for future posts, you can read about all this sort of stuff there, and a lot more besides.
Read our kitless pen tutorial - An Introduction to Custom Pen Making |
An Introduction to Custom Pen Making