Enfield Standard Taps and Dies

[Flying10uk]

Does any-one know how Enfield Standard taps and dies are actually marked on the tool its-self? Is it marked E.S after the thread size like more common types such as B.S.W. or U.N.F.? I have often seen old taps and dies for sale (ex-military) but wouldn't know if they were Enfield Standard examples or not. I'm guessing that the only persons who would have had these tools outside of the factory originally would be armourers.

Information

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[Badger]

Hello Flying10uk ...

For more background and finding answers quickly on our site, you might want to try our Google CSE custom search engine located in the top right corner titled Search Milsurps.com. It only searches our site using Google techniques and can be quite efficient. For example, in your case, type in the words enfield taps and dies and see what happens ..

I checked and there are dozens of posts covering that topic…

Example..

Member Paul S. posted this last year..

Here are a couple of helpful (hopefully) references:

This first one is from another forum member, Enfieldlock;

Threads for Lee Enfield Rifle

BA Tap and Dies;

http://mdmetric.com/britcut.htm

And, another;

British Tools & Fasteners - BA Thread Profile

Hope this helps ..

Regards,
Doug

[Enfieldlock]

There are approx 24 different thread patterns, some of which have no application.

As far as I can deduce they were referred to by a serial that had no reference to their dimensions.

The only tool I have ever seem is a hand-chaser. I have never seen a tap or die. Whether Enfield had any stock of tooling during my time there, I don't know.

It's a case of "If I only knew then what I know now". I would have gone and found out the answer.

[Peter Laidler]

We also had a multi size thread chaser for the No1 rifle in the big workshops but I never(?) saw it used as during my time No1 rifles with damaged threads were cleaned out to the appropriate BA size - of which we had a check list to follow

[Enfieldlock]

In addition to my post above.

"Tinks" are sometimes seen. These are an armourer's tool comprising a one-eighths hardened steel plate with various threads with circular reliefs. The holes look like die plates. These are used for cleaning up lightly damaged threads.

One was offered me at a show and I snapped it up. Sadly it is dedicated to early sight screws and therefore not much use on mainstream SMLE threads.

These rare items can be found. Fortunately, only a few know what they are!

[Bindi2]

In addition to my post above.

"Tinks" are sometimes seen. These are an armourer's tool comprising a one-eighths hardened steel plate with various threads with circular reliefs. The holes look like die plates. These are used for cleaning up lightly damaged threads.

One was offered me at a show and I snapped it up. Sadly it is dedicated to early sight screws and therefore not much use on mainstream SMLE threads.

These rare items can be found. Fortunately, only a few know what they are!

Might be more than a few but only a few collect them. But then I have bought more than one amourers tool kit.

[Peter Laidler]

Those 'tinks' as you call them Jim are the things I refer to in thread 4. I seem to recall that they were a bit thicker than 1/8". I think that on the A in U (that's the main stores 'Articles in Use' account) stock sheet they went down as 'PLATE, die' Like you say, nobody really knew what they were for. At the big Base workshop at Aldershot the die plate sat on an oil soaked lining in the examiners gauge box. I oversaw the 'disposal' of a LOT of this kit and.............

I wonder why there wasn't a relevant tap set - or was there?

[Brian Dick]

I have a set of the Enfield die plates and thread chasers. I've saved many bands and screws over the years with them.

[Flying10uk]

Thanks for your post Brian. I was wondering if you would be able to post a picture of your die plates and thread chasers etc for the Enfield Rifle, please, if you have the facilities. I would be interested to see them from the militaria point of view and also from my day job point of view as a precision engineer. Thank-you

[Brian Dick]

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