Day 58 of 365

Tap & die

Today's experience was absolutely a first and a chance to share this adventure with my father. He's an amazing human being and taught me so much about being independent and resourceful. For as long as I can remember he has made time to be a mentor. As a child he never limited me based on my small size or on my gender. What a gift it was to have limitless guidance built on a foundation of love. It's truly inspiring and was a huge part in how I raised my own children.

The holidays are coming and I've had a few requests for chainemaile jewelry. If you didn't know, I make bracelets by hand. I use copper wire and turn it into rings and hand weave them to make each piece.

What does this have to do with my 365 day experience? I cracked the most important tool I use to turn the rings. Instead of spending a bunch of money to replace the broken part, I decided I could make it. This idea generated my day 58 adventure.

I needed to drill a hole in a piece of steel. Not a big deal but the finished result needed to be threaded so I could attach the mandrel rod used to turn the rings. This is where my brilliant idea of tap & die comes in. I was pretty sure my dad had a set so I asked him if he would teach me how to use it. He was happy to help and we spent the rest of the afternoon making a 8/32 threaded hole in a piece of bar stock metal.

My dad taught me how to check the threads to determine which tap to use. After confirming the measurement on my mandrel we drilled a starter hole in the bar stock. The tap was pretty simple and after a few turns I was through the hole and the mandrel screwed right in. Perfect on the first try. I was surprised how simple the process was and this will definitely come in handy on future blacksmithing projects. Thanks Pop!

Day 58 was an excellent experience.

Love & Light

I planted my #365rockdays rock in my dad's toolbox. It seemed perfect.