OT: Help needed fixing damaged threads

[turboBB]

Mods, please forgive the temporray OT but I can really use some help related to machining/milling just not for flashlights. If this is not allowed, then please delete and my sincere apologies.

Hi guys,

Need your help with damaged threads on a nail drill. My sis-in-law accidentally dropped the nail drill and the bit broke off. I managed to completely disassemble and remove the lodged shaft. The problem is that the top of the thread (far right in pic) seems to have been damaged (flattened?):

To give you a size perspective, the exposed threads you see in the pic is only about 3mm or so in length.

I was wondering if there was a tool I could buy to fix this thread? I searched but can only find tools to fix thread as in a hole but not on a component.

Alternatively, can anyone recommend a machinist in the NY/NJ/PA area that I could bring this to fix?

Thx!,
Tim

 

[VegasF6]

Tim, I am sure you will get a better recomendation, but in the mean time I suggest a triangular file and be very careful. I would imagine you could just file away that one thread and be fine.
Whats a nail drill?

 

[turboBB]

I'll give it a shot but given my eyes aren't what they used to be (even w/a magnifier) and my hands are so shaky from the amount of daily caffiene intake, I'm not too hopeful I'll get very far. 😱

A nail drill is basically like a dremel tool but specifially used to file nails which she relies on as a manicurist. Her particular one was from NSK Japan and I had no idea it was so expensive! ($300-$400). However upon diassembling the unit, I gotta say, it is extremely high quality and very well engineered.

Thx for the advice, I'll leave it as a last resort as I don't want to accidentally damage it further.

Cheers,
Tim

 

[VegasF6]

You could also look into something like this, in the appropriate size (I don't know if this one is)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VXIXUK/?tag=cpf0b6-20
or this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000K1GAH6/?tag=cpf0b6-20

 

[turboBB]

Wow, thx for that! That's exactly what I was looking for but kept coming up with the tools for hole thread and not external threads. I just need to figure the pitch out now.

Cheers,
Tim

 

[Torque1st]

Yup, thread file.

The thread will probably be metric. Just get out a good magnifying lens and a good scale to measure from crest to crest for the pitch.

 

[darkzero]

I have a thread restoring kit. They kind of resemble taps but they are not for making new threads, they're designed for chasing damaged threads. The kit also came with thread files too which work failry well as long as you are cautious & have the workpiece held firmly. But the kit only covers common thread sizes & I suspect the thread you have there is not a common size diameter & pitch. So the thread file should be your best bet. It would be best to use a thread pitch gage to very the pitch before hitting it with the file.