Walton 10064 #6, 4 Flute Tap Extractor With Square Shank

This is one of those 'I didn't know I needed it, until I needed it' tools. The other day, I broke a 6-32 tap and if you've ever done so, you know the ensuing pain and suffering. In most cases, drilling isn't an option due to the hardness of the tap and as always the tap shears off flush with the material being tapped and hence there's little to grab onto with pliers. The product comes with a very helpful set of instructions. Reading them should be your first step as there are both helpful hints as well as some key points to achieve success. Also bear in mind that the tool is designed for 4 flute taps. The 6-32 remnant that I was trying to remove was a 3 flute tap. In this case it's easy enough to remove one of the metal tangs from the tool. Some obvious points are also to clear the hole with compressed air and use a lubricant to ease tap removal. I had little confidence that this tool would work, mainly because of the nay-sayers on the internet. In the end, the tool worked beautifully and I was able to turn a failed project into a success.

It might work for some applications. I needed something stronger.