Vintage Winter Brothers Company 1-1/2" NPT Pipe Tap with Original Box

Description

This tap has obviously never been used as there are no scratches or marks on the body, and no nicks or dulled marks on the teeth cutting edges. The history of this tap to the best of my knowledge is that it was originally purchased by the Homestake Mining Company in the 1940's or earlier and was found in the back of a drawer in a metal work bench after an auction of some of its shop tools in 1999. Why it was never used is beyond me, but I will try to explain why I believe that the tap is close to 100 years old. First off the Gold Mine in Lead, SD was started in the 1870's, and by the turn of the century it's shops and operations were in full production.The metal work bench the tap was found in was very old metal drill bench that was probably replaced by bigger and better metal woking tables at some point, and this smaller table and bench was probably put back out of the way and basically forgot about. The 2 drawers were full of old bits many of which had never been used. After some investigation of the Winter Brothers Company and elsewhere learning about identification of taps on the web I was able to get a more clear picture of the age of this tap. The stamp of identification that is on the tap is deeply imbedded into the metal, not just etched or stamped lightly with ink like late model taps. This deep stamp process probably did not afford the maker the luxury of large amounts of information about the tap, but rather just the most important information about the tap. This one is stamped with a short version of the name - WINTER and is followed by the diameter 1 1/2 and the number of threads per inch 11 1/2 and then the 1864 standard designation NPT which stands for National Pipe Tapered - threads that seal. Also stamped after the NPT is A1 which is normally a class fit designation that A signifies an external thread class which is cut or rolled into the cylindrical surface of a faster or stud. The 1 designates Class 1 which is a loose fit or easier to screw in or out fit for the screw. If this A1 is the class fit designation why is it backwards from the 1948 classification standard that was agreed on by all the major countries producing taps. Also an important designation from the standard of '48 was the designation of the type of thread on the tap which in this case would have been UNC which would have designated this tap as a Unified Thread Series Coarse. This designation is not stamped on the tap or printed on the box label. These omissions lead me to believe either Winter Brothers Company didn't comply with the standardization of 1948 or the tap was made before the standard. I would favor with the assumption that since it is a rare deep stamp, and the A1 is stamped backwards from the standard, and has no NC rating that it could easily have been made before 1948. The original box is also a testimony of age by the way it is constructed, with the metal braces that were used to support all 4 corners of the inside and outside box halves. The description box label that also serves as a box sealer has 1 1/2" N.P.T. PIPE TAP CARBON STEEL printed on it. The word CARBON is a bit choppy with wear, and one corner of the box looks like it may have been dropped at some time and has a slightly crushed corner. This damage does not affect the operation of the box in any way, and is very minor in its appearance. The words CARBON STEEL more than likely refers to a Carbon Steel Finish, which was an added feature for longer lasting durability in its day. This feature is still used today and with the Titanium - Carbo Finish of modern taps, which command a price in the neighborhood of 350 to 450 from suppliers. The length of The Tap is 4.25" long, and weighs 2 pounds, and has 6 flutes.