Stalagmite®
TDP-Extractor ... ~1~
TDP-Extractor: Tapered Die Pin Extractor.
The Tapered Die Pin Extractor has been designed so you can extract a die with micrometer precision.
Finger pressure is all that is needed to insert a Tapered Die Pin into a plastic base and light pressure on the bottom of the pin is all that is needed to remove it.
When removing a multi-unit wax up for investing, it is beneficial to have more control over the die removal process. Screw the Knurled-Screw out of the Extractor-Body at least one half of its length.
Push the Extractor-Body onto the plastic die-pin-sleeve of the base until it stops. Turn the Extractor-Body clockwise until snug. Do not over tighten. (It only takes about one half turn or less to grab the plastic die-pin-sleeve sufficiently.)
Once you have the Extractor-Body anchored to the plastic die-pin-sleeve, slowly screw the small Knurled-Screw in until it engages the bottom of the Tapered Die Pin. You now have infinite control over how much you remove the die.
It takes less than 1/8 turn to fully release the die pin from the walls of the plastic sleeve. (1/8 turn = .004 in or .1 mm)
You will learn to love this tool when you have to remove a large wax up from a model when some of the stone-die preps are not parrallel to each other.
Note: Make sure the Knurled-Screw is screwed out of the Extractor-Body at least half of its length before attempting to attach the TDP-Extractor to the plastic die-pin-sleeve of a plastic base (you do not want to engage the Tapered Die Pin at this point). You want to remove the Tapered Die Pin itself with the small Knurled-Screw.