kevturbo

Thanks for the advice, but I think the topic is straying away from my original question a little. How to finish the strap ends of a large quantity of belts in the quickest and best way possible. If I could find a press that would have enough room to fit a strap end punch underneath, plus a jig with a belt, then I was guessing that would work. How do y'all doing this out there, please folks?

A fine idea, and one that had crossed my mind already. However the Craftool punch that I have purchased is not solid metal, but seems to be a tubular construct. This would mean that sawing off the end would destabilise the whole punch, and it would bend and crumple if used under a press. Something i could not have known having bought from the web, as it looked robust enough from the picture. it also cost fifty of our english pounds to buy, so an expensive learning curve I might add. Are there solid strap end punches out there, that could be adapted that you or anyone else might know of?

Hi all, I need to use a strap end cutter for about 30 belts at a time, and I was wondering if there is a faster way anyone could recommend than using a poly/rawhide mallet and doing them by hand. I considered using an arbor press but the strap end cutters I have are too wide at the top - about 3/4" - to be able to drill in to the arm, or too long - about 5 1/2 " - to fit under the press arm. I think I am missing a trick here somehow, and would appreciate some advice. Fitting each strap into a jig, and pressing them would be both fast and accurate too - at least that was the train of thought I was having on the subject. Any advice from you seasoned strap cutters out there in Leatherworker land, as I am stumped on this one! Thanks a million in advance. Kevin Nickelsafe, UK

Hi all, I need to use a strap end cutter for about 30 belts at a time, and I was wondering if there is a faster way anyone could recommend than using a poly/rawhide mallet and doing them by hand. I considered using an arbor press but the strap end cutters I have are too wide at the top - about 3/4" - to be able to drill in to the arm, or too long - about 5 1/2 " - to fit under the press arm. I think I am missing a trick here somehow, and would appreciate some advice. Fitting each strap into a jig, and pressing them would be both fast and accurate too - at least that was the train of thought I was having on the subject. Any advice from you seasoned strap cutters out there in Leatherworker land, as I am stumped on this one! Thanks a million in advance. Kevin Nickelsafe, UK

Thanks for all the advice. In short then, no hole is needed of printing a 2 1/2 " long logo, as per 'EmbossingDieCompany's post, just an acrylic base. I could drill a 1/2" hole and tap and die it for number stamping, but first I must find a machine shop which is not as easy as it sounds in the UK. I'm sure I will eventually track one down, but we're all about being a 'service industry' now, rather than a manufacturing industry today. Pretty sad really, but it's not like the states where everyone has a drill press and lathe facilities. I live in London with 10 million compacted people, but that's my choice I suppose. I'm sure I will find one eventually. About 'BiggunDoctors' suggestion for milling to a v-block - well, I would not know where to start, or how to use it, so I'm stick with finding someone with a drill press for now. i think a posted pic of this would help as I can't envisage how this would work to be honest. 'Silverwingit's suggestion of a hydraulic shop press is pretty cool too, as I'd never seen one before - only clicker presses and arbors. And yes, they are very reasonable, even for a 6 ton, so thanks for that. i've found I can get hole punch dies to fit my standard hand rivet press, from green grizzly too, so I've ordered that for the moment as it's easy and a cheap solution. At least for hole punching. However, i can see no way but to hand stamp an oblong punch, as the top is too wide to fit into even a bored arbor. Any tips on this would be welcome, and thanks for all the comments so far. I feel far better informed now, and more confident with which purchases to make too. Oh, the Palmgren 61101 One Ton Arbor press comes pre-drilled for letter/number stamps, but it seems no one is impressed with the magnet holder as it reportedly breaks quite quickly. Still worth a mention though. Hope this thread helps others out there as much as me...

Thank you all for your advice. iI will indeed find a machine shop somewhere to do as you all say. At this stage, and having been an office bound graphic designer, I do not possess the equipment or skills to drill, tap and die the rod arm myself. Also, I am not sure where to find a "machine shop" to do the task, but I will look into this. As for stamping the longer logo, a piece of solid steel the width of the logo makes sense. Should I get a two ton press for this, as it is over 2 inches wide, or do you think a one ton would suffice? Perhaps a Youtube video should be made by the Arbor Press manufacturers on this subject would help. Meanwhile this thread will surely help many people out there to achieve a little clarity on this issue. Thank you all for your help once again so far Kevin Nickelsafe

Can anyone please help in clearing up just how to attach a letter/number stamp or hole punch to an arbor press. The internet indeed has no real guidance on how to go about this, and I am at my wits end trying to work it out for myself. if you can help me and other newbies out there understand this, then you would be helping a lot of people. As far as i can see, the end of the "arbor" is just a flat square, as per my picture attached, and there are no Youtube videos covering this point either. Also, can I stamp a logo thats just over 2 inches long with an arbor press? And if so, how should I go about this please? My first bridal leather hide arrived today, and it is a beautiful thing. I'm off to practice my strap cutting skills while I await any forthcoming help on this subject. Thank you all in advance - this forum is a complete godsend to people like me...

Thanks for that tip Dwight. I found a set of inspection stamps on infinity's web site, and it got me thinking that it would be great if anyone made dual number stamps for just this purpose. Maybe they do and I haven't found them yet, but it's just wishful thinking. I also thought of making a wooden template the width of the belt with a little guide holder the size of two stamps at the end. Put that under the Arbor press, and hey presto. That way the stamps could be dropped in and changed at ease, always be in the same position, and speed up the process. Does this sound like a good idea, and has anyone else tried this out or similar themselves? I'm just making this up as I go along, but that's part of the fun of this venture. I look forward to hearing any more thoughts on the process. There are plenty of skilled crafts people doing wonderful leatherwork state side, but they are a little thin on the ground in the uk, so your help is much appreciated. Kevin www.nickelsafe.co.uk

Hello all, I am about to embark on producing my own leather straps for the nickel free titanium buckles I have designed and am seling on Amazon. A burning question that eludes me about embossing, is how to stamp two numbers at once onto each strap, for the sizes. Now I could hand stamp, or use a press for each number (32, 45,38, etc) but it will be difficult to make sure the numbers are aligned . Plus I will be doing 30 at a time, so I would like to make the process as quick and painless as possible. Is there a way to mount two number dies together and emboss them with an arbor press at all? I can find no information on this searching the net, and yet so many people seem to do it out there. Any tips or ideas would be gratefully received, and thanks in advance Kevin Nickelsafe