Rotary Hole Punches

[Handstitched]

G'day,

I did have a look  before making a new thread on the subject, no luck.

So, I'm on the market for a good quality  heavy duty rotary hole punch . The one I have now is a 'Maun' rotary punch, , made in the UK and serves me well, it has done for many years . While it punches out holes  up to 4mm quite well, but with anything  heavy or around 5mm + it starts to fail.  Any recommendations ?  

An oval rotary hole punch is also a consideration, but a good one. 

 I do use the individual punches , they're good for thinner leathers, but they get stuck in the hole when punching heavy leathers . 

I've also noticed the joints in my hands are playing up a bit lately  ...damn it!! 

HS

[Northmount]

Have you tried lubricating your punches by pressing them into a chunk of bees wax before punching a hole, and maybe even after every two or three holes?  Helps my punches both cut and pull back out of thicker and tougher leathers.

[TomE]

If you search for threads containing "punch tube"  you'll find advice for sharpening and lubricating punches, and different styles of tubes for heavy leather.  I like the Osborne #153-10 frame with longer punch tubes that have a shallow taper in comparison to most rotary punches.

[Handstitched]

12 hours ago, Northmount said:

Have you tried lubricating your punches by pressing them into a chunk of bees wax

I'm going to try that, thanks . 

Using a rotary punch on a lot of holes certainly makes my hands sore, so I might consider a hole punch with a double action and a comfy grip. 

HS

[Handstitched]

That idea worked .   I tried the common sizes I use on some heavy leather, heat the wax up a bit, dipped the tips in the wax. 

HS 

[chuck123wapati]

2 hours ago, Handstitched said:

That idea worked .   I tried the common sizes I use on some heavy leather, heat the wax up a bit, dipped the tips in the wax. 

HS 

i turn my rotary punch upside down, hold it tightly closed and whack it with a rubber mallet to use it for making multiple holes. the punches are aligned at opposite sides so it works well. use the opposite punch against a cutting surface like you would hand punches.

[fredk]

On 8/18/2022 at 2:15 PM, Handstitched said:

. . .

So, I'm on the market for a good quality  heavy duty rotary hole punch . 

. . . 

Years ago, after having gone through a lot of poorly made rotary hole punches,  I bought a good one from Tandy. Unfortunately Tandy no longer sells it. Not only has it served me well for about 6 years but I like that the tubes can be replaced. So far I've only replaced one tube. But also, as the tubes can be screwed out they can be taken out for sharpening.

Ivan now sells this punch. I've bought Ivan tools and I think they are generally high quality. I've punched 4 - 5mm leather with my Tandy version, I've had no need to go thicker

https://www.ivan.tw/collections/punching/products/deluxe-rotary-punch

Ivan also does a compound lever version;

https://www.ivan.tw/collections/punching/products/dual-action-rotary-hole-punch

Edited August 19, 2022 by fredk

[toxo]

7 hours ago, Handstitched said:

That idea worked .   I tried the common sizes I use on some heavy leather, heat the wax up a bit, dipped the tips in the wax. 

HS 

When I'm punching patterns and sometimes when punching leather also (Depends on the project), I run a candle or a bar of soap along the punch/stitch line and it helps enormously.

[jasj]

I have found the compound action lever version very good, but a word of caution, due to the extra pressure exerted on the punch tubes, they may end up being lodged too far into the rotating holder.

  The levers themselves may distort, as I found out when I loaned the punch to an over enthusiastic friend.